We’ve all been there. You gather your gear, load the car, and drive out to your trail du jour only to discover it’s closed or too wet to use. You should have checked Trekko. Launched in July, the app strives to eliminate wasted time and effort by acting as a hub for the most up-to-date trail conditions. Unlike existing apps and websites that force you to navigate between pages to figure out where to bike, run, or hike, Trekko consolidates data from multiple sources and also gives users a chance to rate conditions in real time, quick and easy.

“Take Bentonville [Arkansas], a mecca for mountain biking. There’s an individual Facebook page for every trail, and you have to go through one by one to update conditions or find out what’s open,” said Jake Stäzrad, St. Louis resident and founder of Trekko. “Our focus is on simplicity to allow for easier reporting and viewing of current trail statuses for those looking to get outdoors.”

The app consists of one screen, which lists 30 trails in the St. Louis bi-state area and nearby — and the roster keeps growing. Each trail is listed as “Good to Go”, “Use Caution”, or “Poor Condition/Closed”. Users can report optional details like “Tacky”, “Fast”, “Loose”, “Puddles”, “Overgrown”, and “Muddy”. All of this is accessible within one or two taps on the mobile app or at trekko.app.

Trekko App

“Our platform is not trying to compete with great outdoor apps like Trailforks and AllTrails. In fact, we’d like to work with them,” said Stäzrad. Trekko already collaborates with sites like gorctrails.com, mtbproject.com, and rainoutline.com and provides links to their externally contributed reports.

Stäzrad says he is working on implementing a geospatial tool for tagging downed trees. He also wants the Trekko community to validate “verified reporters” who are proven trail condition experts.

Trekko is offering a membership that unlocks extra features. A limited number of early adopters to this tier can also snag a “day one supporter swag pack” with exclusive stickers. Members who choose this paid tier enable Trekko to give everyone access to view and report conditions for free, forever, says Stäzrad.

“This is a passion project,” said Stäzrad, who works for 1904labs and is an avid mountain biker and rock climber. “In the first week, we had over 200 downloads, which was crazy, and consistent downloads since then.” (Note: The app hit 500 downloads as we were going to press.)

“I’ve gotten a ton of requests from people about adding trails in new regions, and we can do that, but I think we’d like to reach out to the trail owners and builders and try to collaborate first,” said Stäzrad.

Trekko is currently available for iOS and Android and can be downloaded for free from the Apple and Google Play app stores.

Author: Brad Kovach is the editor/publisher of Terrain Magazine.