Breaking Down Barriers to Getting Outside

The history and current reality of racism have created barriers for many people getting outside to enjoy the benefits of nature. WTA has been supporting the hiking community since our founding, but in the past decade we have been more intentionally focused on lowering barriers to access the outdoors and making our community more welcoming to all.

The history and current reality of racism have created barriers for many people getting outside to enjoy the benefits of nature. When you consider the uneven distribution of funding, information, green spaces and other resources, it is clear that many Washingtonians aren't able to benefit from or deepen connections to nature.

Trails for Everyone is building off of work WTA has been doing for years to make experiences on trail accessible and rewarding for everyone. We’ve been supporting the hiking community since our founding, but in the past decade we have been more intentionally focused on lowering barriers to accessing the outdoors and making our community more welcoming to all. We're doing that in a few ways.

Reducing Barriers to Getting Outside

We want to make it easy for hikers to find the information they need to get outside. We do that in a lot of ways — through our Hiking Guide and by sharing basic hiking skills in our Trail Smarts series, for instance. Our website is full of good information — and thanks to the support of our members, it has always been free.

We’re also doing hands-on work to help people gain new skills and get outside. One way is through our Outdoor Leadership Training program, which in the 10 years since it was founded, has trained more than 400 leaders. Those leaders have taken more than 19,000 people on outdoor excursions.

Creating Safe Spaces

WTA began offering shared-identity trail work parties more than 10 years ago to provide a safe space for volunteers from similar backgrounds and communities, including women and the LGBTQ+ community. This approach expands our volunteer base and helps more people gain skills in trail stewardship and access opportunities in the outdoor industry. Volunteers who have joined us on these trips have said that, while they had considered volunteering in the past, it was this community opportunity that encouraged them to finally sign up.

We've also built successful weeklong Latinx trail crew experiences in partnership with Latino Outdoors, in addition to work parties with other community-based organizations. And we created a New to Trail Work series to lower barriers for folks to try trail stewardship for the first time.

Our leaders are trained how to foster a welcoming environment, how to recognize bias and how to step in as needed to ensure everyone feels safe and supported while volunteering their time for trails.

We're also helping diverse individuals, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, gain skills and experience while exploring career paths in the natural resources and outdoor recreation sectors.

building Partnerships — the Cornerstone of Trails for Everyone

None of the work we are doing to create trails for everyone is done alone. Partner organizations are key to making this vision a reality. We are constantly learning from one another and finding new ways to collaborate and grow. Together, we can all get more done.

Read about our work in action

7 Years Old, 19 Trip Reports, Excellent Candy Tips

Kai Tatineni has been hiking since he was 4. We love his enthusiastic trip reporters and excellent treat suggestions so much that we met him for a hike | By Dawn Hammer

I'm Not Alone

As a black, outdoorsy woman in a majority white area, I felt alone. But it turns out I’m not — there are black women, and black mothers, exploring the outdoors and finding joy on trails. Here’s how I’m using Instagram to build community — and increase representation for women of color. By Chelsea Murphy.

A Week at Mount Rainier Helped Build Community for Latina Teens

Each of the youth who joined the trip was unique and different, but they had one thing in common. None of them knew another Latina their age whom they could invite camping. By the end of the trip, they each knew seven other girls who shared both a part of their identity and their experience with the outdoors | By Sully Moreno

10,000 Outdoor Experiences: WTA's Training Model Grows from Community Needs

Through our Outdoor Leadership Training program, we're supporting community leaders as they nurture the connection between youth and the outdoors.

Teaching on Trail: Custom Workshops For Educators of Youth

Jan 06, 2020

Through workshops, a free gear library and trip funding, the OLT program provides customized training for educators who want to take youth groups outside.

Collin Tasaka, New OLT Instructor, Gets Youth Stoked to Go Outside

Oct 24, 2019

The newest member of WTA's Outdoor Leadership Training program is an enthusiastic advocate and role model for getting youth outside and on trail.