What Hiking Project does

Hiking Project is a community-driven outdoor recreation platform that catalogs hiking trails and route information for individual hikers and national park visitors. The platform indexes 281,995 miles of trails across 86,373 trails in 63 countries, with content contributed by thousands of community members in the form of trail data, photos, condition reports, recommended routes, and "Gems" (particularly special places). Core products include a web-based trail directory at hikingproject.com, native iOS and Android mobile applications with offline map functionality, and a dedicated National Parks guide app; the platform integrates with onX Backcountry to provide 3D terrain visualization and recent satellite imagery on each trail page. Underlying technology leverages OpenStreetMap and OpenMapTiles for base map rendering, supports GPX file export for third-party GPS interoperability, and links driving directions to Google Maps.

The platform operates as one of five sites within the Adventure Projects network — alongside Mountain Project, MTB Project, Trail Run Project, and Powder Project — which is wholly owned by onX Maps, Inc., a private outdoor recreation technology company headquartered in Bozeman, Montana. Hiking Project and its sibling sites share a single user account and common infrastructure, allowing users to move across outdoor verticals (climbing, mountain biking, trail running, skiing, hiking) without re-registering.

Hiking Project runs on a freemium model where the platform and mobile apps are free to use with no advertising. Revenue is not directly generated on Hiking Project; instead, the asset functions as a community-led growth and engagement funnel into the parent's paid onX Backcountry product, supplemented by integrations (e.g., "Explore in 3D" referral links) and minor co-marketing partnerships such as with REI Adventures. The go-to-market motion is community-led and organic, with SEO through the trail directory serving as the primary acquisition channel and app store distribution extending reach to mobile-first users.

Name

Hiking Project

Legal name

onX Maps, Inc.

Website

https://hikingproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hiking Project is a community-driven hiking trail mapping platform cataloguing 281,995 miles across 86,373 trails in 63 countries. It serves outdoor enthusiasts via free web and mobile apps offering offline maps, community-contributed trail data, and 3D terrain exploration through onX Backcountry integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bozeman

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Free Platform Access: Hiking Project offers free account access for all users. The platform is part of the Adventure Projects network owned by onX Maps, Inc., with potential monetization through onX Maps premium products and integrations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hiking Project is a community-driven hiking trail database and mapping platform. It provides free access to 281,995 miles of hiking trails across 86,373 trails in 63 countries via a web platform and native iOS/Android apps with offline functionality. Hikers contribute trails, photos, videos, recommended routes, gems, and condition reports, with seamless integration into onX Backcountry for 3D terrain visualization and satellite imagery.

Product overview

Hiking Project is a community-driven outdoor recreation platform providing detailed hiking trail maps, recommended routes, and user-generated content. The platform operates as part of the Adventure Projects network alongside four other outdoor activity sites. Core offerings include a trail directory with 281,995 miles across 86,373 trails, a mobile app with offline functionality, a dedicated National Parks app, Recommended Routes, Gems (special place highlights), and 3D map exploration via onX Backcountry integration. Users can contribute trails, photos, videos, ratings, check-ins, and trail condition reports. The platform covers trails across all US states and 100+ international locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• REI Co-op National Parks Guide: A comprehensive guide to hiking trails and gems in National Parks, available as a mobile app with offline functionality.

Products and services

• Hiking Project Trail Directory Web-based trail directory providing access to 281,995 miles of hiking trails across 86,373 trails in 63 countries. Users can browse trails, view details, ratings, photos, and GPS coordinates. Targeted at hikers and outdoor enthusiasts seeking reliable trail information.
• Hiking Project Mobile App (iOS and Android) Native iOS and Android mobile application providing trail information on the go, with offline map functionality that works without cell signal. Downloadable free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
• National Parks Guide App (REI Co-op National Parks Guide) Dedicated national parks guide available as a mobile app on iOS and Android, featuring comprehensive trail guides, gems, descriptions, vertical profiles, family tips, live location tracking on maps, and offline functionality for all major US national parks.
• Adventure Projects Network Cross-platform network of outdoor activity sites — Mountain Project (climbing), MTB Project (mountain biking), Trail Run Project, Powder Project (skiing), and Hiking Project — sharing common infrastructure, user accounts, and community features under one Adventure Projects login.

