Trail Builder Magazine

11/21/2025

If trail work happens and no one sees it, the community never understands its value. That makes it harder to secure sponsors, donors, and partners who believe in your mission.

Social media is not hype. It is how you show the real work happening on the ground and invite others to invest in it.

11/19/2025

Trail organizations do world-class work. The problem is that most people never see it.

Visibility matters. It affects volunteer recruitment, sponsor interest, and even your credibility with land managers.

Our new article breaks down why social media is essential for trail stewardship and how small volunteer-led groups can use simple storytelling to make their work visible.

Trail organizations do incredible work, but much of it goes unseen. This article explains why social media is essential for volunteer-led and small nonprofit trail groups, and how simple storytelling can boost visibility, attract volunteers and sponsors, and strengthen relationships with land manage

11/18/2025

Every trail organization has to communicate the value of its work, and today most of that happens online. Photos, short videos, captions, email newsletters, and stories all shape how your community understands what you do and why it matters.

So here is the question we are asking the trail community: What has been the most effective way to communicate the importance of your work on social media?

Is it before-and-after images, volunteer highlights, behind-the-scenes trail work, long-form captions, or consistent education? Something else?

We would love to learn from what has worked for you.

11/12/2025

What happens when a town invests in trails instead of waiting for a lumber mill or mine to reopen?

Across rural America, trails are creating both direct and indirect jobs, supporting trail builders, guides, restaurants, and local businesses while attracting new residents and investment.

From Arkansas to West Virginia, communities are proving that trail building is recreation and economic development working hand in hand.

Trails are more than recreation—they are catalysts for rural economic growth. From Northwest Arkansas to Colorado, Idaho, and West Virginia, trail systems are creating direct and indirect jobs, driving tourism, and revitalizing small-town economies once dependent on extraction industries. Discover...

11/11/2025

Why Trail Builder Magazine?

Mountain biking celebrates its top riders, influencers, and brands (and rightly so!). We believe that trail builders, the unsung heroes, are integral to mountain biking.

Our mission is simple: Inspire. Inform. Connect. We celebrate the people shaping trails around the world. We share ideas, lessons, and stories from rainforests to deserts. And we connect builders, advocates, and organizations working toward the same goal ... more trails for more people.

Our magazine content is written by you and for you. Thanks as always for your support!

11/10/2025

Want to grow your volunteer base? Start with what people see.

In our research, one message came through clearly: when people see themselves represented in trail-building photos, videos, and stories, they’re more likely to join in.

The more people digging side by side, the better.

What are you doing in your local trail org to grow your volunteer base?

’reg

11/06/2025

We've been exploring the economic impact of trails on rural communities. There will be more to come.

Here's a question I've been reflecting on lately, and I'd love your feedback: "How do you encourage visitors to spend more money in your town before and after riding?"

11/05/2025

Grants Pass, Oregon, is emerging as the state’s next trail town. The new Dollar Mountain Trail System, 11 miles of new singletrack minutes from downtown, is a story of collaboration between city leaders, Visit Grants Pass, and Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association- RVMBA, and a glimpse at how trails can shape a community’s future.

The new Dollar Mountain Trail System is transforming Grants Pass, Oregon, into a trail town. Learn how local partnerships, small businesses, and 11miles of new singletrack are helping this southern Oregon community grow its outdoor recreation economy and redefine its identity around trails.

11/04/2025

We hear it all the time: trails create jobs. But what does that actually look like in practice? What kind of jobs are we talking about?

11/03/2025

This week I'm working on an article exploring the "anatomy of a trail town." In other words, what are the components or ingredients that are needed for a town to be alluring to mountain bikers?

For me, coffee is at the top of the list. Stumbling across Wheelhouse Coffee in Grants Pass this weekend (a mile from the trailhead) was the perfect way to start the weekend.

What are your trail town essentials?

10/30/2025

Trail building doesn’t happen in isolation. For-profit builders bring skill, precision, heavy equipment, and design expertise. Nonprofits bring local knowledge, advocacy, volunteer power, and community trust.

When these two worlds collaborate, entire trail systems thrive. When they don’t, momentum stalls.

So here’s the question: what does a great partnership between a trail company and a nonprofit look like in your experience?

10/29/2025

When should you start your own trail org?

Maybe you’ve been showing up to dig days, building solo in your community, or dreaming up a new trail system on the back of a napkin.

Maybe your town doesn’t have a trail org yet. Or maybe the one that exists doesn’t reflect your vision, your voice, or your values.

So how do you know when it’s time to stop waiting and start building?

We’d love to hear from those who’ve done it.
What was the tipping point that made you say, “Let’s go?”

Drop your story, advice, and wisdom in the comments.