Give Back: National Trails Day Is Here (With Gear Prizes)

A coalition of brands will team up with the American Hiking Society to improve more trails than ever. And they need your help.

Virtually any day is a good day to get out and enjoy the vast and beautiful trails across the country. But if you had just one day to hit the trails, June 1 might be it.

That’s because on Saturday, the American Hiking Society — with support from Columbia, Merrell, Eddie Bauer, the National Park Service, and a host of others — will organize the 27th-annual National Trails Day. Not only will the day serve to encourage folks to enjoy a hike, bike ride, birding expedition, or other trail activity, but it will also serve as the backdrop for the largest cleanup effort in history.

“The drastic cuts to national monuments, trash pileups during the government shutdown, and threats of expanded natural resource extraction have been a wake-up call to outdoors-lovers everywhere to raise their voices in support of public lands,” said Kate Van Waes, the American Hiking Society’s executive director. “Now it’s time to also physically give back, so American Hiking Society is challenging trail-lovers across the country to set a trail service world record.”

National Trails Day 2019: Saturday, June 1

Part celebration, part giveback, National Trails Day helps create awareness of America’s trail system through organized recreational events and maintenance efforts.

Here’s how it works: Head over to the National Trails Day page. There, you can find events happening near you. Join a group hike, take part in a cleanup, or organize your own meetup at a local trail. According to AHS, “any muscle-powered trail activity can be registered.”

Of course, supporting the trails doesn’t end (or begin) on National Trails Day. And it doesn’t require sweat equity. Anyone can benefit the trails by donating to the AHS.

Set Record, Win Gear: National Trails Day

Last year, more than 109,000 people in all 50 states joined the National Trails Day effort. Collectively, they put in north of $2.6 million worth of volunteer labor and improved about 4,000 miles of trail.

The AHS knows it will take a huge turnout to top that, so it will incentivize the effort. Instagram your National Trails Day activities with the hashtag #NationalTrailsDay and tag @AmericanHiking. You will be automatically entered to win one of three gear packages, each worth more than $350. Each gear package includes: