From Dig Days to Dollars: How to Evaluate Brand ROI from Trail Building Support
Imagine your brand’s logo on a dig day banner. Shovels hitting dirt, a new trail taking shape, and later that evening, riders are sipping beers at your brewery, still dust-covered and grinning. One of them tags your business in a post that gets reshared across the local MTB scene. Another walks away with a branded pint glass. The next weekend, they bring two friends.
It’s easy to think of trail support as goodwill. But what if it’s more than that?
What if it’s one of the smartest local investments your brand can make?
As more businesses step in to support trail projects, from bike brands, breweries, coffee roasters, and apparel companies alike, the question isn’t just should you get involved. It’s how do you know if it’s working?
This article offers a practical framework to help brands measure the return on their trail support: financially, reputationally, and socially.
Financial ROI: From Trailheads to Taprooms
Let’s start with what most business owners are watching: revenue. Trails bring people. People spend money. It’s that simple.
In Oregon alone, outdoor recreation supports over 224,000 jobs and generates $15.6 billion in annual spending. Towns with new trails have seen significant economic upticks. Take Oakridge, Oregon. Once a struggling timber town, now a destination for thousands of mountain bikers each year. Or Virginia’s Creeper Trail, where cyclists generate $1.59 million annually for small businesses across the route.
Here’s how your brand can track that kind of impact:
Promo Codes or QR Links: Track purchases tied to trail events with a code like “DIGDAY25”
Sales Lift on Sponsored Weekends: Compare foot traffic and sales data before and after events
Event Conversions: Hosting a demo day? Track how many riders become customers
Trail Usage = Business Traffic: Partner with trail orgs to estimate trailhead counts and align them with your sales spikes
Example: A coffee roaster partners with a local trail org to sponsor a dig day. Volunteers get a free cup of coffee, along with a branded sticker or discount card. Throughout the weekend, photos of trail tools and steaming cups start popping up on Instagram, all tagged with your brand. By Monday, you’ve tracked 10 in-store redemptions and gained three new email subscribers. Do this monthly, and that trail partnership turns into a recurring marketing engine. And yes, that’s measurable ROI.
Brand Loyalty & Community Reputation
The next layer of return is harder to see, but just as valuable ... how people feel about your brand.
Trail support builds trust. It signals that you’re not just in it for the sales. You’re invested in the same dirt, roots, and rocks that riders care about. That’s powerful brand equity.
Ways to measure it:
Social Tags and UGC: Look for increases in brand mentions, reshares, and organic content
Survey-Based Brand Lift: Run a quick post-event survey: “Do you view us as a supporter of your trail community?”
Email Signup Growth: Offer a trail-focused giveaway tied to your brand (shirt, bag, etc.)
Press or Newsletter Mentions: Track exposure through local orgs and outdoor media
Example: A bike brand partners on a new trail build. Local riders now associate that brand with access, not just gear. Their email open rates go up. Tagged posts increase. That’s brand loyalty in motion.
Community and Social Impact Metrics
Not all ROI is measured in dollars. Sometimes it’s in the stories your brand becomes part of.
Supporting trails creates broader community lift: jobs, health benefits, inclusivity, and youth access. In Oregon, outdoor recreation reduces healthcare costs by $1.4 billion due to increased physical activity.
Ways to track this kind of impact:
Volunteer Hours Funded: “Our sponsorship supported 2,000 dig hours this season”
Trail Users Reached: Get estimates from the trail orgs or counters
Demographic Impact: Support projects aimed at underserved communities or youth riding programs
Local Hiring: Sponsor projects that create jobs or skills training (for example, trail crews or event support)
Example: A brewery supports a trail event that brings riders into a rural town. A portion of profits funds a summer youth trail program. That’s ROI you can’t always see on a spreadsheet, but your customers notice.
So What’s Next? A Starter Checklist
Here’s how to begin measuring ROI from trail support:
Define Your Why: Is your goal sales, awareness, loyalty, or community impact?
Pick 2–3 Metrics: Choose a mix of trackable indicators like promo codes, surveys, or social engagement
Partner with a Trail Org: Align on goals, data, and visibility. Ask what they already measure
Use Simple Tools: Google Forms for surveys. Unique URLs or QR codes for tracking. POS tags for events
Report Back: Share your impact in newsletters or social posts. People love seeing what their dollars helped build
Iterate: Refine your strategy as you go. Trail ROI isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a long-term partnership
Final Thought
Return on investment doesn’t always show up in a bank account. Sometimes it shows up in stories, community pride, trail usage stats, and customer trust.
When your brand backs trails, you’re planting something that grows.
And yes, you can measure that.
Sean Benesh
Sean is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Trail Builder Mag. He is also the Communications Director for the Northwest Trail Alliance in Portland, Oregon. Sean also spends time in the classroom as a digital media instructor at Warner Pacific University.
Email: sean@trailbuildermag.com
Instagram: @seanbenesh
