Interviews

Meet the Trail Community: Mountain Biker

Dec 01, 2017

Mountain biker Melissa MacKelvie wants everyone to find their connection to nature. It's empowering, and builds the community of people who care deeply about trails.

Enjoy Nature Anywhere: Find Feelings of Wilderness Close to Town

Oct 16, 2017

It can feel like a challenge to connect with nature and capture the sense of solituide close to town—but it’s not impossible. A few tips to find that wild feeling.

Meet the Trail Community: First Generation Hiker

Sep 21, 2017

Meet a woman who is the first in her family to go hiking, and learn what inspired her to start.

Volunteer Profile: Maridee BonaDea

Aug 18, 2017

Meet Maridee—recently retired and heading to Bangkok to pursue her Master's degree, she wanted to spend a little time volunteering with WTA before heading out.

Bree Loewen: 20 Years in Search and Rescue

Jul 20, 2017

Meet Bree, a 20-year vet of search-and-rescue and author of Found: A Life in Mountain Rescue.

Hiking with New Eyes: A First-Timer's Experience on a BCRT

Jul 13, 2017

Amy Redmond was inspired by her friend and assistant crew leader, Joni Johnson to try out a BCRT. Here's her telling of the experience out on the Olympic Peninsula.

Hiking With Kids: It's All About the Cupcakes

May 12, 2017

A hiking-obsessed mom gets her reluctant 6-year-old out on trail. And, amazingly, everyone has fun.

Volunteer Profile: Carmen Zavala

Mar 06, 2017

Meet Carmen Zavala -- a recently-settled Seattle resident who wanted to learn more about where trail comes from and who takes care of them.

What Inspires You to Care for Trails?

Feb 27, 2017

Caring for trails and wild places for the next generation is important, but why wait? Let's care for those places right now and enjoy them now, too.

Youth Ambassador Spotlight: Julianna Hoza

Feb 03, 2017

Learn how this Youth Ambassador has been making big waves in her local hiking community.

The Outdoors Needs Us -- ALL of Us

Jan 10, 2017

If we want to protect are natural places, particularly our national parks, well into the future, we must find a way to reach our increasingly diverse society.

Then and Now: WTA Looks Forward

Jan 03, 2017

As we close the book on our 50th anniversary, we look back into WTA's past, and also to the future and what we hope to achieve in the coming years.

Meet the Trail Community: Gear Designer

Dec 28, 2016

Gear designers help you get out with the best equipment. Meet a product developer with Atlas Snowshoes whose connection to trails runs deep.

12 Inspiring Trip Reports from 2016

Dec 22, 2016

We find inspiration from trip reporters all year long. They help us discover new wonders and revisit our old favorites. Here are 12 trip reports that kept us inspired in 2016.

Then and Now: WTA's Youth Program

Nov 23, 2016

From equipping teachers with the knowledge and gear to take their students outdoors to inspiring the next generation of trail stewards, WTA's youth program is working to get young hikers on trails and connected with their communities.

Russian Ecotourism Project Learns from WTA's Model

Nov 01, 2016

This summer, volunteers from Russia participated in a work party on the Slab Camp trail. They did so as part of a Sustainable Travel Group dedicated to learning about more sustainable trail practices.

Meet the Trail Community: Volunteer

Oct 31, 2016

Three years ago, Bev Stoll joined her first work party at Mount Walker. Now, with 95 days of volunteer trail work under her boots, we ask her what she thinks is the future of volunteers on trails.

Then and Now: Photography

Oct 26, 2016

Changes in photography technology have made taking pictures on trail easier than ever. See the differences between today and 50 years ago.

Meet the Trail Community: Bow Hunter

Oct 20, 2016

Gregg Bafundo hunts and forages on trails near his home in Tonasket. Read how he uses trails to participate more fully in the natural world.

Highlights from Washington State Trails Conference

Oct 19, 2016

The 2016 Trails Conference was abuzz with talk of transit and tech, as well as engaging the next generation.

Meet the Trail Community: Environmental Educator

Oct 05, 2016

Khavin Debbs has loved being in nature since he was a boy. Now, as an educator with Seattle-based outdoor preschool Tiny Trees, he's helping spark that love in the next generation.

Then and Now: Hike Planning

Sep 30, 2016

Planning and preparing for a hike was a little different 50 years ago. See how things have changed since the internet has taken over.

Hikers Gather to Celebrate Trails

Sep 26, 2016

Thanks to the nearly 600 people who gathered at Snoqualmie Point Park for our 50th Anniversary Celebration!

Meet the Trail Community: Equestrian

Sep 14, 2016

Horses have provided Kathy Young, president of Back Country Horsemen of Washington, the opportunity to immerse herself in nature all her life. Hear what spurred her connection to trails.

Then and Now: Washington's Receding Glaciers

Sep 14, 2016

Washington's glaciers were first explored and studied over 100 years ago. How many of them will be around in another century?

Interview with Bill Sunderland and Alyssa Kreider

Sep 08, 2016

We sat down with, long-time supporters Bill Sunderland and Alyssa Kreider, to learn more about their history with WTA and what inspired them to contribute to the Greg Ball Trail Fund.

Meet the Trail Community: Outdoor Technologist

Sep 02, 2016

What role does outdoor technology have in protecting trails or building community? Ryan Branciforte of Trailhead Labs talks about the future of trails, maps, apps and tech.

Then and Now: Trail Food

Aug 19, 2016

Backpacking meals have evolved considerably from the early days of canned meats and heavy ingredients. See how they've changed in the last 50 years.

Then and Now: Kloshe Nanitch Lookout

Aug 04, 2016

Hikers love fire lookouts, but these structures require both maintenance and care to be preserved for the future.

Then and Now: Hike-a-Thon Over the Years

Jul 21, 2016

In 2004, just 18 super-star hikers logged 700 miles and raised more than $5,300 for trails. Last year, 289 participants hiked 11,178 miles and raised more than $121,000 for WTA's programs!