Our Lost Trails Found campaign is working to save trails that are at-risk of disappearing completely — preserving access to our stunning backcountry for generations to come. Through your generous support, boots-on-the-ground trail maintenance, voices in Congress and innovative partnerships, we are putting trails back on the map.
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Help us keep backcountry trails on the map.
Our Work
Building Partnerships
To maximize the impact of our Lost Trails Found campaign, WTA is working to bring together public land agencies and trail organizations from across the state to identify, fund and execute trail maintenance priorities in Washington's beautiful backcountry.
Through collaboration, we can pool our resources and expertise into building a sustainable backcountry trail system.
Putting Trails Back on the Map
Miles of trails into Washington’s wild and remote landscapes are not receiving the maintenance they need. The routes are or are at risk of, becoming lost. We need boots on the ground now to bring these trails back into hiking shape.
Through our professional Lost Trails Found crews and volunteer Backcountry Response Teams, we can devote thousands of hours of work to our backcountry favorites.
Advocating for Federal Trail Funding
Budget cuts and increasingly extreme fire seasons have undermined land managers’ ability to keep backcountry trails clear and maintained for hikers.
We're working at the national level to increase land manager budgets and shrink the differed maintenance backlog across our federal lands.
Stories From the Field
Angry Mountain: One trail's role in a sustainable system
Trails need routine maintenance and trail systems need innovative, intentional updates to accommodate the changing needs of Washington's hikers. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is taking proactive steps to make that happen | By Joseph Gonzalez and Anna Roth
How professional WTA trail crews kept trails on the map in 2024
Our paid trail crews specialize in working on hard-to-reach backcountry trails. Here’s what they accomplished in 2024. By Joseph Gonzalez
Cutting-edge saw training: How WTA is sharing skills statewide
Cutting timber is a specialty task. Without sawyers, we wouldn't be able to create and maintain trails that last the test of time. That's why WTA's saw program and professional services are being tapped to help train sawyers statewide. By Joseph Gonzalez