Meet the six hard-working trail crews that spend the summer working on the Pacific Northwest Trail. Our Performance Trail Crews are seasonal trail maintenance and construction teams that keep the Pacific Northwest Trail open for everyone to enjoy. Each season, we train youth and young adults from trailside communities to tend trails and camp out in…
Get to know the nine dedicated trail crew leaders who lead our Performance Trail Crews. Each week, we’ll introduce a new member of our team in this blog! During our short summer season, our crew leaders mentor and train youth and young adults who serve on our trail crews, guiding them on long backcountry…
Each spring, before the trail melts out on the high passes or the first log of the season is cut, Pacific Northwest Trail Association staff come together for our annual crew leader training. This year’s training was held a short distance from the Pacific Northwest Trail at Camp Ortoha, a youth camp nestled among…
As Pacific Northwest Trail enthusiasts, we owe a lot to our friends in our trail community. Over the last forty odd years, many have made important contributions to the PNT. Creating what trail founder Ron Strickland imagined would be “America’s finest national scenic trail” has been a colossal effort that has touched and enriched many…
Are you curious about the wonders of the Pacific Northwest Trail? This shareable infographic breaks the PNT down by the numbers. But the raw facts hardly begin to tell the whole story of the PNT. Let’s take a closer look at what makes the trail so special, starting with another fun fact: The…
On March 12, President Trump signed a public lands package which passed both houses of congress with broad bipartisan support. Called the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, S.47 permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund and includes other important conservation measures across the nation. There’s much work to be…
As America’s wildest and most remote National Scenic Trail, simply getting to the Pacific Northwest Trail can be an adventure, especially for those traveling without personal transportation. On the west end of the trail, a new shuttle will make it a lot easier to reach the trailhead this year. Although bus service is available between…
On December 2nd, 2018, REI, the national outdoor specialty retailer and the nation’s largest consumer co-op with 6 million active members, announced grant recipients of their National Trails System Act Grant program. The Pacific Northwest Trail Association was awarded $25,000 in grant funding to support trail restoration on the Pasayten Wilderness and to strengthen…
Today, America’s newest and most remote National Scenic Trail remains mostly unsigned and unblazed. Not only can this add to the challenge of a trip on the Pacific Northwest Trail, the lack of signage also represents a missed opportunity to share the wonders of the trail for the benefit of all. In the future, the…
On Giving Tuesday, Hydro Flask, the award-winning leader in high-performance, insulated stainless steel flasks and soft good innovations, announced grant recipients of their 2018 Parks For All Charitable Giving Program. In total, the company donated over half a million dollars in 2018 to preserve, maintain and provide better access to green spaces and parks of…
Watch our Youth Crew Heroes video to learn more about our youth service programs. At PNTA, we love to build great trail, but we also love to build great youth. Last November, Pacific Northwest Trail supporters came together to make our fundraiser for the PNT, the Thunderbird Campaign, a huge success. Thanks to you, PNTA purchased 500 new trail markers,…
Following 14 years of service, the PNTA’s Director of Trail Operations, Lewis Trout retired this September. His departure will create new opportunities within the Association and allow for organizational changes in the trail’s management. Executive Director, Jeff Kish will continue to provide oversight, and two new Regional Coordinator positions will allow the Association to…
An Interview with Two Eastbound Hikers “Although most use of long-distance trails is for day hiking, the romantic lure and ultimate justification of such routes lie over the horizon.” -Ron Strickland, The Pacific Northwest Trail Guide, 1983 Even before trail founder, Ron Strickland had proven a path for the Pacific Northwest Trail, he imagined that…
The Land and Water Conservation Fund is America’s most important conservation program, yet without action from Congress, it will expire on September 30, 2018. For over fifty years, the LWCF has provided vital funding to protect irreplaceable lands, and create access to outdoor recreation opportunities in nearly every state, including Montana, Idaho and Washington….
Back in 1992, before smartphones and life online, the US Forest Service created the Quilcene Ranger Corps program. Middle school students from Quilcene, a small town nestled between the Olympic National Forest and Hood Canal, could apply to the free program, which offered the chance to spend the summer working outdoors with schoolmates. Together, they…