Discover Your Northwest

What Discover Your Northwest does

Discover Your Northwest (DYNW), legally known as Discover Your Northwest, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1974 as the Pacific Northwest National Parks Interpretive Association and headquartered at 164 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA. Operating as a cooperating association, DYNW partners with the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington State Parks, and the City of Seattle Parks and Recreation to deliver educational and visitor services across public lands in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, and Montana. Its mission is to promote discovery of Northwest public lands, enrich visitor experiences, and encourage stewardship.

DYNW runs two distribution channels: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store at discovernw.org powered by Miva Merchant with Sectigo SSL encryption and PCI-DSS certification via Trustwave, and physical retail stores located inside public lands visitor centers and ranger stations across the Pacific Northwest. The product portfolio spans federal recreation passes (America the Beautiful National Parks Annual Pass at $80, Annual Northwest Forest Pass at $30, National Forest Recreation Day Pass/ePass at $5), a $25/year membership program offering 15% merchandise discounts and reciprocal discounts at partner organizations nationwide through the Public Lands Alliance, and a curated merchandise catalog of maps (National Geographic, Green Trails, Custom Correct, USFS), books, vintage national park prints, collectibles, park passports, Smokey Bear merchandise, puzzles, ornaments, and DVDs.

The business model combines five revenue streams: one-time retail product sales, federal recreation pass reselling, a $25/year recurring membership, tax-deductible donations supporting public lands education and stewardship, and grants/fiscal sponsorships for emerging nonprofits. All proceeds are reinvested into public lands programs including environmental education, visitor services, trail maintenance, and youth career pathway programs. DYNW employs approximately 21 staff and holds a GuideStar Transparency Seal.

Name

Discover Your Northwest

Legal name

Discover Your Northwest

Website

https://discovernw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Discover Your Northwest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cooperating association that operates e-commerce and visitor-center retail stores across the Pacific Northwest, selling federal recreation passes, maps, books, and outdoor merchandise whose proceeds fund public-lands education and stewardship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Lands Retail and Recreation Access

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outdoor & Adventure Multi-Category Retail (CRAMABAB)

Keywords

• Public lands retail
• Recreation pass reseller
• Nonprofit bookstore
• Outdoor recreation merchandise
• Visitor center retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Sale of books, maps, trail guides, prints, posters, collectibles, DVDs, puzzles, and gift items through online store and physical retail locations in public lands visitor centers. Proceeds directly benefit public lands partners.
2. Recreation Passes: Sale of recreation passes including America the Beautiful National Parks Annual Pass ($80), Annual Northwest Forest Pass ($30), National Forest Recreation Day Pass ($5), and National Forest Recreation ePass ($5). Authorized reseller of federal recreation passes.
3. Membership Program: Annual membership at $25 providing 15% discount on online orders, 15% discount at visitor center stores, reciprocal discounts at partner organizations nationwide, and quarterly e-newsletter.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations supporting educational programs, interpretive programs, special events, environmental education, and youth career pathway programs across Northwest public lands.
5. Grants and Fiscal Sponsorships: Manages grant funds for programs enriching public lands and serves as fiscal sponsor for emerging nonprofit organizations in local communities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Discover Your Northwest is a nonprofit cooperating association that sells federal recreation passes (America the Beautiful, Northwest Forest Pass, Day/ePass) and a curated catalog of outdoor merchandise including maps, trail guides, books, vintage national park prints, collectibles, puzzles, ornaments, DVDs, and Smokey Bear products through an e-commerce site and physical stores inside public lands visitor centers across the Pacific Northwest. The organization also operates a $25/year annual membership program with reciprocal discounts and a tax-deductible donation program that funds educational and stewardship initiatives at partner public lands.

