$4.0M in expenses

Trail maintenance: our trail maintenance program is among the largest in the nation. Each year, WTA engages thousands of volunteers to restore and maintain trails across washington. Our trail work ensures that hikers, equestrians, and outdoor enthusiasts have safe, well-maintained trails to enjoy while also addressing the backlog of deferred maintenance on public lands. A well-maintained trail is a key tool in the protection of our public lands -- keeping visitors off the sensitive flora and reducing erosion on popular trails. By partnering with land managers, we help extend the capacity of agencies responsible for washington's trails. In 2024, WTA completed over 158,000 hours of trail work, the majority of that was donated labor thanks to volunteers, improving more than 300 trails across the state.

$1.5M in expenses

Communications: WTA is the go-to source for hiking and trail information across washington, providing free, accessible resources for safe and responsible exploration. In 2024, 5.5 million people relied on WTA's online tools, hiking guide, trip reports, and leave no trace education. WTA believes that people protect the places they love and empowers hikers to be safe, informed stewards. By blending expertise and community insights (over 5,300 hikers contributed 16,250 trip reports in 2024), WTA cultivates an inclusive hiking community and provides valuable data on trail conditions and recreation trends.

$1.1M in expenses

Community partnerships & leadership development: WTA works to lower barriers so everyone can experience the benefits of time outdoors. Our families go hiking e-newsletter inspires 68,000 subscribers with tips and trip ideas, and our outdoor leadership training program equips leaders to help get youth outside. In 2024, we supported 4,600+ outdoor experiences via gear libraries in seattle and puyallup, partnering with 70+ organizations. Our trained ambassadors connected with 8,000+ people, sharing responsible recreation and trail information.

$513K in expenses

Advocacy: WTA believes people protect the places they love to hike, from local parks to remote wilderness. Through grassroots advocacy, we empower hikers to become champions for trails and public lands. WTA collaborates with federal and state policymakers to advance hiker interests, including forest planning, trail funding, wilderness protection, and new recreation projects. As outdoor recreation grows, so does the need for stewardship and long-term planning. In 2024, we worked with partners to secure additional state funding to reduce maintenance backlogs on public lands and support the emerging leaders program, which empowers a diverse community of outdoor leaders. We also advocated for increased funding for national forests and parks and facilitated recreation coalitions promoting responsible public land use. Through our trail action network, WTA enabled more than 63,000 individuals to take action for trails.