Quantifiable outcome

• 281,995 miles of trails maintained through community contributions
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• onX MapscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartneronX Maps is the parent company of Hiking Project. Hiking Project content integrates with onX Backcountry for 3D trail visualization. Users can explore hiking routes in onX Backcountry with seamless links between platforms.
• REI AdventuresminorGTM or Marketing PartnerREI Adventures offers over 30 national park trips led by expert guides. Hiking Project's National Parks guide includes a partnership mention directing users to REI Adventures' national park offerings.
• Adventure Projects NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHiking Project is part of the Adventure Projects network owned by onX Maps. The network includes Mountain Project, MTB Project, Trail Run Project, and Powder Project. One account works across all Adventure Projects sites.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• onX Backcountry: onX Backcountry is a sibling paid product from the same parent company (onX Maps, Inc.), offering premium 3D trail exploration and topographic mapping. Hiking Project's 3D features are delivered via this product, making it both a distribution channel and a competing premium offering for serious backcountry users.
• Strava: Strava is a broad incumbent activity-tracking platform that has expanded into trail running and hiking route discovery alongside its core running and cycling base. While not focused on hiking-specific trail databases, its route discovery features overlap with Hiking Project's recommended routes functionality for hikers and trail runners.

Others

• REI Co-op: REI is a major outdoor recreation retailer that has a marketing partnership with Hiking Project (REI Adventures mentioned in National Parks guide) and operates its own hiking and outdoor content platforms. While not a direct product competitor, REI represents an adjacent commercial channel and potential acquirer of trail-data assets.

Direct peers

• Komoot: Komoot is a European-based trail routing and discovery platform for hiking, cycling, and mountaineering with community-contributed route recommendations and offline functionality. It serves a similar use case as Hiking Project — finding and navigating trails — but is stronger in European markets and offers guided multi-day tour planning.
• Mountain Project: Mountain Project is the climbing-focused sibling of Hiking Project within the Adventure Projects network, sharing infrastructure, accounts, and community features. While focused on rock climbing routes rather than hiking trails, it operates the same crowdsourced route-database model and shares users with Hiking Project.
• AllTrails: AllTrails is the largest direct competitor to Hiking Project, offering a crowdsourced hiking trail database with millions of trails, mobile apps, offline maps, and a freemium subscription model. Both platforms serve outdoor enthusiasts seeking detailed trail maps, route recommendations, and user-generated reviews — but AllTrails has a significantly larger user base and established paid subscription revenue.
• Wikiloc: Wikiloc is a crowdsourced outdoor trail database covering hiking, cycling, and other activities, with a global footprint particularly strong in Europe and Latin America. It competes with Hiking Project's community-driven trail database model and global country coverage (currently 63 countries).
• Gaia GPS: Gaia GPS is a subscription-based outdoor mapping app covering hiking, backpacking, and off-trail navigation with downloadable offline maps and topographic layers. It competes directly with Hiking Project's core use case of backcountry navigation without cell service, and overlaps significantly in target customer (serious hikers and backpackers).
• MTB Project: MTB Project is a sibling platform under the same Adventure Projects network and parent (onX Maps, Inc.) as Hiking Project. It serves mountain bikers with a crowdsourced trail database sharing the same community infrastructure, user accounts, and content model — making it the closest comparable in terms of product architecture.

Regional players

• Outdooractive: Outdooractive (formerly ViewRanger) is a European-based outdoor trail platform with strong hiking, cycling, and mountaineering coverage in Europe. It offers similar offline maps and community-contributed trail data to Hiking Project but is primarily focused on European geographies rather than competing in the US market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hikingproject
• Facebookfacebook.com/HikingProj

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hiking Project