Grants Pass has earned a statewide parks award for the Dollar Mountain trail construction project, recognizing the design and development of hiking and mountain biking routes on the city’s western edge. City staff accepted the Oregon Recreation and Park Association’s Design & Construction Award during its annual conference in Seaside, held September 22–24. The city reported the award in its September recap, released October 1.
The honor follows a construction effort that added approximately 11 miles of professionally built trails and reroutes, supported by state grant funding, a city contribution and community partnerships. Dollar Mountain’s grand opening took place November 1, 2025, after work that began in fall 2024. The completed routes provide opportunities for residents and visiting riders to reach forested slopes and ridge views close to Grants Pass.
ORPA’s award recognizes architectural and landscape design for parks, trails and recreation facilities completed within the previous five years. Evaluation includes how projects fit the terrain, address maintenance, manage budgets and incorporate community participation. Partnerships, efficient use of resources and the appearance of the finished work also factor into selection. The association presents two Design & Construction Awards, although the city’s recap did not specify Dollar Mountain’s division.
The project began with the city’s purchase of approximately 444 acres between Starlite Drive and Pinecrest Drive. Escrow closed January 31, 2019, giving Grants Pass land for a recreation area comparable in acreage to nearby Cathedral Hills. Before the new trails took shape, the city sought public input, consulted neighboring property owners and began addressing vegetation and fire concerns near surrounding homes.
Residents’ interest in hiking and mountain biking helped direct the planning. A 2020 community survey, conducted with assistance from the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, identified both activities as leading priorities. Visit Grants Pass reports that mountain biking accounted for 50 percent of the survey’s recreation priorities and hiking for 34 percent. Those responses helped shape a network serving people on foot and on bicycles.
The city’s construction solicitation called for approximately 11.7 miles of trails and reroutes, including shared hiking and biking paths, bicycle climbing routes and bicycle descending routes. Ptarmigan Trails designed the system and was selected for construction. The Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association participated as a community partner, providing project information and helping promote the opening as the routes became available.
The trail-building project carried a reported $700,000 budget. A $350,000 Oregon Parks and Recreation grant, supported by Oregon Lottery proceeds, provided half that amount, with Grants Pass contributing another $350,000. That funding supported trail development; it does not represent the full cost of purchasing Dollar Mountain or completing every improvement associated with the property.
Separate work addressed access at the trailhead. City bidding records for a parking-area project describe pavement, drainage, parking stripes and sidewalk improvements, with part of the funding coming through a Secure Rural Schools Title II grant. The parking improvements and trail construction formed different pieces of the work needed to accommodate visitors.
The finished network includes routes with different purposes and levels of difficulty. Shared trails accommodate hikers and cyclists, while other sections are reserved for bicycles and include steeper, more technical features. The mountain bike association identifies e-bikes as permitted and motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles as excluded. Trail users must follow the designation of each route rather than assume every path permits the same activities.
Dollar Mountain’s development also brought together recreation, tourism and business organizations. The mountain bike association’s grand-opening materials credited the Grants Pass & Josephine County Chamber of Commerce, the city, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Visit Grants Pass, Travel Southern Oregon and other supporters. Earlier city planning records describe discussions with BLM and Josephine County about incorporating additional land into the system.
Visit Grants Pass now promotes more than 30 miles of total trail access at Dollar Mountain. That broader figure differs from the approximately 11 miles associated with the recent construction effort. The statewide award recognizes the completed trail project, which expanded recreation options on a property the city acquired seven years ago and developed through public input, professional trail work and shared funding.