As hikers in the US have come to rely on mobile applications to navigate our public lands, visitors can be led to dangerous or environmentally sensitive areas when these apps include unofficial and unmaintained trails; and much of that data comes from OpenStreetMap (OSM).
In 2021 OSM US formed the Trails Stewardship Initiative (TSI) out of the urgency to improve the safety and protection of public lands. Since then, OpenStreetMap US and its partners have been working on building the relationships, technical requirements, and initial mapping workflows to support broader national efforts. The TSI brings together volunteers, land managers and app developers to improve trail data in OSM and address how third-party applications (AllTrails, onX, etc) use and visualize OSM data. These efforts enable navigation apps to better display OSM trail data, improving equitable access to the outdoors and the public's ability to understand and plan for the true nature of a trail system, while protecting our sensitive ecosystems. Improving trail data available to third-party apps in OSM provides a way for outdoor spaces to be more accessible to everyone, contributing to a more equitable, responsible, and safe outdoor experience. By involving locals in data stewardship, a sense of ownership and responsibility is fostered among those who cherish the outdoors. This talk will share the challenges, efforts and successes of the OSM US Trail Stewardship Initiative and the community collaboration behind it.