The 2025-26 Nasty Challenge has come to an end! For the last five months, our nasty participants took to the trails and attempted the gauntlet of five nasty routes, each challenging in its own ways. Needless to say, we have been so impressed with how our community has risen to this challenge.
When we announced the 2025-2026 Nasty Challenge, we could not have predicted the level of excitement that it would generate. Over 200 hikers and runners took on the challenge. During the Nasty Challenge, participants spent a combined seven days and ten hours in Forest Park and Marquam Nature Park, covering 8,293.63 miles of trails!
We set a fundraising goal of $7,500, hoping to surpass last year’s total raised, and you all absolutely crushed it. In total, we received 487 donations for a grand total of $27,644.82, over three times our initial goal! We truly can not thank you enough for your support, it helps us continue our work caring for the forests and the trails that run through them.
A big thank you to our Nasty Challenge business partners for supporting this fundraiser and hosting group runs! The success of the Nasty Challenge would not have been possible without their support: Portland Arc’teryx, Fleet Feet, KEEN, Portland Running Co., Territory Run Co., and Occidental Brewing.
Are you sad that the Nasty Challenge is over but still want to keep the celebration going? Tickets for our annual spring fundraiser, Wild for the Woods 2026, are available now! We will be partying at KEEN HQ to celebrate our parks and our community!