COVID-19 and Its Impact on Trails

"The impact of the pandemic on trails has, we know, affected funding, volunteer hours, projects, income, maintenance and so much more." -Galeo Saintz, World Trails Network

Saintz, G. (2021, March 30). The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Trails. World Trails Network. Retrieved From https://worldtrailsnetwork.org/impacts-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-trails/?fbclid=IwAR3FzU-2e3wZnE-mk9SlfC05B46ObaKFl7e477RfXCLc3ncaNSStMyaJ4xc

As we begin to emerge from one of the most challenging years that the World has faced in modern history, many industries are beginning to take tabs on damages. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us in too many ways to count and trails have been one of the few sources of respite to deal with the challenging times. As much of the World came to a screeching halt, most trails remained open as a way to be locally outside and socially distant. In many places, trail popularity surged and more people were enjoying the outdoors than almost ever before. This popularity had many impacts on trails, organizations, and funding whether negative or positive. In many cases, trail organizations saw increases in funding, but overcrowding and a lack of volunteers took their toll. New users, lack of etiquette, and overcrowding damaged trails like never before and a lack of volunteerism due to Covid set a lot of organizations behind on essential maintenance. Recently, the World Trails Network released the extensive research they performed on the impact of Covid-19 on trails throughout the World. Detailed in the article posted above, these statistics provide a glimpse into the world of trails as we emerge from a global pandemic that has tasked us all in some form or another.