Description

Lace up your hiking boots and embark on an exciting adventure! In honor of National Trails Day, there is a unique “Trail Scramble Quest” designed to get you exploring and appreciating beautiful trails right here in your backyard. Radar Hill Hiking Club is proud to partner with the Saugatuck-Douglas Rotary to produce this activity with the help of eight generous local sponsors, who are providing the financial support that makes it all possible.

This isn’t your average hike! Participants will use a dedicated web app to navigate to eight selected local trails. At each trail, you’ll complete a task that earns you a valuable fragment of the solution to a hidden mystery! Record your findings to piece together an important message. Then exchange the completed card for a prize.

Join the hunt on May 31 for National Trails Day, but if you can’t, the web app and the quest will remain available until May 2026!

The Trail Scramble Quest is an opportunity to:

  • Discover Local Trails: Become familiar with the stunning natural beauty that our communities have to offer.
  • Learn Trail Stewardship: Gain insights into protecting and preserving natural spaces for future generations — “Leave no sign!”
  • Support Land Conservation: Understand the vital role of local and regional organizations in safeguarding our environment.
  • Connect with Community: Enjoy a day of fun with fellow outdoor enthusiasts.

How it Will Work – STARTING ON MAY 31

  1. Get a Quest Card at the Visitors Bureau. It card will serve as your field notebook AND it contains the first message fragment!
  2. Add the Web App to your Phone by scanning a code on your Quest Card.
  3. Read the Backstory to learn why you are looking for “message fragments.”
  4. Visit the Trails listed in the web app to find message fragments that you record on the Quest Card!
  5. Find Additional Fragments hidden on pages in the web app.
  6. Decipher the Message by piecing together the fragments.
  7. Claim Your Reward by handing in your completed quest card at the designated location.

National Trails Day was first observed in 1993 and by 2019 there were more than a thousand local observances across all fifty states. The American Hiking Society promotes the event, along with the National Parks Service and other partners. Commercial sponsors include REI, Osprey, Ben’s Insect Repellent, and Athletic Brewing.