Get Outside and Explore Nature

The Hike-a-Thon is a month-long competition in April that supports the protection of our lands and waters—where people and nature can thrive. This event is free to register, and you can participate from anywhere in the world.

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Left to Right: Rosanne Lovely, Sheri Selmeyer, Hilary Higginbotham, Brenda Stein, Renee Wall, Barry Kolar, Phillip Vest, and Willi Honegger of the Chasing Waterfalls team. Together, their team completed 112 outdoor adventures and logged more than 387 miles during the 2024 Hike-a-Thon.

Sponsorship Opportunities

By sponsoring the Hike-a-Thon through monetary or in-kind contributions, you’ll have the opportunity to amplify your brand and engage with TennGreen’s passionate community of outdoor enthusiasts.

Learn More about Sponsorship

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO MADE THEIR MILES COUNT IN 2025!

1,123 adventurers explored the great outdoors and raised funds in April to support TennGreen Land Conservancy during its fifth annual Hike-a-Thon. Throughout the month-long event, Hike-a-Thoners raised $259,185 and hiked, paddled, climbed, ran, and biked more than 14,850 miles. Participants completed 2,908 outdoor adventures, exploring parks, trails, and natural wonders across the U.S. and beyond. This year’s outstanding effort highlights the power of our outdoor community and its dedication to conserving land where people and nature can thrive.

Visit THE 2025 Hall of Fame

Frequently Asked Questions

To enjoy the outdoors in April while raising funds and awareness to protect the lands that you love.

Anyone can participate in the Hike-a-Thon! Registration is free, and you can adventure outdoors wherever you are.

The spirit of Hike-a-Thon is to adventure outdoors, in nature. When you’re moving outdoors where trees, rivers, streams, or wildlife are the main attraction, that’s a Hike-a-Thon adventure!

Think local, state, or national parks, nature walks, birding, paddling a waterway, or biking on a trail. Pace doesn’t matter, so stop often to smell flowers and enjoy the view.

Anyone can register online for free, go outdoors, in nature, and log their adventures as part of Hike-a-Thon.

Every registered participant will receive a free Hike-a-Thon t-shirt and be eligible for prizes in the photo competition, Tennessee Treasure Hunt, and pop-up prizes throughout the month.

For even more competition and fun, Hike-a-Thon includes individual and team competitions. To be eligible for prizes in these activity-based competitions (ex. most miles hiked, trail run, paddled, off-road biked, overall adventures, or most feet climbed), participants must meet two requirements:

  1. Donate or fundraise at least $100 for an individual and $250 for a team. This requirement is satisfied for all members of Sponsor Teams.
  2. Each adventure logged must include an upload from your adventure. This could be a map or screenshot from your favorite activity app, a photo from the trail, or other sign of your completed adventure.

The spirit of Hike-a-Thon is to adventure outdoors, in nature. When you’re moving outdoors where trees, rivers, streams, or wildlife are the main attraction, that’s a Hike-a-Thon adventure!

To be eligible for the activity-based individual or team prizes (most miles hiked, trail run, paddled, off-road biked, overall adventures, or most feet climbed) there are three additional requirements:

  • Must be on a Sponsor Team or meet fundraising amounts ($100 for individual competitions and $250 for teams)
  • Each adventure logged must include an upload that shows your adventure. This could be a screenshot or map from your favorite activity app, a photo from the trail, or other sign of your completed adventure.
  • Each adventure logged should follow guidelines for the activity category:
    • HIKING: Hiking adventures are outdoors, in nature. Walking for any distance counts towards your adventure, including stops to enjoy wildflowers, birds, or other views of our natural treasures. Hiking multiple trails in the same park or general area as part of one outing should be counted together as a single adventure.
    • PADDLING: Paddling is outdoors, on water, in nature, with a human-powered paddle board, kayak, canoe, or raft. Miles as a passenger (while taking a break from paddling in a raft or canoe) also count towards your total miles for the adventure.
    • OFF-ROAD BIKING: Biking adventures are outdoors, in nature, on human-powered bicycles. Rides on E-bikes, mopeds, or other motorized bicycles are not eligible for activity-based prizes. These adventures are generally not on paved surfaces, though short periods on pavement at trailheads, over bridges, or other minor portions of the ride are okay.
    • TRAIL RUNNING: Trail running adventures are outdoors, in nature. Jogging or running any distance during your adventure qualifies it as a trail run, even if you stop or walk for portions to enjoy an overlook or cool down by a stream.
    • CLIMBING: Climbing adventures may be outdoors or at an indoor climbing facility. To be eligible for activity-based prizes, only vertical feet climbed are recorded with each adventure.

