Blog Posts of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association

Meet Our 2019 Crew Leaders

Crew leader, Cat Sullivan leads our North Cascades Trail Crew. Photo by Thomas Gingrich. Crew leader, Kameron Walton returned for a 4th season to lead our crews in Eastern Washington. Assistant crew leader, Zac Skees joined our team this year bringing years of backcountry trail experience. Assistant crew leader, Carly Tryon poses with a chainsaw…

The Parks For All Program helped to make Crew Leader Training possible

Preparing for the Season Ahead

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…

Celebrating Ten Years as a National Scenic Trail

WASHINGTON – MARCH 30: Flanked by, (L-R) Rep. Parker Griffith (D-AL), Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA), Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), Sen. Robert Bennett (R-UT), and Matthew Reeve, son…

PNT Wonders by the Numbers

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…

America’s Best Conservation Program Reauthorized

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…

Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus)

New Trailhead Shuttle Available

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…

Performance Trail Crew - restore pasayten

REI Awards PNTA Grant to Restore Pasayten

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…

Hydro Flask Awards PNTA Grant

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…

Youth Crew Heroes Campaign

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, bearing the iconic Thunderbird logo. Your donations also helped to fund…

New Leadership in Trail Operations

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…

Hiking East Against the Grain

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…

Save the Land and Water Conservation Fund

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.…

Blog Posts of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association

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