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

Take the Bus: Trailhead Direct is Back for 2022

May 24, 2022

Trailhead Direct is starting its 2022 season this Memorial Day weekend. The service provides transit access to nearby trailheads from Seattle. Ryan Miller from King County Metro and Ryan Dotson from King County Parks give some insight into the service.

Local Transit, National Action: Trailhead Direct is Back for 2023

May 10, 2023

Trailhead Direct is starting its 2023 season this weekend. The service provides transit access to nearby trailheads from Seattle. Nationally, WTA is working to improve transit options to trails for the future.

Empowering One Another: A Personal Reflection on My Experience With WTA's Emerging Leaders Program

Apr 26, 2022

I recently finished 12-week's in WTA's Emerging Leaders Program, a paid development opportunity for individuals who are historically underrepresented in the outdoor industry. Now, as I'm moving onto a permanent position at WTA, I'm looking back on what I learned and the power of the connections I made.

How WTA's Second Gear Library is Helping One Group Get Outside

May 06, 2022

In August last year, WTA was excited to open the doors to a second gear library, located in Puyallup’s Meridian Habitat Park. We choose this location to help us better meet the needs of communities in the South Puget Sound region. And we’ve been thrilled to see groups already getting outside, with support from the new gear library.

Rep. Strickland Visits WTA Gear Library and Talks Trail Funding

Apr 18, 2022

WTA met with Representative Marilyn Strickland to tour our Puyallup gear library and talk funding for trails.

It is Past Time to Change Racist Names on Public Lands

Apr 20, 2022