Hike-a-Thon 2026: An incredible community effort to support trails

Posted by Catherine Vine at Sep 14, 2026 03:07 PM | Permalink

In August, Hike-a-Thoners hit the trail to have fun and help raise funds for WTA.

Hi, Miles the Marmot here. I’m the official spokesmarmot for WTA’s annual Hike-a-Thon. Every August, Hike-a-Thon participants and donors join together to help raise funds to support trails and public lands. Since this community fundraiser began in 2003, Hike-a-Thon has raised over 2 million dollars!

A series of photos of Hike-a-Thon participants wearing the grey event T-shirt. They are in different size groups on a variety of trails, including mountains, neighborhood parks and forests. Photos by Photos by Bruce Burger, Michele Hancock, Diana Chin, Tanya Pechenov, Craig Romano, Mani Dhami and Karen Bean.
Hike-a-Thoners got outside and gave back this August in a big way!

This year’s event just wrapped up, and I’m so excited to share the final results with you.

WTA’s 23rd Annual Hike-a-Thon by the numbers

Hike-a-Thoners registered: 364
Teams registered: 56
Dollars raised for trails: a record breaking $225,942
Total number of donors: 1,153
Miles hiked: 7,082
Elevation gained: 1,155,346 feet

Hike-a-Thoners weren’t just hitting the trail, they were helping their fellow hikers, too. Participants wrote 155 trip reports during the event, detailing trail conditions and other useful information. They also shared their adventures on the Hike-a-Thon Facebook page.

The funds raised during Hike-a-Thon help WTA build and maintain trails across the state, advocate for public lands and their caretakers, get people outside and more! Hike-a-Thon donors become part of our community of over 24,000 members that help to make our work possible.

So far in 2026, member support has helped allow us to:

Work on 289 trails across the state with the help of over 2,500 volunteers.
Advocate for issues that affect trails and public lands, like the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
Keep our Hiking Guide up-to-date, alerting hikers to fire closures, road washouts and other factors impacting their plans.
Help get more than 3,000 kids outside through our Outdoor Leadership Training program and two gear lending libraries.

Thank you to everyone who participated in or donated to this year’s Hike-a-Thon! You’ve made me such a happy marmot, and I can head to my burrow for my much-needed winter nap knowing our beloved trails and public lands are in good paws … I mean, hands.

A series of photos that feature a cutout picture of Miles the Marmot, the Hike-a-Thon spokesmarmot. He is pictured on the beach, in a fern, at a farmstand, along a trail through tall dry grass and at Mt. Rainier. Photos by Jennifer Bradwin, Jenna van Rijn, Courtenay Schurman, Jayme Jonas and Allie Keihn.
Check out some of my adventures with Hike-a-Thoners this year!

Check out this year’s Hike-a-Thon Hall of Fame below to see the incredible Hike-a-Thoners who made this year such a success. Thank you from the bottom of my little marmot heart, and I can’t wait to see you for next year’s Hike-a-Thon!