Product overview

Discover Your Northwest operates an ecommerce retail platform selling recreation passes, books, maps, prints, collectibles, and related outdoor recreation products. The core product portfolio includes the America the Beautiful National Parks Annual Pass and Annual Northwest Forest Pass for federal land access; trail and topographic maps from National Geographic and Green Trails; books covering natural history, trail guides, and cultural heritage; vintage national park prints by Ranger Doug and Lantern Press; park passport books and stamps; Smokey Bear merchandise; and collectibles including patches, pins, magnets, stickers, and ornaments. The company also offers a $25/year DYNW Annual Membership providing 15% discounts on merchandise and reciprocal discounts at partner organizations nationwide, plus a donation program supporting specific public land stewardship projects. All proceeds support educational programs and visitor services at Northwest public lands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recreation Passes Federal recreation passes providing access to over 2,000 federal recreation sites nationwide, including national parks, national forests, BLM sites, and Army Corps facilities, sold to individual recreationists.
• Maps & Guides Topographic and trail maps and guides for outdoor navigation across Pacific Northwest public lands, sourced from established map publishers, for hikers and outdoor recreationists.
• Books Books covering trail guides, field guides, natural history, cultural history, and children's literature focused on Northwest public lands, national parks, and outdoor recreation, for general consumers and families.
• Collectibles Collectible items including patches, pins, magnets, and stickers featuring national parks, forests, and public lands imagery and branding, sold to visitors as souvenirs and memorabilia.
• Prints & Posters Vintage-style national park posters and art prints by named artists including Ranger Doug, Paul A. Lanquist, and Lantern Press, featuring WPA-era and contemporary designs, sold to collectors and visitors.
• Park Passports Passport To Your National Parks books and accompanying stamp series that allow visitors to record and collect stamps from national park sites across the United States.
• Educational DVDs Educational DVDs covering the nature, history, and culture of Northwest public lands and national park sites, sold to consumers and educators.
• Puzzles & Games 500-piece puzzles and playing cards featuring national park imagery, trail scenes, and outdoor adventure themes, sold as recreational and gift items.
• Smokey Bear Collection Smokey Bear branded merchandise including mugs, plush toys, patches, and collectibles promoting wildfire prevention awareness, sold to families and visitors.
• Ornaments Collectible ornaments featuring national forests, national monuments, and public lands landmarks as holiday or commemorative decorations.
• DYNW Annual Membership Annual membership program priced at $25/year providing 15% discount on online orders and visitor center merchandise, free U.S. shipping, quarterly e-newsletter, and reciprocal discounts at Public Lands Alliance partner organizations nationwide.
• Donations Program Tax-deductible donation program supporting specific public land locations and causes, enabling donors to contribute to conservation, education, interpretive programs, special events, and youth career pathway programs across Northwest public lands.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency managing national parks. DYNW operates retail locations in NPS visitor centers and sells America the Beautiful passes. Proceeds from sales support NPS educational programs and visitor services.
• U.S. Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency managing national forests. DYNW sells Northwest Forest Passes and operates in USFS visitor centers. Supports trail maintenance, visitor services, and conservation programs.
• Bureau of Land ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency managing public lands. DYNW partners to enhance visitor experiences at BLM sites across the Northwest.
• Bureau of ReclamationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency managing dams and water projects. DYNW operates retail at sites like Shasta Dam to support visitor services.
• U.S. Army Corps of EngineerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency managing recreation areas at dams and reservoirs. DYNW supports visitor centers at Corps facilities.
• Washington State ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency managing Washington state parks. DYNW supports visitor services and educational programs.
• City of Seattle Parks and RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal parks agency. DYNW operates the Cedar River Watershed Education Center, providing environmental education to visitors.
• Public Lands AlliancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrganization of cooperating associations at public lands. DYNW is a member and participates in the Reciprocal Discount Program, offering members reciprocal discounts at partner organizations nationwide.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Western National Parks Association: Larger nonprofit cooperating association operating retail stores and selling recreation passes at NPS and partner sites across the western U.S. Closest direct functional peer to DYNW's visitor-center retail and pass-reselling model.
• Eastern National: Nonprofit cooperating association supporting educational and interpretive programs at NPS and partner sites in the eastern U.S. Operates a similar retail/pass model to DYNW but on the opposite coast — directly comparable business model.

Regional players

• Yosemite Conservancy: Park-specific cooperating association supporting Yosemite National Park through retail, donations, and grants. Mirrors DYNW's nonprofit retail + public lands partnership model but focused on a single iconic park rather than a multi-state region.
• Yellowstone Forever: Official nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park, operating visitor center retail, membership, and education programs. Closely analogous to DYNW but at a single national park rather than a multi-agency regional footprint.
• Grand Canyon Conservancy: Nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park running visitor-center retail, membership, and donor programs. Same cooperating-association model as DYNW, serving a different NPS unit in a different geography.
• Mount Rainier Conservancy: Regional cooperating association supporting Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. Overlaps with DYNW's Washington footprint and shares the public lands nonprofit retail model.

Emerging players

• Pacific Crest Trail Association: Nonprofit stewardship and advocacy organization for the Pacific Crest Trail that runs membership and donor programs similar to DYNW, though without a comparable retail/pass infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• National Park Trust: National nonprofit focused on land acquisition and preservation for national parks. Operates complementary programming and donor channels to DYNW, with broader national reach but no comparable visitor-center retail.
• REI Co-op: Largest U.S. outdoor recreation retailer, with a co-op membership model and broad assortment of maps, books, and outdoor merchandise that competes head-on with DYNW's e-commerce catalog.

Others

• Public Lands Alliance: Umbrella membership organization of cooperating associations like DYNW. Operates the reciprocal discount program DYNW belongs to and shapes industry standards; an ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

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 Discover Your Northwest