Pacific Northwest Trail Association

What Pacific Northwest Trail Association does

The Pacific Northwest Trail Association (PNTA) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 1977 and headquartered in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, dedicated exclusively to building, maintaining, and protecting the 1,200-mile Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail from the Continental Divide at Glacier National Park, Montana to the Pacific Ocean at Cape Alava in Olympic National Park, Washington. The trail crosses three National Parks, seven National Forests, seven mountain ranges, and six federally designated Wilderness areas, with approximately 80% of the route on federal land and roughly 25% in designated Wilderness. PNTA is the sole organization whose entire mission is stewardship of this corridor, which received Congressional designation as a National Scenic Trail in 2009 under the Omnibus Public Land Management Act.

The PNTA's core product portfolio centers on trail navigation and trip-planning content. This includes annually revised PNTA Strip Maps (free digital downloads and tear- and water-resistant print versions), the official Farout Guide to the Pacific Northwest Trail smartphone app produced through a partnership with Atlas Guides, and two signature guidebooks — the PNT Digest by Tim Youngbluth and the Pacific Northwest Trail Town Guide by Melanie Simmerman. Supporting services include backcountry permit planning resources for the three national parks, a free trail-alerts and conditions system during the prime July–November hiking season, and an email newsletter. Operational execution is delivered through professional trail crews, a Western Washington Regional Manager, and a Technical Advisor supported by 12 permanent staff and seasonal hires.

The PNTA operates as a community-led nonprofit with no equity funding, owned independently with no parent organization and governed by a Board of Directors under Executive Director Jeff Kish. Revenue is generated through tax-deductible donations, recurring membership dues, print map sales, and guidebook sales, with additional support from a Corporate Partners program and partnerships such as EarthShare workplace giving. The customer base spans individual thru-hikers attempting the full 1,200-mile route (50+ completions annually and growing), section hikers, day hikers, equestrians, backpackers, and a broader community of trail volunteers and conservation donors.

Name

Pacific Northwest Trail Association

Legal name

Pacific Northwest Trail Association

Website

https://pnt.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Pacific Northwest Trail Association is a 501c3 nonprofit that builds, maintains, and protects the 1,200-mile Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, serving individual thru-hikers, section hikers, day hikers, and volunteers with maps, a smartphone app, guidebooks, and trail alerts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trail Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Hiking, Trekking & Backpacking Tour Operators (THAAADAA), Hiking, Trekking & Mountain Guiding (THAJABAA)

Keywords

• Trail conservation services
• Outdoor recreation resources
• Hiking trail maps
• Nonprofit trail association
• Volunteer trail maintenance

Headquarters

HQ city

Sedro-Woolley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting trail conservation and maintenance.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership dues from supporters joining as builders and protectors of the PNT.
3. Map Sales: Sale of annually revised print maps that are tear and water resistant, available for order for each hiking season.
4. Guidebook Sales: Revenue from official guidebooks including PNT Digest by Tim Youngbluth and Pacific Northwest Trail Town Guide by Melanie Simmerman.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Pacific Northwest Trail Association is the sole organization dedicated to building, maintaining, and protecting the 1,200-mile Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, which runs from the Continental Divide at Glacier National Park, Montana to the Pacific Ocean at Cape Alava in Olympic National Park, Washington. It provides annually revised trail maps (free digital and paid print), the official Farout Guide smartphone hiking app, guidebooks, backcountry permit planning resources, trail conditions alerts, and volunteer trail crew coordination.

Product overview

The Pacific Northwest Trail Association offers a unified suite of trail navigation and planning resources centered on the 1,200-mile Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. The core offerings include annually revised PNTA Strip Maps (available free digitally and as prints), the official Farout Guide smartphone hiking app developed with Atlas Guides, and guidebooks by authors Tim Youngbluth (PNT Digest) and Melanie Simmerman (Trail Town Guide). Supporting services include backcountry permit planning tools, trail conditions alerts, 2026 print maps, and a free email newsletter. The organization also produces permit planners specific to the three national parks along the trail (Glacier, North Cascades, and Olympic).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PNTA Strip Maps Annually revised strip maps showing the Pacific Northwest Trail corridor with navigation notes, trail conditions, approved campsites, and hazard warnings. Available for free download and as tear- and water-resistant print products.
• Farout Guide to the Pacific Northwest Trail (Official Hiking App) Official GPS-based smartphone hiking app for the PNT produced through partnership with Atlas Guides. Provides map-based navigation with real-time trail changes and the latest corridor information, available via in-app section map purchases.
• PNT Digest Guidebook Comprehensive guidebook by Tim Youngbluth serving as the most detailed information source for the PNT, with waypoints compatible with PNTA maps and details about water sources, resupply points, and trail conditions.
• Pacific Northwest Trail Town Guide Guidebook by Melanie Simmerman containing information for long-distance hikers to plan a resupply strategy for a PNT thru-hike, including details about trail towns and communities.
• Backcountry Permit Planning Services Online resources and guides to help hikers obtain backcountry permits for Glacier National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Olympic National Park, including permit planners, application processes, and Recreation.gov reservation guidance.
• Trail Conditions and Alerts Free trail alerts and conditions reporting system published during prime hiking season (July-November) providing up-to-date information about trail closures, wildfire impacts, and current conditions from PNTA trail crews, scouts, and volunteers.
• 2026 Print Maps Tear- and water-resistant printed maps of the Pacific Northwest Trail released annually for the upcoming hiking season, providing detailed information for navigation that hikers might miss with other guides.

