Trail Notes publishes original trail guides, gear reviews, and trip reports from contributors. Read our guidelines below.
Contributor Guidelines
What we publish: Trail guides with first-hand experience, gear reviews based on actual testing, trip reports with honest budget breakdowns, skills articles from qualified instructors.
What we don't publish: Sponsored content, gear reviews of products you haven't used, trails you haven't actually hiked, "lifestyle" pieces with no practical value.
Voice: Practical, warm, budget-aware. Write like you're giving advice to a friend. No jargon unless it's explained.
Pay: We pay $75-150 per published article depending on length and research depth. We respond to pitches within 5 business days.
Format: Pitch first (2-3 sentences + why our readers care). We don't accept unsolicited full drafts.
Join 12,000 Weekend Adventurers
New trail guides, gear picks, and trip reports every week.
📍 Free: "50 Best Day Hikes Near Major US Cities" PDF when you join