Announcing the recipients of the 2025 AllTrails Stewards Fund

Projects will receive funding to support trail restoration, resilience, and more

Stewardship is a core value at AllTrails. We believe caring for trails is at the heart of exploring them. Our platform helps millions get outside, but it can’t build a culvert (yet). That’s why we created the AllTrails Stewards Fund. The fund provides awards through an open application process to projects focused on improving, maintaining, rebuilding, and restoring our outdoor spaces.

We received hundreds of applications from organizations across the US and around the world. In every one, the team’s passion and dedication to public lands were clear.

“Trails need care to welcome people year after year, and we’re excited to support these hands-on projects through the inaugural AllTrails Stewards Fund. We’re happy that AllTrails we can make a direct impact on the trails that our members spend time on every single day.”

Pitt Grewe
Head of Social and Environmental Impact, AllTrails

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2025 AllTrails Stewards Fund! 

Essential maintenance awards

Projects that address deferred maintenance, improve signage, and enhance visitor amenities.

Bridging the Gap on the Bridger-Teton National Forest

• Organization: Friends of the Bridger-Teton
• Project location: Wyoming, US
• Summary: The FBT Forest Corps program will hire two full-time interns and a five-woman team to partner with the U.S. Forest Service on the Bridger-Teton National Forest to verify trail data, perform trail maintenance, and conduct post-fire recovery, ultimately improving public access and conserving natural resources.

Essential Infrastructure for Coexistence: Bear Bin Maintenance in BC Parks

• Organization: BC Parks Foundation
• Project location: British Columbia, Canada
• Summary: To increase public safety and mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, this project will install four new bear-proof food storage bins at the popular Semaphore Lakes and Watersprite Lake backcountry sites in British Columbia. These bins will protect both visitors and the local bear population.

French Broad Paddle Trail Campsite – Beech Bluff

• Organization: MountainTrue
• Project location: North Carolina, US 
• Summary: MountainTrue and Conserving Carolina are partnering to develop the new Beech Bluff campsite, which will fill a 20-mile service gap along the French Broad Paddle Trail. The campsite will provide essential amenities and ensure a permanently protected, publicly accessible site for paddlers.

Jurassic Park Bridge

• Organization: Central Alabama Mountain Pedalers (CAMP)
• Project location: Alabama, US
• Summary: To improve safety, accessibility, and year-round use of the popular Jurassic Park trail, a new bridge will be installed over a challenging creek crossing that is currently a bottleneck for hikers, runners, and mountain bikers, especially after it rains.

Lower Peaks Trail Bridge Construction

• Organization: Friends of the Dillon Ranger District
• Project location:  Colorado, US
• Summary: In partnership with the USFS, the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District will construct the Lower Peaks Trail Bridge, a new puncheon bridge that will improve safety for hikers and mountain bikers and protect the surrounding riparian zone from erosion at a popular but hazardous creek crossing.

“This contribution will go towards our new University of Wyoming Internship Program, offering a learning opportunity for two students to improve partnerships, and strengthen our FBT Forest Corps, consisting of five women undertaking major trail and infrastructure projects. Thank you, AllTrails!”

Jennifer Ricupero
Partnership Manager, Friends of the Bridger-Teton

Preserve, Restore, and Educate Initiative on Gertrude’s Nose Footpath

• Organization: Palisades Parks Conservancy
• Project location: New York, US
• Summary: To restore Gertrude’s Nose Footpath in Minnewaska State Park Preserve, a project is underway to install cedar tripods, rope fencing, and interpretive signage to block unofficial social trails and protect globally rare broom crowberry from erosion and trampling.

Preserving Access to Sawtooth Country

• Organization: The Sawtooth Society
• Project location:  Idaho, US
• Summary: To address federal funding gaps, the Sawtooth Society is expanding its trail maintenance program in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area by hiring a new stewardship coordinator and integrating a volunteer program with its paid trail crew to maintain over 150 miles of trails and repair more than 500 drainage sites.

Trail Surface Restoration

• Organization: Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail
• Project location: Virginia, US
• Summary: The Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail is using the funds to fill approximately 300 potholes and surface hazards on the 18-mile multi-use trail in Northern Virginia, which will make the popular route safer and more accessible for millions of users.

Trail experience awards

Projects that improve the natural environment along trails, such as invasive species removal or native plant restoration.

Appalachian Trail Ecological Restoration and Rare Plant Protection in Pennsylvania

• Organization: Appalachian Trail Conservancy
• Project location: Pennsylvania, US
• Summary: Restore the Hunter’s Run Natural Heritage Area in Pennsylvania by replanting rare native species and managing invasive plants to improve the ecological health of this unique and popular section of the Appalachian Trail.

Trail insights awards

Projects that survey, collect, and share critical trail data to improve accessibility and visitor experience. 

Chilkoot Trail Time Traveler

• Organization: Friends of the Klondike Corridor, Inc.
• Project location: Alaska, US
• Summary: This project will create an educational experience on the Chilkoot Trail by connecting AllTrails members to historical and present-day content. A storyteller named Tin Cup Kelly will narrate anecdotes from historical journals to bring trail landmarks to life. The project will create a comprehensive database of points of interest with photos and historical images that hikers can access in real-time, blending technology, history, and storytelling to preserve the legacy of the trail.

Information Access for Trails of the Central Wasatch: on-line and on-the-ground resources

• Organization: Cottonwood Canyons Foundation
• Project location: Utah, US
• Summary: Working to survey and update online trail data with accurate information and to launch a new Trail Steward program with trained volunteers to promote responsible recreation in Utah’s heavily used Central Wasatch region.

