Summit Agenda
Call for Presentations
Share Your Expertise with the Trails Community!
American Trails and the Professional TrailBuilders Association invite you to submit proposals for presentations that help develop an exciting and motivating program for the Summit. Proposals can be national or international in scope, and a high priority will be placed on presentation proposals that offer thought leadership in one or more of the focus areas described below. It is the Program Committee’s intention to choose a slate of 2027 presenters that advances diversity and inclusion at all levels. Thank you in advance for your interest!
Before completing: Please read the 2027 Summit call for presentation details to learn about the types of sessions and their lengths, learning credit details, and more.
Deadline for Submissions is September 15, 2026
Key Areas of Focus:
Economy & Resilient Communities — Explore how trails strengthen local economies and help communities adapt to a changing world. Sessions may cover tourism, business development, job creation, and property values, alongside trails' role in building more sustainable, recognized, and resilient communities, economies, and ecological systems.
Building the Trails Workforce — Develop the people and the resources behind great trails: technical skills and education for current and future trail professionals and volunteers (see the Trail Competency Framework), plus tools and techniques for effective fundraising at the local, state, federal, and private foundation levels.
Belonging & Access — Share solutions for building the collective strength of the trails community and designing, constructing, and managing outdoor spaces that welcome and serve the full spectrum of users.
Health & Wellness — Focus on the role of trails in promoting physical, mental, and social well-being. Topics may include active transportation, outdoor recreation, mental health benefits, equitable access to nature, and strategies for encouraging healthy lifestyles through trail use.
Partnerships & Collaboration — Share new and innovative strategies for bringing together land conservation, social services, preservation, tourism, economic development, resource management, trails, and outdoor recreation communities.
Research, Technology, & Storytelling — Share innovative efforts and emerging topics in recreation ecology, soil science, social science, economic analysis, and the cutting-edge technology that supports trails and improves the user experience.
Types of Presentations:
Concurrent Sessions (60 minutes with 1-3 presenters)
Trail Talks (60 minutes with 1 presenter, informal discussion, no AV)
Teck Talks (15 minute brief educational presentations, great for exhibitors but not limited to exhibitors)
Offsite Field Demos (60 minute demonstration sessions taking place during offsite day at local park on last day of conference)
Summit Schedule-At-A-Glance
Monday, April 12:
Registration open
Pre-Summit Technical Training Workshops
Pre-Summit Field Trips
Pre-Summit Meetings
Exhibit hall set up
Tuesday, April 13:
Food included: breakfast, AM break, lunch, PM break, happy hour apps
Registration open
Opening plenaries and keynote address (morning)
Concurrent sessions (afternoon)
Exhibit hall (full day) + poster presentations (late afternoon)
World Trails Film Festival (evening, Carolina Theater)
Wednesday, April 14:
Food included: breakfast, AM break, lunch, PM break
Registration open
Concurrent sessions (full day)
Exhibit hall (full day)
Happy trails hour + raffle in the exhibit hall
Thursday, April 15:
Food included: breakfast, AM break, lunch (food trucks offsite)
Concurrent sessions (morning)
Offsite Field day (included in registration) with transportation provided (afternoon)
Takeover Night in downtown Durham
Workshops
Field Trips
Offsite Day
Thursday, April 15
11:30 am - 3:00 pm
The Offsite Day at the International Trails Summit takes place on Thursday, April 15, from 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM at Rock Quarry Park. A short 10-minute drive, or less than a 20-minute bike ride, from Durham Convention Center.
Attendees can enjoy hands-on experiences with trail-building equipment, including mini-excavators, mini-skid steers, articulating loaders, and a variety of hand tools. There will also be opportunities to test out trail equipment and ride a Ford Bronco on a course! There will be a handful of exhibitors that will showcase their products in the dirt demo area!
Participants can also attend free educational sessions covering topics such as trail building, drone use for trail assessment, and ergonomics for trail work. Food trucks and a beer tent will be available, with your registration including three $5 vouchers for meals.
Shuttles will provide complimentary transportation between the convention center and the park, making this an accessible and exciting day for summit attendees.
NEW: National Trails Workshop
Monday, April 12
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Partnership for the National Trails System will hold its annual Workshop in conjunction with the Summit.
The Workshop will consist of presentations and discussions centered specifically on the National Trails System. With the coming 60th Anniversary of the National Trails System, we invite anyone doing work along an NTS trail to join us!
Registration for the workshop will be available when registration opens in early September. More details on the workshop will be available at that time as well.
World Trails Film Festival Sponsorship
We are pleased to announce that the World Trails Film Festival will be part of the International Trails Summit for the 3rd time in a row. Presenting sponsorship is $4,000, and all of the sponsorship proceeds go to the World Trails Film Festival. View the films preview to learn about films, although not all shown at ITS 2027 will be available in the coming season.
Reach out to info@trails.film for more details on this opportunity!
The Film Festival will take place from 6:30pm-8:30pm, on Wednesday, April 14 at the historic Carolina Theatre (right next door to the Durham Convention Center); doors open at 6:00pm. Cash bar and free popcorn!
Learning Credits
Learning credits will be available to attendees and are included in the registration fee. The length of the session will determine the number of hours/credits given.
American Trails is a certified provider of the following learning credits and continuing education opportunities:
American Institute of Certified Planners Continuing Maintenance (AICP CM)
Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA CES) (most HSW approved)
Society of American Foresters (SAF CE)
Equivalency petition (CEU, PDH, etc.) for other accepting organizations
For sessions to qualify for these credits, attendees must fill out an evaluation survey for each session they attend, as well as complete a learning credit tracking form noting each session they are requesting credits for. This form (and complete instructions) will be available online as well at registration.