Efficiently educate visitors on safe and responsible recreation on the Bridger-Teton National Forest by working through non-profit partners.
Impact
1,000 edits and alerts submitted on behalf of the USDA Forest Service
Efficient communication with visitors is made possible through non-profit partnership with Friends of the Bridger-Teton
Systematic trail maintenance deployed by monitoring AllTrails provided usage trends
“AllTrails has been a huge support when it comes to reaching the public and better informing our visitors. We are noticing that our work with the Public Lands program is having a positive change on both visitor behavior and ranger perception of AllTrails.”
Background
The Bridger Teton National Forest is the third largest national forest in the Lower 48 states. It borders two national parks (Grand Teton and Yellowstone), straddles the Continental Divide Trail, and has six ranger districts across five Wyoming counties. It contains over 2,000 miles of trail, which AllTrails users spent 4,000 hours exploring in 2023.
Friends of the Bridger-Teton is a non-profit organization that works to steward the 3.4 million acres of the Bridger-Teton National Forests now and into the future by using partnerships, problem-solving, outreach, and education that highlight how to recreate responsibly on its vast and varied landscape.
Challenge
Many visitors arrive at the trailhead mis- and/or under-informed and unprepared for what they are about to experience on the trail systems.
The USDA Forest Service (USFS) did not have the resources to manage information beyond its own website, which includes information on forest rules and regulations and high-level information about trailheads. Users and prospective users of the BTNF were going to AllTrails to discover and navigate trails.
Approach
While USFS Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) staff were not able to curate the trail-goer experience on AllTrails by themselves, they knew they could reach out to their trusted non-profit partner, Friends of the Bridger-Teton. Together, they developed an efficient, scalable plan to reach BTNF visitors with accurate information:
Twice yearly, Friends of the Bridger-Teton sits down with the rangers to audit their routes on AllTrails and make edits to help visitors recreate responsibly
As needed, Friends of the Bridger-Teton adds alerts to reach visitors with real-time trail conditions and local knowledge
“We are thankful for the partnership with Friends of the Bridger-Teton and AllTrails. Establishing this working relationship is one of the many processes by which all users can recreate responsibly and conserve the National Forests for present and future generations.”
Outcome
The USFS overcame bandwidth issues by utilizing its non-profit partner to help efficiently communicate with visitors, getting them the most accurate information to help them plan ahead, practice responsible recreation, and keep the forest and wildlife safe.
Friends of the Bridger-Teton submitted 1,000 edits and alerts on behalf of the Bridger-Teton National Forest
The team continues to monitor usage trends provided by AllTrails in order to deploy future trail maintenance and improvements
USDA Forest Service rangers' positive sentiment toward AllTrails has increased significantly since beginning to work with Friends of the Bridger-Teton
Photo of Bridger-Teton National Forest Gros Ventre Wilderness provided by: Dina Mishev
