The Trailhead
The Trailhead is an independent outdoor gear, apparel, and equipment retailer founded in 1972 in Buena Vista, Colorado, serving Colorado Rockies outdoor enthusiasts and tourists through a single storefront, an e-commerce site on Lightspeed, branded merchandise, third-party outdoor brands, and equipment rentals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersBuena Vista, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Trailhead does
The Trailhead is an independent, locally owned outdoor gear, equipment, clothing, and accessories retailer headquartered at 402 E. Main Street in Buena Vista, Colorado, in continuous operation since 1972. The business serves two overlapping customer segments: active outdoor enthusiasts based in or visiting the Colorado Rockies who need gear for hiking 14ers, mountain biking, road cycling, climbing, and backcountry or cross-country skiing, and tourists to the Buena Vista area seeking equipment, rentals, and local route knowledge. Its product portfolio combines a proprietary branded merchandise line — including co-branded Camelbak, Nalgene, Klean Kanteen, and Specialized hydration products, tri-blend tees, trucker hats, and collectible 14er summit patches — with third-party outdoor equipment drawn from more than 300 brand partners, totaling approximately 165 SKUs across the four main online categories.
The company operates a single brick-and-mortar storefront open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm daily, complemented by an e-commerce website built on the Lightspeed platform that ships globally with no stated geographic restrictions. Beyond retail, The Trailhead offers equipment rentals and gear servicing, an Explore BV content hub with localized guides for hiking and 14er climbs, and a Trailblazer Blog covering seasonal outdoor topics. The business is supported by a small named team led by owner Dave Blazer and VP Ops John Williams, with sales associates Brad Bosard (the longest-tenured employee), Jacob Lewis, and Andrew McFarland.
The revenue model is built on two streams: one-time retail product sales across both channels and equipment rental and service revenue from outdoor activities in the Buena Vista area. Unit pricing is pay-as-you-go with no subscription or tiered structure, and visible product prices range from approximately $10.95 for a Specialized bike bottle to $30 for a logo trucker hat. Marketing relies on content marketing through the blog and homepage links to local partners (Buena Vista Mountain Adventures and BV Single Track), organic social on Facebook and Instagram, and word-of-mouth within the Buena Vista outdoor community. There is no disclosed revenue, no outside funding, no parent company, and no enterprise or B2B customers; the company is privately and locally owned.
The Trailhead firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Trailhead
- Legal name
- The Trailhead
- Website
- https://thetrailheadco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Trailhead is an independent outdoor gear, apparel, and equipment retailer founded in 1972 in Buena Vista, Colorado, serving Colorado Rockies outdoor enthusiasts and tourists through a single storefront, an e-commerce site on Lightspeed, branded merchandise, third-party outdoor brands, and equipment rentals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Trailhead industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Outdoor Gear Retail
- NAICS
- Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Camping, Hiking & Climbing Specialty Retail (CRAMABAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Outdoor Clothing & Footwear Retail (Camping/Hiking/Climbing) (CRAMAMAK), Climbing & Mountaineering Gear Retail (CRAMAMAB)
Keywords
Where The Trailhead is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Buena Vista
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Trailhead business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail Product Sales: One-time transaction retail sales of outdoor gear, equipment, clothing, and accessories through physical storefront and e-commerce website. Products include branded merchandise (14er patches, t-shirts, hats), hydration bottles, and outdoor accessories.
- Equipment Rentals & Service: Rental services for outdoor equipment and gear servicing for customers engaging in hiking, climbing, cycling, and other mountain activities in the Buena Vista area.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual product retail pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Trailhead product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Trailhead is a brick-and-mortar and e-commerce outdoor gear, equipment, clothing, and accessories retailer based in Buena Vista, Colorado, founded in 1972. It sells both its own branded merchandise (14er patches, tees, hats, hydration bottles) and third-party outdoor products from 300+ brand partners, while also offering equipment rentals and service for outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, and skiing in the Colorado Rockies.
Product overview
The Trailhead is a locally owned and operated outdoor gear, equipment, clothing, and accessories retailer in Buena Vista, Colorado since 1972. The company operates primarily as a brick-and-mortar retail store with an e-commerce presence, organized around a unified product portfolio that includes branded merchandise (14er Patches, Tees, Hats, Trailhead Stuff) and third-party outdoor gear from hundreds of brand partners. The company also offers equipment rentals and service, adventure guides through its Explore BV content section, and maintains a Trailblazer Blog for outdoor enthusiasts. The core offering consists of The Trailhead's own branded merchandise line (water bottles, apparel, patches, hats) complemented by an extensive selection of outdoor equipment and accessories from brands like Camelbak, Nalgene, Klean Kanteen, Specialized, Pukka, and many others, totaling approximately 165 products across main categories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 14er Patches
Companies that use The Trailhead
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Trailhead technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Trailhead partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Buena Vista Mountain Adventures (BVMA)coreLocal partnership with BVMA for backcountry adventure guidance and spring preparedness initiatives. The Trailhead blog features content promoting BVMA's services for spring backcountry adventures.
