Ice Age Trail Alliance, Inc.

What Ice Age Trail Alliance, Inc. does

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1958 and headquartered in Cross Plains, Wisconsin. The Alliance serves as the designated primary nonprofit partner supporting the Ice Age National Scenic Trail — a 1,200-mile footpath located entirely within Wisconsin and one of only 11 National Scenic Trails in the United States. Its mission is to conserve, build, maintain, and promote the Trail through volunteer coordination, land conservation, habitat management, and educational programming, working in formal partnership with the National Park Service.

The Alliance delivers its mission through a portfolio of programs built around a 22+ chapter volunteer network. Core programmatic offerings include the Ice Age Trail Crew Program (multi-day trailbuilding events such as the May 2026 Blue Hills event with 116 volunteers contributing over 2,700 service hours), the Habitat Improvement Program (invasive species removal, prescribed burns, native seed collection, prairie restoration — 63 acres enhanced with native plantings in 2023), Land Conservation (acquisitions and easements along the Trail corridor), the Think Outside youth education program (reaching 10,000 fourth graders annually), Trailblazers youth leadership, Trailtessa women's retreats, and achievement-based programs including Thousand-Miler Recognition (85-109 completions annually) and Mammoth Hike Challenge. Supporting technology consists of an in-house GIS-based interactive Hiker Resource Map, a partnership with the FarOut Trail App for mobile navigation, and seed processing infrastructure (hammer mill and fanning mill) at the Marshview Preserve Seed Shed.

The Alliance generates revenue through three primary streams: annual membership dues, tax-deductible donations and contributions, and merchandise sales via an online store offering guidebooks, atlases, maps, apparel, and trail-related accessories. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through the iceagetrail.org website and the FarOut app partnership, while volunteer engagement and local stewardship are coordinated through 22+ regional chapters across Wisconsin. Operational leadership is provided by a small professional staff of 11-50 employees led by Executive Director and CEO Luke Kloberdanz, with a Board of Directors providing governance oversight. The organization holds Land Trust Accreditation from the Land Trust Alliance and the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, and partners with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Partnership for the National Trails System on habitat and capacity-building initiatives.

Name

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Inc.

Legal name

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Inc.

Website

https://iceagetrail.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ice Age Trail Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that conserves, builds, maintains, and promotes the 1,200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail in Wisconsin through 22+ volunteer chapters, land conservation, habitat management, and youth education programs serving hikers, volunteers, donors, and partner communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation & Trail Stewardship Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Hiking, Trekking & Mountain Guiding (THAJABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mountain, Glacier & Alpine Nature Tours (THAJAIAF)

Keywords

• Trail conservation services
• Volunteer trail building
• Outdoor recreation programs
• Land conservation stewardship
• Hiking trail education

Headquarters

HQ city

Cross Plains

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. Membership Dues: Annual membership program supporting the Alliance's mission. Members receive access to volunteer resources, newsletters, and the Mammoth Tales magazine.
2. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting trail conservation, land protection, and youth education programs.
3. Merchandise Sales: Online store selling merchandise including shirts, apparel, hats, drinkware, pins, patches, ornaments, and publications such as guides, atlases, and maps.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Ice Age Trail Alliance is a nonprofit organization that conserves, builds, maintains, and promotes the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, a 1,200-mile footpath in Wisconsin. The Alliance delivers its mission through volunteer-powered trail construction events, a network of 22+ local chapters, land conservation and habitat restoration programs, youth education, hiking incentive and recognition programs, and an online merchandise store selling trail maps, apparel, and publications.

Product overview

The Ice Age Trail Alliance operates as a single, unified nonprofit organization focused on the conservation, creation, maintenance, and promotion of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail—a 1,200-mile footpath entirely within Wisconsin. Rather than a platform-plus-modules software architecture, the Alliance provides a comprehensive ecosystem of trail resources and programs. The core offerings include the Hiker Resource Map (interactive web mapping), FarOut Trail App (mobile navigation), Thousand-Miler Recognition and Mammoth Hike Challenge (incentive programs), and Trailtessa Retreats (women's hiking retreats). The Alliance's trail building mission is delivered through the Ice Age Trail Crew Program and a network of volunteer chapters, while conservation work is supported by the Habitat Improvement Program, Land Conservation efforts, and a Seed Shed for native plant propagation. Education and outreach are served by the Think Outside youth program and Trailblazers youth leadership initiative. Additional offerings include membership programs, the IATA Merchandise Store (guidebooks, atlases, maps, apparel), Mammoth Tales Magazine, Saunters group hiking, and ColdCaching winter activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Think Outside: Educational outreach program for fourth graders
• Trailblazers
• Trailtessa Retreats
• Mammoth Hike Challenge
• Mammoth Tales
• Saunters