Quantifiable outcome

• The PNT is among the most scenic and rugged long-distance trails in the world, crossing three National Parks, seven National Forests, and seven mountain ranges.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCongress charged the U.S. Forest Service with administering the Pacific Northwest Trail as a National Scenic Trail across its 1,200-mile route. The Forest Service and PNTA work cooperatively with other partners and federal, state, and local governments to provide passage and protect the trail experience.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPS manages Glacier National Park, North Cascades National Park Complex, and Olympic National Park - three of the national parks traversed by the PNT. Coordinates backcountry permits, trail conditions, and visitor services.
• Atlas GuidescoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to produce the official hiking app for the Pacific Northwest Trail (Farout Guide to the Pacific Northwest Trail), providing map-based smartphone navigation with current trail corridor information.
• Flathead National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal land manager in Montana (Region 1) traversed by the PNT.
• Kootenai National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal land manager in Montana and Idaho (Region 1) traversed by the PNT.
• Idaho Panhandle National ForestscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal land manager in Idaho (Region 1) traversed by the PNT.
• Colville National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal land manager in Washington (Region 2) traversed by the PNT, including the Salmo-Priest Wilderness.
• Okanogan-Wenatchee National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal land manager in Washington (Region 2) traversed by the PNT, including the Pasayten Wilderness.
• Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal land manager in Washington (Region 2) traversed by the PNT, including the Mount Baker Wilderness.
• Olympic National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal land manager in Washington (Region 2) traversed by the PNT, including the Buckhorn Wilderness.
• EarthShareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNonprofit partner organization shown on PNTA website indicating workplace giving and charitable donation partnerships.
• Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor EthicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership promoting responsible outdoor recreation ethics and practices among PNT users.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: National education nonprofit that PNTA explicitly partners with to deliver responsible-recreation ethics on the PNT. Ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor, but operates a parallel donor-funded outdoor-education model.

Direct peers

• Florida Trail Association: Manages the 1,500-mile Florida National Scenic Trail via a similar volunteer-chapter nonprofit model. Comparable map sales, membership tiers, and chapter-based trail maintenance program targeting thru-hikers and section users.
• North Country Trail Association: Stewards the 4,800-mile North Country National Scenic Trail across eight upper-Midwestern states. Closely matching nonprofit structure with a long developing corridor, federal partnership stack, and emphasis on volunteer crew-based construction.
• Continental Divide Trail Coalition: Stewards the 3,100-mile Continental Divide National Scenic Trail through the Rocky Mountains. Closely comparable in corridor length, ruggedness, federal-land dependence (80%+), and small-staff nonprofit operating model.
• Appalachian Trail Conservancy: The largest and best-resourced National Scenic Trail conservancy, stewarding the 2,194-mile AT from Georgia to Maine. Directly comparable mission, governance structure, and product mix (maps, app, memberships, donations) at meaningfully greater scale.
• Pacific Crest Trail Association: Stewards the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650-mile National Scenic Trail running from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington. Highly analogous nonprofit operation with the same volunteer/map/permit model and donor base across overlapping PNW geographies.
• Ice Age Trail Alliance: Manages the 1,200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail across Wisconsin. Similar single-state footprint, comparable volunteer-driven model, and parallel product strategy (maps, membership, donor cultivation) targeting a smaller thru-hiker community.

Broad incumbents

• American Hiking Society: National nonprofit advocating for all U.S. hiking trails and trails funding via National Trails Fund grants. Operates more broadly than PNTA and is a natural referral partner/co-funder across the National Scenic Trail system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pacificnorthwesttrail
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacific-northwest-trail-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Pacific Northwest Trail Association