“We’re kind of like park rangers, but without the badge”. 

“We’re an outdoor program that aims to make sure everyone on the trails has a safe and sustainable experience.” 

“We’re the Walmart-greeters of the woods.” 

“We help take care of the trails and everyone who enjoys using them.” 

For the purposes of this blog post, here’s the super-official answer— 

The Trail Ambassador Program is a new initiative collaboratively launched by RMFI and Pikes Peak Outdoors (PPO) in response to cumulative outdoor recreation and environmental impacts occurring across the Pikes Peak Region. Damaged trails, trashed natural areas, overcrowded parking lots, and user group conflicts were just a few examples of the challenges that our region faced in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional parks departments and federal agencies like the Forest Service had their resources and capacity stretched to the limits in trying to respond to these incidents. But RMFI and PPO recognized that when people are informed about how their actions affect the outdoors, they become part of the solution for responsible recreation. The goal of the Trail Ambassador Program is therefore to foster an increased understanding, respect, and ethic of care for public lands in the Pikes Peak Region by providing outdoor users with education, resources, and inspiration. 

This answer is certainly ideal for a brochure, a grant report, or (shameless plug) on our new Trail Ambassador webpage. But here’s my personal favorite answer to this question, the one that I try with utmost sincerity to imbue into every single person I’m connecting with out on the trails, even if it’s through the briefest of interactions— 

A Trail Ambassador is anyone who loves giving back to the outdoors as much as they love being in them. It’s not a role, a title or even a program as much as it is an attitude, a feeling, a sense of your place in the bigger picture of our outdoor world. It’s a trail runner who volunteers their time on trail workdays before a race. It’s a dogwalker who keeps their dog on a leash, not just because it’s a park rule, but because they want to protect wildlife. It’s the parents who pause at the trailhead to remind their kids about staying on the trail. It’s a local nonprofit organization coordinating park cleanups. Or maybe it’s just someone who smiles and says hello to each hiker they pass on the trail to make them feel welcome. 

It doesn’t take a lot to be a Trail Ambassador. But it does take a lot of us each doing our part to answer this question in earnest—what does being a Trail Ambassador mean for the Pikes Peak Region? 

I look forward to finding out!