The City of Powell recently installed a paved walking and biking path on the northern end of town, and city officials are hoping the state will help extend it.

At their Monday night meeting, the council unanimously voted to seek $80,000 of state money to put in just over a half-mile of paved trail on the north side of Lane 8.

There’s already a gravel path in place, but “it’s just, of course, gravel,” said City Administrator Zack Thorington. “It’s really hard to push a stroller [and] other things.”

The new pavement would run from the Park County Annex to just east of the Lane 8’s intersection with Gilbert Street. At that spot, it would connect to the paved path the city installed last summer along its Rainwater Addition, running south to Seventh Street.

Though a city project, the work would take place just north of city limits in rural Park County. The county hired a firm to develop a plan for a pathway system in that area, but commissioners shelved the plan late last year, citing a lack of funding.

Thorington said staff had been looking at putting money in the city’s 2026-27 budget to extend the paved path along Lane 8. Then he learned about the grants available through the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation & Tourism Trust Fund.

“I’ve talked to the grant managers, and it meets their requirements, so I thought it’d be worth a shot to put in for it,” Thorington told the council.

Mayor John Wetzel agreed, calling it an “awesome” idea. The grants are funded by state lodging taxes and Wetzel said the pathway would be a “great use” of those dollars.

Thorington said in an email that the city crews would do as much of the work as possible to help complete any new pathways. When the city paved the roughly half-mile stretch along the Rainwater Addition last year, the city’s streets department graded the ground and made some minor improvements; the city spent about $60,000 on the asphalt, he said.

“We are fortunate that the initial design and groundwork for these areas were completed over 20 years ago, allowing us to build upon existing infrastructure rather than starting from scratch,” Thorington added.

Grant applications are due to the state by Saturday, and Powell officials should receive an answer in July.