onX and Outdoor Alliance Announce Data Partnership to Protect Public Land Access

Photo credit: Holly Mandarich.

onX, a pioneer in outdoor digital navigation, announced its data partnership with Outdoor Alliance, a coalition of ten human-powered outdoor recreation groups, in an ongoing effort to protect outdoor recreation and our public lands and waters.

onX brings outdoor experiences to life through its suite of apps­ and through its outdoor platforms. One of onX’s platforms is Adventure Projects—a network of crowd-sourced websites that offer hiking, trail running, backcountry skiing, climbing, and mountain biking information in the form of trail and route beta, photos, and reviews. For example, Mountain Project is a directory containing nearly 270,000 climbing routes and MTB Project is home to 50,000+ mountain bike trails.

onX shares the locations of these Adventure Projects routes and trails with Outdoor Alliance. In conjunction with information from the Forest Service, the Park Service, and other public land management agencies, onX can help Outdoor Alliance identify public land areas rich in outdoor recreation access.

Outdoor Alliance is a national conservation and outdoor recreation advocacy group that includes American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, Access Fund, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, The Mountaineers, American Alpine Club, the Mazamas, Colorado Mountain Club, and Surfrider Foundation. Together, the coalition has notched many victories to protect public lands and waters.

Outdoor Alliance’s Land Use Planning and GIS program aggregates, analyzes, and visualizes data to provide the outdoor community, advocates, and policy makers with the best possible representation of human-powered recreation in the United States. It provides data-driven information, maps, and tools that enable the outdoor community and policy makers to protect and improve outdoor recreation experiences on our public lands.

Outdoor recreation data has been used to help advance and pass important new protections for public lands. Most recently, Outdoor Alliance inventoried recreation opportunities for the proposed Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge Recreation Enhancement and Conservation Act, and worked closely with Congressman Blumenauer’s office to ensure the bill would protect 350,000 acres of new National Recreation Area. Previously, recreation data helped protect more than 84,000 acres of land around the Moab, Utah area, including the famed Slickrock trail from being developed. And recreation data was crucial in the development and passage of the John D. Dingell Jr Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, which protected 1.3 million acres of public land.

“At onX, we believe that everyone should have access to nature and the recreation opportunities it provides,” said onX Backcountry GM, Will Sladek. “But our access to these opportunities is at risk for various reasons—including industrial development, suburban sprawl, and public land policies. We’re proud to partner with Outdoor Alliance to help advocate for access to outdoor recreation and public playgrounds. By sharing Adventure Projects recreation data, we can illustrate how certain places provide critical and unparalleled outdoor experiences, and what the outdoor community might lose if they are taken away.”

“Recreation data is incredibly important to Outdoor Alliance’s work to protect public lands and waters and ensure they are managed in a way that is sustainable for future generations,” said Outdoor Alliance Land Use and Planning GIS Director, Levi Rose. “We are thrilled to work with onX to ensure we have the most comprehensive and accurate data on outdoor recreation across the country. onX truly embraces its commitment to improving public access and stewarding our public lands and waters, and we are grateful to work together to ensure trails, crags, and public land access is available for generations to come.”

The Adventure Project data shared with Outdoor Alliance includes spatial information for trails and climbing sites. Any user-generated data, such as ratings, are aggregated and anonymous. onX does not share personal user data from any of its platforms or apps.

Outdoor Alliance

Outdoor Alliance is a nonprofit coalition of organizations that include American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, Access Fund, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, The Mountaineers, American Alpine Club, the Mazamas, Colorado Mountain Club, and Surfrider Foundation. Outdoor Alliance unites backcountry skiers, hikers, paddlers, mountain bikers, boaters, and climbers who share a commitment to protecting public lands. For more information, visit outdooralliance.org.

onX

Founded in 2009, onX is a pioneer in digital outdoor navigation, developing software that helps inform, inspire, and empower outdoor recreationists. onX Backcountry, onX Offroad, and onX Hunt make up the company’s suite of apps, and are built by explorers for explorers.

onX acquired Adventure Projects in 2020. A network of crowd-sourced websites, Adventure Projects connects people with their outdoor passions. The platform includes Mountain Project, MTB Project, Hiking Project, Powder Project, Trail Run Project, and the National Park Trail Guide.

Because off-the-beaten-path experiences are at the heart of what onX does, the company also leads initiatives to protect and expand access to public land. Since 2017, onX has worked with various partners to secure and improve public land access through direct funding, and by supporting key legislation with data analysis and research. Learn more: https://www.onxmaps.com/news