Several area trails will receive upgrades thanks to money provided by the state Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation, which recently awarded $1.5 million in grants for backcountry trails.

* King County received $284,224 in grants to upgrade trails, including those in and around Snoqualmie Valley. The U.S. Forest Service received $10,000 to hire a seasonal program coordinator to support the Snoqualmie volunteer ranger program.

* The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission received $75,000 to repair a bridge on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. State Parks also will contribute $100,244 to repair structural timbers and install safety railings on seven railroad trestles on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, the state’s major east-west trail that stretches 100 miles from North Bend to the Columbia River.

* Mountains to Sound Greenway will receive $59,500 to maintain more than 40 miles of trails in the greenway. The 800 miles of greenway trails are some of the most heavily used trails in the state, serving a population of more than 1.8 million people. Mountains to Sound Greenway will contribute $50,418 in cash, labor, a private grant and donated labor and materials.

* The Hi Country Snowmobile Club will receive $8,000 to clear brush on forest service roads in Stampede Pass, Salmon la Sac and Kachess Lake areas. The club will contribute $50,000; an additional $8,000 will be used in Kittitas County.

* The rest of the money will go to the U.S. Forest Service’s Snoqualmie Ranger District for trail maintenance in several areas including the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Middle Fork Trail and backcountry recreation facilities in the Alpine Lakes, Norse Peak, Clearwater Wilderness and surrounding areas.