Products and services

• Membership Program Annual subscription-based membership that funds the Alliance's trail stewardship mission and provides members with access to volunteer resources, newsletters, and the Mammoth Tales quarterly publication.
• IATA Merchandise Store Direct-to-consumer online storefront selling trail guidebooks, atlases, maps, apparel, hats, drinkware, pet gear, pins, patches, ornaments, and other trail-related merchandise to hikers and supporters.
• Trailtessa Retreats Guided women's hiking retreats providing immersive multi-day experiences along the Ice Age Trail with expert leadership, designed for participants seeking curated outdoor experiences.
• Mammoth Hike Challenge Hiking incentive and achievement program that encourages hikers to explore various segments of the Ice Age Trail, recognizing participants who reach defined milestones across multiple trail sections.

Quantifiable outcome

• 116 volunteers contributing 2,700+ service hours in a single 5-day trailbuilding event
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Partners for Fish and Wildlife ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership supporting habitat improvement and pollinator conservation. USFWS staff participated in seed collection events and provided grant funding for the Alliance's seed processing equipment at the Marshview Preserve Seed Shed. The partnership addresses the needs of federally endangered Karner blue butterflies through native lupine restoration.
• Riverland ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization that owns Merrimac Preserve and graciously opened the preserve for Ice Age Trail Alliance seed collection activities.
• Partnership for the National Trails System (PNTS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting trail preservation through their National Trails Intern Program. Funded the Field Intern position at the Ice Age Trail Alliance, providing experiential learning opportunities for conservation professionals.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency with authority over the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The Alliance serves as the primary nonprofit partner for trail stewardship. NPS administers the Volunteers in Parks (VIP) program for volunteer service agreements and provides oversight of trail development.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Partnership for the National Trails System: Umbrella organization supporting all 30 National Scenic and Historic Trails. Already a direct programmatic partner of Ice Age Trail Alliance through the National Trails Intern Program, and the closest ecosystem-level peer.

Emerging players

• Leave No Trace: Nonprofit focused on outdoor ethics education with comparable youth-education reach (Think Outside aligns with Leave No Trace's youth programs). Adjacent mission rather than direct trail-stewardship competitor.

Direct peers

• American Hiking Society: National nonprofit advocating for hikers and trails, running volunteer programs like National Trails Day. Directly comparable as a peer trail-advocacy nonprofit with overlapping volunteer recruitment, education, and membership revenue models.
• Student Conservation Association: National conservation nonprofit mobilizing volunteer labor for trail building and habitat restoration on public lands. Comparable on volunteer-engagement model, NPS partnership, and youth-internship programming (e.g., PNTS Intern Program).
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy: National nonprofit converting abandoned rail corridors into multi-use trails. Comparable nonprofit trail-stewardship model, federal partnership approach, and member/donation revenue structure.
• Pacific Crest Trail Association: Nonprofit steward of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail with a comparable volunteer-crew model, trail maintenance programs, and chapter structure. Directly comparable on revenue model (membership + donations + merch) and federal-trail partnership with NPS.
• Continental Divide Trail Coalition: Nonprofit steward of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail with a similar volunteer-driven trailbuilding model and federal-land agency partnerships. Slightly smaller scale but directly analogous mission and operating model.
• Appalachian Trail Conservancy: Manages the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the most direct comparable to the Ice Age Trail Alliance: a 501(c)(3) nonprofit steward of a federally designated National Scenic Trail, supported by a national volunteer network, chapter system, and NPS partnership. Operates on a similar membership/donation/merchandise revenue model.
• North Country Trail Association: Steward of the North Country National Scenic Trail, the longest of the 11 National Scenic Trails. Operates an analogous volunteer chapter network, trailbuilding events, and NPS partnership model to the Ice Age Trail Alliance.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy (Wisconsin): Major national land trust with active Wisconsin operations. Comparable on land-conservation mission and Land Trust Accreditation, but operates at much larger scale with broader habitat focus rather than trail stewardship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IceAgeTrail
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@iceagetrailtrail
• Facebookfacebook.com/iceagetrail
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ice-age-trail-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/iceagetrail

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Ice Age Trail Alliance, Inc.