Your registration fee primarily covers the swag and coordination costs for this event, with a small portion supporting our fundraising effort to purchase a van to expand access to inclusive, trail-based learning for local kids. If you're able and interested in making an additional donation, we would be incredibly grateful for your support. Your contribution would go directly towards expanding opportunities to deserving kids who don't often get the chance to fully experience the richness of our National Heritage Area. You can read more about these barriers and our efforts to dismantle one of the biggest (transportation) below:
By participating in the Trail Challenge, you're not only going on an outdoor adventure in our National Heritage Area, but you're also making a difference. Your involvement directly contributes to our fundraising efforts to support trail-based outdoor learning for Alaskan youth.
We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy our extensive trail systems and outdoor spaces. In fact, KMTA has invested over $410,000 to date to preserve the integrity of our trails, and we are now working hard to make them more accessible. Trails are a part of our living heritage, and we focus on building future public lands stewards who will advocate for them and the outdoor spaces they’re in through our low-cost and free youth outdoor education programs.
However, the lack of affordable and reliable transportation remains a significant barrier to accessing the full range of trail-related experiences in Southcentral Alaska. Rising fuel costs, long travel distances, budget deficits, and expensive bus rental fees often make these opportunities unattainable for many families and kids. That's why we’re raising funds through this year’s Trail Challenge to help support the purchase of a passenger van that would help us connect more people—especially local youth—to our trail systems and enriching outdoor learning experiences. We firmly believe in the transformative power of spending time outside. With your help, we can ensure more kids have access to those benefits through inclusive, trail-based learning.
