Anyone can support the maintenance and enhancement of hiking, biking, horseback riding, and other non-motorized trails on State lands by ordering a trail supporter patch. All patches are 3 inches in diameter and cost $5 each.
Current Patches Available
The New Trail Support Patch design features a classic lean-to on the edge of a wooded lake edge with mountains in the background. DEC manages over 250 lean-tos across New York State. To find a lean-to for a primitive camping experience, visit our DECInfo locator. Keep in mind lean-tos are available on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be reserved.
In 2023, DEC offered activity patches that featured five designs based on the international trail symbols for various recreation activities. These patches are for sale while supplies last.
How to Order
There are three different ways you can order the trail supporter patch. Your order is then fulfilled and mailed to you from DEC's Albany office. Please allow 4-6 weeks from when you place the order for the patch(es) to be mailed.
Patches can be ordered:
- online through DEC's hunting and fishing license portal.
- over the phone at (866) 933-2257.
- at all locations where sporting licenses are sold.
Outlets that sell sporting licenses and help customers order these patches may print and post this flyer advertising the new patch and patch program.
If your organization is interested in bulk patch sales or resales, please contact our Trail Supporter Patch Coordinator at [email protected].
Help Support Trail Improvements
All funds raised from the purchase of the patch are deposited in the Conservation Fund's Outdoor Recreation, Trail Maintenance, and Development Account. DEC administers more than 3,500 miles of nonmotorized trails on State Forests, Wildlife Management Areas, Forest Preserve, and Multiple Use Areas.
Funding from the sale of trail supporter patches also provides DEC's valuable partners in the Volunteer Stewardship Program with additional money to maintain and improve trails. The Volunteer Stewardship Program is a volunteer-based program which assists DEC with trail maintenance on DEC-administered lands.
Among those trails that benefit from patch sales are some of New York's finest and most well-known, including the Northville-Placid Trail, the Finger Lakes Trail, and the Long Path. Explore DEC-managed lands.
