Speak Up for the Trails You Love

By Linnea Johnson

Did you know that Washington has an official holiday that’s dedicated to trails? Gov. Jay Inslee has proclaimed June 24 as Washington Trails Day, in honor of our state’s spectacular outdoors and WTA’s stewardship of and advocacy for trails.

This year, WTA is celebrating Washington Trails Day by inviting everyone who loves the outdoors to join our advocate community, Trail Action Network!

Trail Action Network is a statewide network — over 60,000 strong — of people who love trails and want to speak up on their behalf. When you sign up, you’ll be the first to know about opportunities to protect the public lands you cherish.

With the collective support of our Trail Action Network members, WTA has led the way in bringing major wins to Washington’s trails on the federal, state and local levels. Here are successes from just the past few years:

• Co-founding the Recreate Responsibly Coalition, a group of Washington government agencies, nonprofits and outdoor businesses collaborating for an inclusive outdoor future.

• Advocating for the Great American Outdoors Act, a landmark piece of legislation that provided a surge of funding for federal public lands.

• Securing game-changing investments for trails and public lands in the 2022 state operating budget, which led to ongoing funding for maintenance on state recreation lands.

But we aren’t stopping there. The maintenance backlog on our shared lands is still millions of dollars, and the need to continually care for trail infrastructure only increases as more people discover the joys of our trails.

On June 23 and 24, WTA staff and volunteer ambassadors will be stationed at trailheads across the state to invite outdoor lovers to be a voice for trails. Meanwhile, throughout June, we’ll be encouraging the WTA community to invite friends and family to join the movement to protect trails.

Once you’re part of our advocate community, we hope you’ll take a moment on your next hike to pause, appreciate your surroundings and feel the peace of mind that comes with the knowledge that you’ve chosen to speak up for your favorite places. You’re doing your part to ensure that trail, its trailhead and the roads you took to get there are cared for — not only for your own future use, but for generations to come.

What could be a better way to celebrate?

Get involved at wta.org/watrailsday.

Drive Good TM travels. Also, especially if you don’t know the area, plan your travels so that you get to your destination while it’s still light out and can set up your campsite before dark.