Hiking Guide Correspondent FAQs

Love doing research on trails? You might be a great Hiking Guide Correspondent! 

What does a Hiking Guide Correspondent do? 

Hiking Guide Correspondents write entries for the Hiking Guide! If you're ever perused the Hiking Guide, you may notice an author listed on the page; that is often a Hiking Guide Correspondent. 

Correspondents are asked to hike new trails, take notes, record tracks, do additional research (including finding land manager, permit and pass information, and maps and guidebooks) and take pictures. They work closely with the Hiking Guide Correspondent team manager to get hikes published in the Hiking Guide. 

What is the time commitment? 

Hiking Guide Correspondents are asked to research and write up at least one hike a year for the Hiking Guide. 

What does training look like? 

Training is a one-hour orientation over the phone or video call with the Hiking Guide Correspondent program manager. 

How do I become a Hiking Guide Correspondent? 

Fill out the interest form to let us know you are interested in being a Hiking Guide Correspondent. Most of our correspondents are seasoned trip reporters or hikers with writing experience, so we ask that you share your My Backpack account information with us when you fill out the form. 

What if I haven't written trip reports before / don't have writing experience? 

That's okay! You can still fill out the interest form to let us know you're interested in joining us as a Hiking Guide Correspondent and we'll keep you in mind. In the meantime, start writing trip reports to get the hang of sharing trail and road conditions. We'll reach out to you when we have capacity in the program. 

What if I have more questions?

Please don't hesitate to reach out to Tiffany Chou, who manages the Hiking Guide Correspondent team: tchou@wta.org.