Trails Challenge Aims for 7,500 Participants in Park District’s 75th Anniversary Year

The EBRPD Trails Challenge was developed 16 years ago by the East Bay Regional Park District to encourage use of the regional parks and trails. The Trails Challenge is a self-guided, self-paced hiking program featuring hikes at all ability levels, throughout the regional parks and trails.

Last year, over 6,000 people participated in the Regional Parks Trails Challenge. The goal for 2009 - the 75th Anniversary of the Park District -  is 7,500 participants. The first 7,500 participants to register will receive a free t-shirt* and a commemorative pin, thanks to generous sponsorship from Kaiser Permanente of Northern California

Register online for the Trails Challenge at www.ebparks.org. Then hike five of the 20 trails, or 26.2 miles, listed in the downloadable booklet by December 1. Mail in your completed hike log to receive a commemorative pin with the Trails Challenge logo.

“As a society, we won’t get people more physically active unless we create an environment that supports a healthier lifestyle,” says O’Brien.  “That environment exists within EBRPD, with programs in place to encourage healthful activities. Thanks to a partnership with Kaiser, we can get our message to thousands of residents and get them outside, exercising on some of the best trails around.”

To keep with an environmentally friendly theme for 2009, the Trails Challenge booklet is now available online, so that participants may print only the hikes that interest them.  As of January 2009, over 1,200 individuals had registered for the 2009 Trails Challenge, many of them first-time trail users.

This year’s booklet features a theme of the four seasons, directing hikers to the best locales for each time of year. Hikes are rated as easy, moderate, or challenging to appeal to all levels of hikers, cyclists, or equestrians.  The booklet includes safety tips, trail etiquette information, tips for hiking with children or with dogs, and a handy list of park phone numbers. Guided hikes led by District naturalists are also offered throughout the year.

The program lasts through the end of the year so anyone may register at anytime.

For more information visit the District’s website at www.ebparks.org or email trailschallenge@ebparks.org. Registration this year is available online only.

 

*Please note (as of April 13, 2009):

- Alameda and Contra Costa County residents will be charged a $5.00 shipping and handling fee. (T-shirt is still free, while supplies last).

- Non-residents of Alameda and Contra Costa County will be charged $20.00.
($5.00 for shipping and handling and $15.00 for a T-shirt, while supplies last) 

 

 

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