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Improving Access to the Outdoors

There are many reasons why people can’t get to their favorite trails — or to any trail at all. Some might be more obvious, like degraded forest roads that have become impassable or not having access to a vehicle. Other barriers, like financial means or exposure to the outdoors as a child, are not. Through our long-term planning efforts and support of inclusive policies and programs, WTA’s advocacy work aims to break down barriers, physical and otherwise.

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There are many reasons why people can’t get to their favorite trails — or to any trail at all. Some might be more obvious, like degraded forest roads that have become impassable or not having access to a vehicle. Other barriers, like lack of financial means or exposure to the outdoors as a child, are not. Through our long-term planning efforts and support of inclusive policies and programs, WTA’s advocacy work aims to break down barriers, physical and otherwise, that our community faces.

We help to improve access through:

    • Creative public transit and transportation solutions.
      We work with a variety of partners and agencies to promote Trailhead Direct, a Seattle-area bus service providing transit from the city to local trails. In 2022, we partnered with Pierce County Transit and ForeverGreen Trails to support transit use to trailheads on Pierce County Trails Day as an effort to bring greater public transit connections to greenspaces in the area. We regularly advocate to pass a federal Transit to Trails Act, and similar legislation at the local level.
    • Supporting policy and programs for youth to get outside.
      We consistently support Every Kid Outdoors at the national level and No Child Left Inside at the state level. In 2023, working with partners, we helped secure No Child Left Inside’s highest level of funding to date, supporting tens of thousands of Washington’s youth in getting outdoors. We supported Washington Outdoors Schools for All in the 2022 legislature to secure an equitable opportunity for outdoor learning for students in Washington. 
    • Building and reimagining trail systems.
      We work with local stakeholders, land managers, and organizations to bring together diverse coalitions for sustainable recreation — like our work on the beloved Mountain Loop Highway, in the West Fork Teanaway, throughout the Carbon River Corridor and around the Silver Star area.
    • Advocating for funding and maintenance for roads to trailheads.
      WTA advocates for investment in roads that will preserve and expand recreational opportunities across the state, including supporting national legislation like the Legacy Roads and Trails Program. We push to keep key roads open that provide outdoor access, for example the Index Galena Road, which reopened in 2023 after years of being washed out and accesses popular parts of the Wild Sky Wilderness.  
    • Removing financial and other barriers that have historically prevented people from enjoying the outdoors. 
      We advocated for the creation of the Outdoor Recreation Equity grant program in 2021, which builds capacity in communities across the state to provide recreation opportunities for all their residents. We regularly participate in discussions where we advocate for user management decisions that consider equity and access implications, like permitting. Enjoying the outdoors includes the ability to see yourself represented in outdoor recreation. In the 2023 legislative session, we secured new funding for our Emerging Leaders Program, which creates leadership opportunities for people historically excluded from the outdoor recreation sector, to expand the program into a pilot with Washington State Parks.

How you help: