Become a
Founding Guide
WNC Trails is built on one idea: locally verified, not scraped from an app. Founding Guides are the hikers who make that real — signing the trail guides, condition reports, and local tips with their own name.
Apply to JoinWhy a Small, Vetted Group
Most outdoor content online is aggregated, AI-spun, or copied from the same three sources. We're doing the opposite — every guide on this site is walked, checked, and attributed to a real local.
Founding Guides get permanent founder status. We're keeping the first cohort deliberately small so it stays a real group of people who know these mountains, not an open sign-up sheet.
What You Get
Permanent founder status
Marked as a founding member of the guide program for good — the first people who built it.
Your own author profile
A public page with your bio, photo, home trails, and credentials — linked from every guide you sign.
Recognition as you contribute
Earn badges as your published work grows: First Trail, then Local Explorer, then Veteran Guide.
First access to perks
If you run an outdoor business, active guides unlock a free or discounted Directory listing down the line.
Who We're Looking For
You hike Western North Carolina regularly — not once a year.
You know specific areas well — Pisgah, DuPont, the Parkway, a home trail you could describe with your eyes closed.
You'll share real first-hand detail — current conditions, parking, the unmarked spur, when the falls actually run.
No credentials required. A wilderness first-aid cert or guiding experience is a plus, not a gate.
How It Works
Apply below
Two minutes. Name, email, the areas you know, and why you want in.
We review, personally
We read every one. Small cohort, real people — we may reply with a question or two.
You're verified
We set up your account and build out your public guide profile with you.
You start signing content
Trail guides, Trail Journal pieces, condition reports — published under your name.
Apply to Be a Founding Guide
The founding cohort is capped at 8–10. We read every application.
Applying doesn't create an account. If it's a fit, we'll reach out and set you up.