What Washington Trails Association does

Washington Trails Association (WTA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1966 by Louise Marshall and headquartered in Seattle, Washington (EIN 91-0900134). It is described as the nation's largest state-based volunteer-driven trail stewardship program and operates exclusively within Washington State. The organization mobilizes hikers, performs and coordinates trail maintenance, advocates for public lands, and runs outdoor education and youth programs, engaging over 5 million outdoor enthusiasts annually alongside 5,000+ annual volunteers and a 60,000+ member Trail Action Network. Current leadership is CEO Jaime Loucky.

WTA's core technical platform centers on a free, web-based Hiking Guide covering 4,000+ Washington hikes, complemented by a Trailblazer mobile application on iOS and Android and a Hike Finder Map with filters for elevation, mileage, and parking-pass requirements. Content is written by local hiking experts and user-submitted material vetted by WTA staff, with 282,055+ trip reports forming a real-time crowd-sourced trail-conditions library covering road access, parking, and bathroom availability. The platform architecture is web-plus-mobile and explicitly content-driven rather than algorithm-driven, with no disclosed API surface, AI/ML features, or third-party model integrations.

The business model is mission-driven and donation-funded rather than commercial. Revenue-equivalent inputs include member dues, individual donations, corporate sponsorship (e.g., Western Washington Honda Dealers), and grants. Consumer-facing resources (Hiking Guide, Trip Reports, Trailblazer app, Trail Smarts education) are free; paid membership unlocks a Washington Trails magazine subscription and Trail News newsletter. Approximately $5M per year of in-kind volunteer trail-maintenance labor (160,000+ hours) provides operational leverage well beyond the 11–50 FTE staff base. Specific membership pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Washington Trails Association

Legal name

Washington Trails Association

Website

https://wta.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Washington Trails Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1966 that operates Washington State's largest volunteer-driven trail-stewardship program, providing free hiking information across 4,000+ trails through its website and Trailblazer app to over 5 million outdoor enthusiasts annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Recreation & Trail Stewardship Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Guided Tours & Interpretive Services (Ranger-Led, Naturalist, Cultural Interpretation) (THAAAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Outdoor Guiding Services (Hiking, Trekking, Mountaineering) (THAAALAA)

Keywords

• Trail maintenance services
• Hiking trail database
• Outdoor recreation nonprofit
• Volunteer trail stewardship
• Public lands advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: WTA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on donations and membership contributions. Members receive a one-year subscription to Washington Trails magazine and Trail News newsletter, plus invitations to community events.
2. Volunteer Labor: WTA mobilizes thousands of volunteers annually who contribute over 160,000 hours of trail work per year, with an estimated annual value of approximately $5 million in donated labor.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Washington Trails Association operates a free comprehensive hiking trail database (the Hiking Guide) and mobile app (Trailblazer) covering 4,000+ Washington state hikes, complemented by a volunteer-driven trail maintenance program contributing over 160,000 hours of labor annually. The organization also publishes Washington Trails magazine, runs youth outdoor programs, and advocates for public lands through its Trail Action Network.

Product overview

Washington Trails Association operates a platform-plus-services model centered around its free Hiking Guide website and Trailblazer mobile app, which together provide access to over 4,000 hikes across Washington state. The core offerings include a comprehensive trail database with user-generated trip reports, a volunteer-driven trail maintenance program contributing 160,000+ hours annually, Outdoor Leadership Training for educators, youth programs, and Washington Trails Magazine. The organization functions primarily as a nonprofit advocacy and stewardship organization rather than a commercial technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Trailblazer: WTA's mobile app that puts over 4,000 hikes in the palm of your hand, featuring the Hiking Guide, trip reports, and trail information.