- BV Single TrackminorPartnership linking to BV Single Track cycling resource from the homepage, supporting the cycling community in Buena Vista.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Trailhead competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.): The dominant U.S. specialty outdoor gear co-op retailer with a national store footprint and large e-commerce operation. REI is the most direct peer in terms of product categories (hiking, climbing, cycling, skiing) and customer base (outdoor enthusiasts), though at vastly greater scale and assortment depth than The Trailhead.
- Backcountry.com: Online-first specialty outdoor retailer carrying premium brands like Black Diamond, Osprey, and CamelBak across hiking, climbing, and cycling categories. Directly comparable to The Trailhead's e-commerce assortment and target shopper, with greater scale and digital sophistication.
- Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS): Specialty outdoor retailer carrying hiking, climbing, paddling, and skiing gear with both stores and e-commerce. Directly comparable to The Trailhead as a multi-channel specialty outdoor retailer, with a longer history in the Northeast U.S. market.
- Wilderness Exchange Unlimited: Long-standing locally owned outdoor retailer in Colorado focused on backpacking, climbing, and mountaineering gear with a strong consignment and used-gear component. Comparable to The Trailhead in being a Colorado independent serving outdoor enthusiasts with curated technical gear.
- Moosejaw: Specialty outdoor and active lifestyle retailer (now part of Walmart) operating online and through stores. Competes with The Trailhead across hiking, climbing, camping, and apparel categories, with similar specialty positioning though broader scale.
- Bent Gate Mountaineering: Colorado-based locally owned specialty outdoor retailer serving climbing, hiking, backcountry skiing, and mountaineering enthusiasts. Closely comparable to The Trailhead as an independent mountain-town outdoor gear shop with deep local expertise and a similar product mix.
Broad incumbents
- Scheels: Large U.S. sporting goods chain with extensive outdoor, hunting, fishing, and footwear assortments across regional superstores. A broader incumbent that competes with The Trailhead on outdoor gear breadth, though with a different store-format and customer experience model.
- Patagonia: Vertically integrated outdoor brand that operates its own retail stores and e-commerce site, carrying climbing, hiking, and skiing apparel and gear. A peer in terms of climbing/outdoor enthusiast customer overlap and mountain-town retail presence, but at brand-owner scale rather than independent retailer scale.
- Decathlon: Global sporting goods retailer offering owned-brand and third-party outdoor, cycling, hiking, and skiing gear at aggressive price points. Competes with The Trailhead on assortment breadth and price-sensitive shopper, but at a fundamentally different scale and value proposition.
- The North Face: Global outdoor brand with owned retail stores and an extensive e-commerce platform covering hiking, climbing, skiing, and trail running. Comparable to The Trailhead in serving outdoor enthusiasts with technical gear, but operating as a brand-owner with national and global retail reach.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The Trailhead social profiles
Digital presenceThe Trailhead financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Trailhead leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Trailhead funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Trailhead M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Trailhead
What does The Trailhead do?
The Trailhead is a brick-and-mortar and e-commerce outdoor gear, equipment, clothing, and accessories retailer based in Buena Vista, Colorado, founded in 1972. It sells both its own branded merchandise (14er patches, tees, hats, hydration bottles) and third-party outdoor products from 300+ brand partners, while also offering equipment rentals and service for outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, and skiing in the Colorado Rockies.
Is The Trailhead a public or private company?
The Trailhead is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Trailhead founded?
The Trailhead was founded in 1972. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Trailhead based?
The Trailhead is headquartered in Buena Vista, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Trailhead make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Retail Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are equipment Rentals & Service.
Who are The Trailhead's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), Backcountry.com, Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS), Wilderness Exchange Unlimited, Moosejaw and Bent Gate Mountaineering. Broad incumbents are Scheels, Patagonia, Decathlon and The North Face.
Does The Trailhead have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Trailhead.
What industry is The Trailhead in?
The Trailhead's product category is Outdoor Gear Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMABAM, Camping, Hiking & Climbing Specialty Retail, with a secondary code of CRAMAMAK, Outdoor Clothing & Footwear Retail (Camping/Hiking/Climbing). Its NAICS code is 45911.