Superior Hiking Trail Association
“Build, maintain, and promote the Superior Hiking Trail.”
The work
What they do
Trail building and maintenance for the 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail along Lake Superior’s North Shore, crossing Superior National Forest lands.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN THE SUPERIOR HIKING TRAIL, A PUBLIC TRAIL IN NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA AND TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND EDUCATION ABOUT THE TRAIL AND THE ENVIRONMENT THROUGH WHICH THE TRAIL PASSES.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Boots on the ground
$1.0MTO CONSTRUCT AND MAINTAIN THE SUPERIOR HIKING TRAIL FOR GENERAL PUBLIC USE WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF OVER 600 VOLUNTEERS, WHO CONTRIBUTED OVER 10,750 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER LABOR IN 2025.
Read it as they filed it
TO CONSTRUCT AND MAINTAIN THE SUPERIOR HIKING TRAIL FOR GENERAL PUBLIC USE WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF OVER 600 VOLUNTEERS, WHO CONTRIBUTED OVER 10,750 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER LABOR IN 2025. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT USERS OF THE TRAIL MAKE MORE THAN 400,000 VISITS TO HIKE, BACKPACK, OR SHOWNSHOE ON THE TRAIL EACH YEAR. THERE ARE NO FEES TO HIKE OR CAMP ON THE TRAIL.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
83 cents of every dollar goes to the work
That ratio is a good sign, not a scorecard. Plenty of great groups run leaner and lumpier. What matters is the extremes, and Superior Hiking Trail Association is nowhere near one.
$1,044,764 programs, $132,611 management, $77,549 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.
The people
Who does the work
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. Orgs that claim their page can update it same-day. Work at SHTA? Claim this page.
Those 600 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If SHTA is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 601The filings
15 years of filings
15 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2011 | $327,026 |
| 2012 | $367,825 |
| 2013 | $318,870 |
| 2014 | $381,476 |
| 2015 | $467,134 |
| 2016 | $458,506 |
| 2017 | $488,163 |
| 2018 | $410,840 |
| 2019 | $909,877 |
| 2020 | $917,726 |
| 2021 | $877,394 |
| 2022 | $1,042,078 |
| 2023 | $880,067 |
| 2024 | $1,170,891 |
| 2025 | $1,359,709 |
From $327K in 2011 to $1.4M in FY25, with no missed filing in 15 years. The 2025 peak of $1.4M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
The Minnesota congressional delegation averages 61 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
Ways in
How to help
83 cents of your dollar goes straight to the work above.
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40 years on the ground, 600 volunteers, 83 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.