“With AllTrails’ support, MountainTrue will fill a critical gap in coverage within our French Broad Paddle Trail program. A new riverside campsite called Beech Bluff will be located halfway between two existing MountainTrue-managed sites and become a great resource for both day-trippers and campers alike.”

Jack Henderson
French Broad Paddle Trail Manager, MountainTrue

Trail resiliency awards

Projects that address erosion, climate change, drainage, and other work that ensures long-term trail health.

BMTA Clean Trails Day Event

• Organization: Benton MacKaye Trail Association (BMTA)
• Project location: Georgia, US 
• Summary: The Benton MacKaye Trail Association is hosting a Clean Trails Day event to staff two popular trailheads. The association will provide supplies and educational materials to help over 800 visitors clean up trash and learn about Leave No Trace principles.

Building Trail Resiliency on the Castle Trail in Badlands National Park

• Organization: Badlands National Park Conservancy
• Project location:  South Dakota, US
• Summary: Badlands National Park is replacing 100 deteriorating wooden trail landings with more durable Trex composite decking on the popular Castle Trail to improve visitor safety, reduce erosion, and create a more sustainable path.

Dark Hollow Falls Trail reroute and restoration

• Organization: Shenandoah National Park Trust
• Project location: Virginia, US
• Summary: To improve safety, accessibility, and resilience against severe weather, SNPT is rerouting and adapting the popular Dark Hollow Falls Trail to accommodate its 250K – 400K annual visitors.

Illegal Dumpsite Cleanup & Trail Resilience Project

• Organization: Bear Valley Protection Society
• Project location:  California, US
• Summary: The Bear Valley Protection Society’s Illegal Dumpsite Cleanup & Trail Resiliency Initiative, supported by AllTrails funding, will mobilize volunteers to remove thousands of pounds of trash from trails in the San Bernardino National Forest to improve public safety, restore native vegetation, and strengthen community involvement.

Improving Safe Access to America’s Public Lands at Scratch Gravel Hills

• Organization:  Foundation for America’s Public Lands (FAPL)
• Project location:  Montana, US
• Summary: FAPL is building a new 1.3-mile ADA-compliant trail and parking lot at the Scratchgravel Hill Recreation Area, which will expand access for visitors with mobility aids, strollers, and new hikers.

“AllTrails’ support is helping us bring a long-held vision to life — a safe, scenic crossing of the Whangaehu River that replaces 32 kilometres of road walking with a coastal route rich in nature and story. This bridge is a feature of our regenerative trail strategy, improving the experience for walkers while restoring connection between people and place.”

Matt Claridge
Chief Executive Officer, Te Araroa Trust

Rawah Wilderness Trails Resiliency Project

• Organization: Rocky Mountain Conservancy
• Project location: Colorado, US 
• Summary: Restoration of the popular McIntyre and West Branch trails which were severely damaged by the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire and 2021 floods, with the goal of improving long-term climate resilience, public access, and safety.

Salt Creek Canyon (Canyonlands) Trail Maintenance

• Organization: Wilderness Volunteers
• Project location: Utah, US
• Summary: Wilderness Volunteers is organizing a week-long service project to restore the Salt Creek Canyon Trail in Canyonlands National Park, using 12 volunteers to clear overgrown vegetation, install trail markers, and repair erosion control to improve hiker safety and long-term sustainability.

The Driving Range Trail Rebuild

• Organization: Richmond Mountain Trails
• Project location: Vermont, East
• Summary: To make the nation’s first fully adaptive mountain bike network more climate-resilient and accessible, Richmond Mountain Trails is rebuilding the lower section of the Hotdogger trail in Bolton, Vermont, to fix drainage and erosion issues, and AllTrails funding will help close the funding gap.

Whangaehu River Bridge Construction

• Organization: Te Araroa Trust
• Project location: New Zealand
• Summary: To provide a safe, off-road connection on New Zealand’s Te Araroa trail, a 100-meter pedestrian swing bridge is being built over the Whangaehu River to replace a dangerous highway section, improve walkability, and reconnect local communities with culturally significant sites.

Trout Lily Trail Recovery Project

• Organization: Tennessee State Parks Conservancy
• Project location:  Tennessee, US
• Summary: To improve safety and prevent future wildfires, a contractor will be hired to clear and widen a 600-foot section of the popular Trout Lily trail. After Hurricane Helene, the trail was left with a significant amount of downed trees and debris.

Trail restoration awards

Projects that restore previously closed trails to public use.

Buzzard Roost Ridge

• Organization: Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship
• Project location: California, US
• Summary: The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship is working to restore the historic Buzzard Roost Ridge Trail in Plumas National Forest by clearing the final 500 feet, installing new signage, and performing finish work to enhance safety and reopen the unique and scenic route to the public.

Patten Stream Bridge Restoration Project

• Organization: Blue Hill Heritage Trust
• Project location: Maine, US
• Summary: The Blue Hill Heritage Trust will replace several unsafe and deteriorating bridges on the Patten Stream trail in Surry, Maine, to improve visitor safety and ensure long-term access while protecting a vital alewife migration route from the effects of climate change.

Wonderland Trail & West Boundary Trail Restoration

• Organization: Washington’s National Park Fund 
• Project location: Washington, US
• Summary: Working with the Washington Conservation Corps and others, a Wonderland Trail re-route construction project at Mount Rainier National Park will engage 102 diverse youth and young adults to restore a 750-foot section of the Wonderland Trail and re-establish the historic West Boundary Trail to enhance visitor safety and trail sustainability.

Applications for the 2026 AllTrails Stewards Fund will open in the Spring of next year. Stay up to date on the latest by visiting us at: https://publiclands.alltrails.com/stewards-fund

Questions? Reach out to our team at impact@alltrails.com 

*Photo courtesy of David Huff and Carolina Mountain Club