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

Gear Library Helps Young Women Discover the Outdoors

Mar 16, 2017

Every time they go exploring, Young Women Empowered makes use of WTA's gear library to stay safe and comfortable. On a recent trip, many of their youth and mentors were able to experience the North Cascades for the first time.

Snowshoeing, Backpacking Workshops New to Outdoor Training Program in 2016

Feb 02, 2016

The WTA Outdoor Leadership Training program has expanded its offerings in 2016 to include backpacking and snowshoe workshops.

Outdoors Empowered Network Champions Equitable Access

Nov 18, 2015

The Outdoors Empowered Network is a growing a collective of organizations getting as many kids outdoors as possible. In November, WTA traveled to OEN's second national summit.

Getting First-Timers Into the Wild (and a Chili Recipe)

Sep 01, 2015

WTA's Gear Library helps get first-timers gain access to gear and know-how to experience the outdoors.

Spending a Day with Inspirational Educators on a Hiking Workshop

May 15, 2015

The Outdoor Leadership Training program offers hiking and camping workshops for youth group leaders. On a hiking workshop at Tiger Mountain, participants with a variety of backgrounds came together to share experiences and learn how to safely plan and lead outdoor activities with youth groups.

Lead an Outdoor Trip with Your Youth Group in 2015

Dec 03, 2014

Do you dream about taking your class or youth group on a hiking or camping trip? Make it happen this year! WTA will lend you free outdoor gear and provide trip funding. Get started by signing up for one of the 2015 Outdoor Leadership Training workshops.