Hikers, backpackers, and other outdoor enthusiasts in general now have a new tool at their disposal thanks to the Sierra Club. Late last week, the organization that has promoted outdoor adventure for more than 110 years, launched a new website called Sierra Club Trails that aims to become the online resource for the best hiking, biking, and paddling trails across the United States.
The new trails site follows the popular “wiki” model for generating content by having users contribute their knowledge and experience, and in the process, an online community is built with the idea of sharing that information. Users create an online profile and login, which gives them access to the Sierra Club’s tools for creating content on their favorite places to hike, including general information about the trail conditions, directions to the trailhead itself, and some thoughts on the difficulty level that hikers can expect. Best of all, using that wiki approach, the information can be easily edited and updated as it changes over time.
The Sierra Club is excited about building and utilizing this online community and to that end they’ve inclued some other resources to encourage hikers, mountain bikers, and paddlers to interact with one another online. They’ve built a set of forums for discussing various topics such as gear, trail food, and other outdoor hobbies. There is also a page dedicated to upcoming events, and another for sharing trail lore on a variety of subjects.
For now, Sierra Club Trails has been launched in beta format, while content is being filled in and users join the fun. But there are already a number of great trails in the wiki database, with more being added on a daily basis. You can add your favorite hiking, biking, and paddling trails by heading over to the site, createing a profile and sharing the places that are special for you.