No, anyone can participate in Hike-a-Thon! We’ll even send you a free Hike-a-Thon t-shirt!

That said, the dollars you donate or raise will go far to protect natural spaces like the places you visit during Hike-a-Thon. Click here for some helpful fundraising tips!

To be eligible for activity-based competition prizes, we ask that you donate or raise a little money to support our conservation work:

  • All members of sponsor team meet this requirement
  • To be eligible for individual activity-based competition prizes, $100. Personal donations and donations from others to the participant’s Hike-a-Thon page qualify.
  • To be eligible for team activity-based competition prizes, the team must raise a total of $250. Personal donations and donations from others to either the team page or individual participant pages qualify.

For most adventures and most participants, no. Hike-a-Thon does not require any proof to participate. To be eligible for activity-based prizes, we require an upload with each adventure recorded: This could be a screenshot or map from your favorite activity app, a photo from the trail, or other proof of your completed adventure.

Nope! This event is managed virtually, meaning you can participate from any location in the world. Whether you’re hiking the Grand Canyon, kayaking the Cumberland River, or climbing in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, simply log your adventures online and keep moving!

After EACH of your adventures, please be sure to log your completed miles (or feet for climbing comp.) by filling out and submitting the Adventure Log form. Please be as detailed as possible when filling out the Adventure Log, and submit a completed Adventure Log after EVERY adventure. To ensure our leaderboards reflect participants’ standings more accurately and to keep the competitions as fair and transparent as possible, please try to log your adventures within 48 hours of activity completion. Please submit a separate log form for each adventure.

Team members should log their completed miles or feet INDIVIDUALLY. For example, if four team members complete five miles each in one day, each person will submit a completed Adventure Log form for five completed miles. They will not submit one form for 20 completed miles.

Absolutely! All donations to TennGreen’s Hike-a-Thon are fully tax-deductible, so check with your Human Resources department if your company matches gifts or gifts of time.

Yes! Sponsorship opportunities offer an array of benefits, including waived team fundraising minimums, partnered adventures, and significant brand awareness. Click here to learn about sponsorship opportunities!

The Hike-a-Thon holds a special place in my heart. Last year, it brought my family closer together. Discovering my parents’ love for hiking, we spent countless hours exploring the outdoors together that I have never visited, creating cherished memories.
Youngeun Joung, 2024
Participating in the Hike-a-Thon was an absolute joy. The hiking and fundraising reconnected me with people I hadn’t been in touch with in years! There are a hundred more miles on my boots, most added with friends I love. Together, we’ve made a lasting impact that will benefit us all and protect the natural world we need to survive and thrive.
Brenda Stein, 2022
Hike-a-Thon has been a life-changing event for me, and all for a great cause! Hike-a-Thon gave me motivation to lengthen my daily hike and explore new trails. I found the more time I dedicated to hiking, the better I felt. My energy levels increased, my stress levels decreased, my general mood improved, I was more focused and productive at work, and more motivated in general. I can’t wait until next year!
Susan Hager, 2023
We’ve supported the Hike-a-Thon since the beginning, because it’s such a fun event! Our team loves getting outdoors to hike and support TennGreen’s mission.
Bailey Equipment & Intralogistics, 2025
We’re a yearly sponsor of Hike-a-Thon and love how the initiative gives people an opportunity to connect firsthand with the beautiful Tennessee outdoors that TennGreen works so hard to protect.
Bearded Iris, 2024
This event not only raises awareness and funds for land conservation efforts during the month of April, but it also fosters a sense of community among those who cherish our environment.
Sheryl Handley, 2025