October 22-24, 2026, Ashland, Oregon
The 2026 Summit will take place Thursday-Saturday, October 22-24, in Ashland, Oregon and surrounding areas. The summit combines fun and high impact in-person networking opportunities with conference programming on the important issues of the day, educational content, trails stewardship work parties, and in-field tours and workshops.
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Oregon’s trails, mountain ranges, scenic rivers, valleys, and canyons, high desert, and iconic coast are treasured by Oregonians and visitors alike. Access to nature and outdoor recreation is foundational to our health and happiness. The outdoors can simultaneously be our refuge to get away from it all and a gathering force to build lifelong, joy-filled connections with each other and with the ecosystems that sustain us. Oregon outdoor recreation is foundational to our communities: driving our state’s tourism economy, nurturing a thriving web of local businesses and community partnerships, building understanding of our relationship with the natural world, creating a foundation for a shared sense of identity and belonging.
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The summit will bring together Oregon’s outdoor community to learn, build relationships, and find solutions to the challenges we face in developing and elevating outdoor recreation opportunities to best serve Oregon communities and celebrate and protect our natural, cultural, and historic wonders. The Summit seeks to accelerate efforts around:
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Access & Reconnection to Nature: Increasing inclusion and belonging in the outdoors close to home and in Oregon’s iconic landscapes, addressing barriers to access and fostering community resilience, enhancing physical and mental health outcomes, deepening understanding and respect for the ecosystems that sustain us.
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Sustainable Recreation: Environmentally responsible recreation, sustainable trails development, destination stewardship, planning, and management that promotes conservation, adapts to climate change impacts, and ensures long-term sustainability, Treaty Rights, and cultural respect.
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Economic Prosperity: Fostering strong local and statewide outdoor recreation and tourism economies, creating jobs, strengthening career pathways, supporting local businesses, and promoting equitable economic opportunities within Oregon's outdoor recreation sector.
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Creativity & Innovation: Cultivating effective cross-sector partnerships, movement building, resilience, and agile problem-solving, emerging research, and fresh and creative approaches to meet an ever-changing landscape.
Request for Session Proposals Open Through May 31st!
2026 Sponsor and Exhibitor Opportunities Available! Contact: chelsea@oregontrailscoalition.org
2026 Preliminary Summit Schedule:
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Thursday, October 22nd: Oregon Outdoor Recreation Summit
8:30-11:30am: Field Workshops
10:00-11:30: Oregon Trails Coalition Annual Meeting (all welcome)
9:30am-noon: Conference Check-In
noon-1:45pm: Networking Lunch, Welcome & Opening Keynote
1:45-2:00: Exhibitor Break
2:0-4:20pm: Breakout Sessions & Networking
4:30-5:20pm: Closing Plenary Session
6:30pm - Late: Networking Dinner & Party
Friday, October 23rd: Sessions, Office Hours
8:00-9:00am: Networking Continental Breakfast
8:30-9:30am: Welcome & Oregon Outdoor Recreation Community Updates Plenary
9:30am-12:20pm: Breakout Sessions & Open Office Hours
12:20-2:30pm: Networking Lunch followed by Open Office Hours & Exhibitor Break
2:30-5:00pm: Breakout Sessions, Workshops & Summit Closing Reception
Saturday, October 24th: Field Day
9:00am-3:00pm: Local trail stewardship events, in-field learning, & off-site community events​
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ADA Accommodations: We value your participation in the summit! All summit event venues are ADA accessible. Interpreters and other accommodations are available upon request. Please reach out to chelsea@oregontrailscoalition.org with questions or accommodations requests for summit session and/or field sessions.​
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2026 Registration
A registration link is coming soon!
Registration Fees:
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Presenter: $325/$225
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Full Summit Professional : Early Bird: $350; Standard: $400; Late: $450
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Full Summit Volunteer/Student/Small Org: Early Bird: $250; Standard: $300
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One-day, half, and full scholarships available.
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Scholarship Funds & Discounts:
Limited scholarships will be available for one-day, half, and full attendance. While these resources are limited, we will accommodate as many requests as we can and continue to work on identifying additional sponsors for the event. If you would like to support the ability for others to attend, please reach out to chelsea@oregontrailscoalition.org
Scholarship application coming soon!
In addition to our scholarship program, we offer a discounted rate for volunteers, students, and small organizations for the event, which does not require a scholarship application. Please register with this reduced rate if you are able. ​
Summit registrations are refundable, less a $30 fee to cover administrative costs, up until our meal counts are due for the event. We are happy to transfer a registration to a colleague, partner, or scholarship recipient at any time.
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Transportation and Hotel Reservations
Information coming soon!
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Summit Archive
Thanks to our past Summit sponsors, presenters, planning committee members, and the 300+ individuals who participated in sessions, field workshops, and more!​​​​
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2024 Summit Program Archive​
2023 Summit Recap & Program Archive
2022 Summit Recap & Full Program, Presentation, and Resource Links​
2021 Virtual Session Recordings & Print-friendly Agenda​
2020 Summit Archive​ & Webinar Recordings​​