Connecting with Nature Is Easier Than Ever Before with the New NYNJTC.org

The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is proud to announce the launch of the newly redesigned NYNJTC.org and the migration of our legacy databases to a CRM system fully integrated with our website. The updated website is the digital version of walking through the door at our Darlington Schoolhouse headquarters—all the information you need to prepare for your next adventure on the trails is right at your fingertips from desktop, laptop, and mobile devices. The website is fully integrated with our new CRM system to provide our members and volunteers a better experience interacting with the Trail Conference while creating a simplified and modern platform for efficient operation of the organization.

The website’s fresh, clean look has been designed to work beautifully on any device. New typography, grids, space, scale, color, and use of imagery guide visual treatments throughout the design to create a bold and graphic interface that intends to immerse in the experience. New tools make everything from researching your next hike to finding volunteer opportunities easier than ever before.

New Ways to Plan Your Trip

When you visit the new NYNJTC.org, you’ll be invited to get outdoors through the Trail and Park Finder. Choose from more than 700 trails and parks throughout the greater New York metropolitan area with this interactive map. View hikes, parks and destinations as list or grid, use filters to find hikes according to your interests, or search by features such as location, difficulty, and accessibility using this powerful tool as your guide.

The Trail Conference has further developed its Hiking Resources on the new NYNJTC.org as a one-stop-shop for everyone from first-time hikers to experienced Long Path end-to-enders to find the information needed to prepare for a safe, enjoyable experience outside. Additionally, Destination Guides—guides to the most popular places to hike, picnic, and swim throughout the region—were created to provide education on what makes these spots so special and how visitors’ sustainable decision-making helps protect these important areas. Of course, we want your on-the-ground feedback, too—everyone is encouraged to share their thoughts on their favorite spots with fellow hikers at the bottom of each park, hike, and destination page.

Easy Tools to Give Back

Because trails are built, maintained, and protected by the same outdoor-loving people who play on them, we’ve made finding opportunities to give back as simple as finding a hike on the new NYNJTC.org. Through the Take Action panel in the menu, discover ways to volunteer, attend an event, learn about our programs, donate, or become a Trail Conference member. Explore the many ways you can contribute to the work our thousands of volunteers do to connect people with nature, all in one place.

Similarly, all essentials for Trail Conference registered users, members and volunteers are now organized in the My Backpack panel of the menu. Through My Dashboard, registered users can view posted review comments, resources such as forms and reports applicable to specific roles, reference documents, donation information and event registrations. The much-anticipated online reporting feature, which will allow volunteers to record their hours and file their trail reports via the website, will roll out in the coming months.   

Made by Volunteers

As with everything the Trail Conference does, the launch of the new NYNJTC.org and integrated database would not have been possible without the hard work of our incredibly dedicated volunteers. Since 2015, the Technology Committee has been focused on the redesign, upgrade and migration of these systems, the digital lifeblood of the Trail Conference that allows us to accomplish all of our good deeds in the field. Led by Committee Chair Mary Dooman, volunteers Doug Cleek, Walter Daniels, Russell Dooman, David Klatt, John Magerlein, and William Roehrig, and staff members Jeremy Apgar and Amber Ray were integral to the entire process, from selecting Wanna Pixel as our web consultants and working side-by-side with their team, to coordinating with staff and volunteers, to seeing the project through to completion—and beyond.

Executive Director Ed Goodell noted that “the new website is a great resource for people to do things like plan, rank, and share their outings, as well as track it all with a personal dashboard. Next steps could involve similar improvements to volunteering, events management, and advocacy.”

We aim to make NYNJTC.org your go-to resource for everything trail-related in region. Check it out, and let us know what you think!