Products and services

• Trailblazer Mobile App Free mobile app putting over 4,000 hikes in users' hands with offline access, hike saving, and easy trip report submission. Targeted at individual hikers seeking trail information on the go.
• Hiking Guide Most comprehensive free database of hiking information in Washington with 4,000+ hikes, comprising content written by local hiking experts and user-submitted information vetted by WTA staff. Targeted at hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.
• Trip Reports Living library of trail knowledge with 282,055 trip reports allowing hikers to share real-time updates on road conditions, trailhead parking, bathrooms, trail conditions and more. Targeted at hikers seeking current trail conditions.
• Trail Maintenance Program Volunteer-driven trail stewardship program mobilizing thousands of hikers annually to build, repair and maintain hiking trails across Washington state, contributing over 160,000 hours of labor annually. Targeted at volunteers and trail stewards.
• Outdoor Leadership Training
• Washington Trails Magazine Print and digital member magazine providing local news, how-to advice, and feature articles about the trail community, current hiking season and issues impacting trails. Targeted at WTA members.
• Youth Programs
• Hike Finder Map
• Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 160,000 hours of trail maintenance labor annually, worth approximately $5 million
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Western Washington Honda DealersminorOthersCorporate sponsors supporting WTA's mission. Mentioned as thanks for support along with other corporate sponsors.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Club: Sierra Club is a large national conservation and outdoor recreation nonprofit with active Washington chapters. It overlaps WTA on public lands advocacy, outdoor volunteer engagement, and conservation policy, but operates across many issue areas beyond trails.
• REI Co-op: REI Co-op is a large outdoor retailer with a cooperative membership structure and grant-funded nonprofit arm funding trail stewardship nationwide. It overlaps WTA in audience (Washington-based outdoor enthusiasts), membership model, and stewardship funding, though its scale and retail focus are far broader.
• American Hiking Society: American Hiking Society is a national nonprofit advocating for all U.S. hiking trails, running National Trails Day and stewardship grants. It is a broader, incumbent national peer to WTA's statewide trail advocacy and volunteer mobilization mission.

Direct peers

• Gaia GPS: Gaia GPS is a paid mobile hiking and backcountry navigation app competing for the same trip-planning use case as WTA's Trailblazer app. It is a direct peer on digital trail discovery, though it lacks WTA's volunteer-stewardship and curation layer.
• AllTrails: AllTrails is a commercial crowdsourced hiking-trail discovery platform with 50M+ users and a national/international footprint. It directly competes with WTA's Hiking Guide and Trailblazer app for trail discovery and trip-report use cases among Washington hikers.
• Appalachian Mountain Club: The Appalachian Mountain Club is a regional outdoor recreation and conservation nonprofit operating huts, trails, and education programs across the Northeast. It closely matches WTA's model of combining outdoor education, volunteer stewardship, and trip planning/experiences for members and the public.
• Pacific Crest Trail Association: The Pacific Crest Trail Association is a long-standing trail stewardship nonprofit protecting a 2,650-mile corridor running through Washington. It mirrors WTA's combination of volunteer-driven trail maintenance, advocacy, and education programs at a longer but related Pacific-Northwest trail.

Regional players

• The Mountaineers: The Mountaineers is a Seattle-based outdoor club focused on hiking, climbing, and outdoor education in the Pacific Northwest. It is a regional peer to WTA — comparable programming, audience, and PNW geography — though it emphasizes member-led trips and courses rather than trail maintenance.

Others

• National Parks Conservation Association: The National Parks Conservation Association is a national advocacy nonprofit focused on protecting national parks. It is thematically adjacent to WTA's public-lands advocacy work and shares donor/constituent audiences in Washington, though it does not operate a hiking-content platform or volunteer trail crews.
• Leave No Trace: Leave No Trace is a national nonprofit focused on outdoor ethics education, including the Trail Smarts-style responsible recreation content WTA publishes. It is adjacent to WTA's educational mission and audiences rather than a direct competitor for trail maintenance or app users.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/washingtontrails
• Instagraminstagram.com/washingtontrails
• Pinterestpinterest.com/washingtontrails
• Xx.com/WTA_hikers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington Trails Association