Fall & Winter Hiking Challenge

Keep moving through the changing seasons with ISWO’s Fall & Winter Hiking Challenge.

Explore local trails, revisit a favourite route, or discover somewhere new. Take part on your own, with your family, or through an Indigenous program or organization. Every qualifying hike brings you closer to your next achievement level, a new patch, and a chance to win a prize package.

Three Levels. Three Patches. One Outdoor Adventure.

Start with three hikes and see how far you can go! Each hike must be more than 2 km to count.

Level 1: Trail Explorer: Complete 3 qualifying hikes to earn your Trail Explorer patch and entry into the Level 1 prize draw.

Level 2: Trail Adventurer: Complete 6 qualifying hikes total to earn your Trail Adventurer patch and entry into the Level 2 prize draw. You’ll also keep your Level 1 patch and prize draw entry.

Level 3: Trail Achiever: Complete 9 qualifying hikes total to earn your Trail Achiever patch and entry into the Level 3 prize draw. That means all three patches and entry into all three prize draws!

Levels are cumulative: your first three hikes count toward Level 2, and your first six count toward Level 3. Complete nine qualifying hikes to reach the top level.

Three prize packages will be awarded in total, one for each achievement level.

Choose Your Trails

Hike on beginner, intermediate, or advanced hiking and mountain trails. Choose routes that suit your experience, ability, and the conditions.

You can explore a different trail each time or return to a favourite. The same trail can count more than once when you complete it as a separate hike on a different date.

Choose how you participate

Individuals

Register independently, track your hikes, and submit your hiking log with supporting proof.

Families

Register together and use one shared hiking log. Identify which family members completed each hike and keep a separate tally for each person.

Indigenous Programs and Organizations

Register a group and designate a coordinator to track attendance, record distances, and submit proof for each outing.

However you register, each participant earns patches and prize draw entries based on their own completed hikes. For a shared outing to count toward someone’s progress, they must complete the full qualifying distance.

What Counts as a Qualifying Hike?

Each hike must:

• Take place between November 20, 2026 and February 1, 2027, inclusive.
• Be completed on a hiking trail or mountain trail.
• Measure more than 2 km in total. A hike recorded as exactly 2.00 km does not qualify.
• Be recorded as one outing.
• Include a hiking log entry and supporting proof.

An out-and-back route counts as one hike using the combined distance. Longer hikes also count as one outing: a single 6 km hike counts as one qualifying hike, not three.

Track Your Hikes and Show Your Progress

Record the following for every hike:

• Date
• Trail name and location
• Total distance
• Names of participants who completed the hike
• Supporting proof

Families and organizations can use one shared log, with a separate tally for each participant.

Accepted Proof

Smartwatch or fitness tracker: Submit a screenshot showing the activity date and distance.

Hiking or fitness app: Submit a screenshot or activity record showing the date, distance, and route when available.

Photographs and a hiking log: Submit photos from the outing, such as a trailhead sign and a trail photo, alongside the date, trail name, and distance. Use a trail map or posted distance to support the distance recorded.

Family or organization submission: Submit one set of route or activity evidence for the outing, plus a list of participants who completed the full qualifying distance.

You don’t need to appear in your photos. Trail and scenery photos are welcome, and screenshots can be cropped to remove unrelated personal information.

Submit Your Hikes. Celebrate Your Achievement.

Submit your hiking records as you reach each level, or send one complete log at the end of the challenge. All qualifying hikes must be completed by February 1, 2027.

To receive patches and qualify for prize draws, you must be registered and submit your hiking log with supporting proof.

Ready to Hit the Trails?

Register as an individual, a family, or an Indigenous program or organization, then start planning your first hike. Have participant names, community, contact information, and the names of participating family or group members ready. Include a parent or guardian contact for participating minors.