ITA is offering a new and exciting way to volunteer. We need hikers to help us collect accurate and up-to-date information about the location and condition of Idaho’s hiking trails. As you may have found, many Forest Service maps are out-dated and do not accurately depict the location and condition of hiking trails. GPS tracks and trail data collected by volunteers will be used by ITA to update our Trail Reporter Webpage, produce reliable trail maps, and select future trail maintenance projects.

In 2024, we will focus our initial efforts on the southwest corner of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area. Our goal is to inventory approximately 370 miles of trails in the focal area this year.

During the webinar, ITA volunteer Brad Smith will train other volunteers how to record GPS tracks and collect trail data for this project. He will cover the types of GPS units that can be used for this effort, the device settings that you will need to use, and the process for submitting GPS tracks and trail data to ITA. Finally, he will cover information about the trails in our 2024 focal area and how volunteers can select and help scout these trails.