Washington Trails Association

Communications: wta is the go-to source for hiking and trail information across washington, providing free, accessible resources for safe and responsible exploration. In 2024, 5.5 million people relied on wta's online tools, hiking guide, trip reports, and leave no trace education. Wta believes that people protect the places they love and empowers hikers to be safe, informed stewards. By blending expertise and community insights (over 5,300 hikers contributed 16,250 trip reports in 2024), wta cultivates an inclusive hiking community and provides valuable data on trail conditions and recreation trends.

Community partnerships & leadership development: wta works to lower barriers so everyone can experience the benefits of time outdoors. Our families go hiking e-newsletter inspires 68,000 subscribers with tips and trip ideas, and our outdoor leadership training program equips leaders to help get youth outside. In 2024, we supported 4,600+ outdoor experiences via gear libraries in seattle and puyallup, partnering with 70+ organizations. Our trained ambassadors connected with 8,000+ people, sharing responsible recreation and trail information.

Advocacy: wta believes people protect the places they love to hike, from local parks to remote wilderness. Through grassroots advocacy, we empower hikers to become champions for trails and public lands. Wta collaborates with federal and state policymakers to advance hiker interests, including forest planning, trail funding, wilderness protection, and new recreation projects. As outdoor recreation grows, so does the need for stewardship and long-term planning. In 2024, we worked with partners to secure additional state funding to reduce maintenance backlogs on public lands and support the emerging leaders program, which empowers a diverse community of outdoor leaders. We also advocated for increased funding for national forests and parks and facilitated recreation coalitions promoting responsible public land use. Through our trail action network, wta enabled more than 63,000 individuals to take action for trails.