We now live in an age where if you want to get outdoors, sometimes you have to go online. With that concept in mind, the Tahoe Rim Trail Association recently launched its new, refreshed website.

Just in time for the upcoming trail season, the site officially went live Wednesday, April 12, and offers a wide-range of information and features that aim to enhance users’ overall trail experience.

“The goal of the new website is to provide Tahoe Rim Trail visitors a streamlined user-friendly experience that incorporates its new branding and contains improved navigation and functionality throughout,”TRTA stated in a press release. “The association listened to feedback from its members and site visitors during the creation period and made sure to incorporate vital trip planning resources, robust volunteer information, and simplified program registrations.”

When arriving to the site’s landing page, you will quickly see that there is a wealth of information at your fingertips. Justine Lentz, TRTA’s operations and marketing manager, said that one of the site’s key features is the interactive mapping of the trail. She said that it was one of the things they heard about most when getting feedback from trail users. “The interactive maps is a big feature for us,” she said. “We’ve had the demand for a long time to have that. People can see anything from water sources and trail heads to use regulations.” The interactive map includes several other features as well that help users plan and navigate their trip.

The association said gathering feedback from trail users was a big help in deciding what to include and what issues to address. “We’ve fielded a lot of questions over the past year and made FAQ pages, which I think is really helpful,” said Lentz. “We’re trying to make it a one-stop shop for everything that [trail users] need if they plan an overnight, a backpacking trip or something as simple as a day hike.”

If you happen to take a great photo that you think is too good not to share, there’s a feature to help out with that too. Users can submit photos to participate in TRTA’s photo contest, where 12 winners will be chosen to be featured in a trail calendar.

Overall, the organization is pleased with the site and hopes that users will find it easy to navigate and informative. Lentz said that the previous website had most of its traffic in the summer months and they should be able to compare and contrast activity as trail season picks up. In addition to the design, TRTA was able to use a local web designer to create the site, which they say helped with knowing the best way to implement features. “Hatchback Creative, he’s local in South Lake,” said Lentz. “He does a lot of our printed publications and design for us. It was nice because he already had a good feel of who we are and what we do. We were thrilled to stay local.”

Like a lot of activities in the area, the snow has pushed back the availability and accessibility, including trails. Lentz said TRTA will be looking to get much more active in June. The association will celebrate national trails day, June 3, at Nevada State Park’s Spooner Lake. Later in June, the association will be holding several trail work days where people can volunteer. Lentz said that from late June to October, TRTA will hold work days on most Tuesdays and Saturdays.

For more information about volunteer opportunities and upcoming events, or just to check out the site’s new design, visit http://www.tahoerimtrail.org.