Improvements proposed for popular Hayden trail system
Friends of North Idaho is pursuing a grant to improve the trail system at English Point in Hayden.
Press file
A newly certified nonprofit, Friends of North Idaho Trails, is taking on its first project — pursuit of a grant to enhance the English Point Trail system in Hayden.
English Point is a non-motorized trail system that affords hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders the opportunity to enjoy the natural outdoors.
The Friends of North Idaho Trails group is composed of several groups with members who use and maintain local trail systems for motorized and non-motorized use. The group was incorporated in December 2022 and attained 501(c)(3) status in December 2023 with the Panhandle Nordic Ski and Snowshoe Club, Backcountry Horsemen, Panhandle Trail Riders and North Idaho Trail Blazers as supporting members.
English Point has poor drainage that allows water to flow down the trail itself which ends up in an intermittent stream that flows into Hayden Lake, becoming a lake water quality issue. The parking lot also requires some long-overdue maintenance.
Friends of North Idaho Trails cooperated with the U.S. Forest Service to develop a plan that encompasses 32 drainage features, three causeways raising the trail, six French drains at three bridges, grading of the parking lot and addition of more signage. This project would require approximately $51,000 with 80% grant funding and 20% local matching funds.
If the grant proposal succeeds, work would begin in late spring of 2025 and would be completed before the fall of 2026. The project would greatly enhance the hiking, biking and riding experience for the many users who enjoy the English Point trails.
The public is invited to visit Friends of North Idaho Trails’ Facebook page and comment on this proposal.
Donations to help make the 20% match can be sent to: Friends of North Idaho Trails, P.O. Box 2863, Hayden, ID 83835.