By listening to the Olympic National Park rangers about their pain points with visitor behavior, AllTrails could improve the quality of information on their routes so visitors stay informed.
Impact
33 alerts and 219 edits implemented, strategically focusing on high-traffic areas
66% decrease in Search and Rescue (SAR)- related incidents on trails with historically high SAR incidents since 2021
62% decrease in SAR-related incidents across routes on AllTrails
“...With the AllTrails Public Lands program, we feel we can better inform visitors before they arrive and provide safety information that most people will read, and it helps us prioritize our most visited trails.”
Background
As a popular spot for climbers, hikers, and backpacking enthusiasts, Olympic National Park is the 14th most visited national park in the US. It sees over 3 million visitors annually, exploring its nearly 1 million acres of land. Its trails cut through varying ecosystems along the Pacific coastline, making it a highly desired national park in the Pacific Northwest.
Challenge
With high visitation numbers comes the importance of ensuring the correct information reaches visitors at the right time in their preparation.
Without accurate information and alerts, Olympic National Park continued to see visitors put themselves at risk. SAR-related incidents began to climb, especially across two of their more popular routes, Mount Storm King Trail and Mount Angeles Trail.
Approach
AllTrails sat down with Olympic National Park rangers to listen to their major pain points
Audited the popular routes to ensure the trail information was up-to-date and accurate
Provide real-time alerts regarding fees, emergency weather-related updates, and road closures so visitors can “know before they go” to the trails
Outcome
This collaborative effort not only addressed safety concerns but also demonstrated the power of strategic information dissemination in reducing risks and enhancing the overall visitor experience at Olympic National Park.
Through proactive discussions, the impact was significant:
AllTrails implemented 33 alerts and 219 edits in high-traffic areas to improve trail information quality
Search and Rescue (SAR) related incidents decreased by 66% on the Mount Storm King Trail and Mount Angeles Trail and by 62% across all trails to YoY since optimizing the trail information*
*SAR data referenced includes data from incidents reported between 2021 and Aug 2023.
