Get rec'd: WTA adds hike recommender to app

Summer's here. Long hiking weekends beckon. Where are you heading?

Washingtonians are spoiled for choice when it comes to trails, and sometimes the sheer number of options can be intimidating. Don't you wish you had someone who could recommend the perfect trail for you?

WTA's hike recommender is now in the latest version of our app, WTA Trailblazer, available in the App Store and Google Play. Photo by nwroth. 

Lucky for you, we do. In addition to tons of seasonal hike suggestions, WTA offers a hike recommender that gives personalized recommendations for anyone who has an account on our website. (Find it in your My Backpack dashboard once you've created an account and logged in.) And just in time for summer, we've just added it to our mobile app, WTA Trailblazer.

• Get it now
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The recommendation tool works by evaluating the hikes you've saved and the trip reports you've done to refine the suggestions based on your past adventures and the current season.

Get to know WTA's app

Not familiar with WTA's Trailblazer app? It's like having our hiking guide in your pocket, no purchase necessary. With the help of volunteers, we've created it as part of our nonprofit mission to help hikers across the state connect with and care for our trails and public lands.

In addition to the hike recommender, the app offers:

• Offline access to the information for the hikes you've saved. That means you can get driving directions and trail information even if you don't have signal.
• Trip reports. Browse trip reports for inspiration or the latest conditions. Better yet, post your own!
• Filters to find exactly what you want. Looking for a waterfall hike? How about details for wheelchair hikers? We've got filters for these and more.
• Map layers with forecasts. Check the Hike Finder map in the app for wildfires, snow depth and even air quality.
• Nearby trail locator. Use your phone's location to find trailheads near you.

The best way to get to know the app is to use it, so go on and download it! If you need more convincing, check out this quote from an app user that we got in a recent trip report:

Shoutout to WTA's app! I originally had a different hike planned for this afternoon, but my errands took longer than expected and I wasn't going to have time to drive out to the trailhead. Instead of just deciding to head home, I was able to jump on the app and use the "find a trail near me" feature and quickly found that this trail was only about 10 minutes away. Perfect!

We'd love to hear what you think. When you've familiarized yourself with it, please leave us a review. We take user feedback into future iterations of this great app.