About Us
Great Plains Trail Alliance was formed from an inspiration that began in 1991 when founder Steve Myers took a trip from Minnesota to Wyoming. On the way, he was struck by the beauty of the open spaces west of the Missouri River. He wanted a way to experience this landscape more fully. Not long after, the seed of an idea for the Great Plains Trail was planted.
Mission
The mission of GPTA is to establish, develop, preserve and promote a long-distance, public, non-motorized trail running north/south through the Great Plains region of North America for the purposes of recreation, conservation, education, and inspiration.
Vision
The vision of GPTA is to connect and inspire people, through their own direct experience on the trail, with the beauty, history, weather, and wildlife of the Great Plains.
Our Values
GPTA seeks to promote the grasslands of the Great Plains as an important ecological region of the world. We are strong advocates for non-motorized trails and recreation as an effective conservation tool to help people enjoy and protect the Great Plains.
Our Board
Steve Myers
founder and Director of Great Plains Trail
Steve Myers’ love for the outdoors began in Minnesota, walking and riding his bike along the many trails in the western suburbs of Minneapolis. That love grew exponentially when he first arrived in Grand Teton National Park in 1990 to work as a dishwasher. Days off were spent hiking/camping in the mountains and loving the vast scale of the West. Steve’s affection for the Great Plains began during his many travels through them on the way from Minnesota to Wyoming. As Steve puts it, “The Great Plains are nothing like Minnesota or the Rockies. They lie right between the two, and yet, they’re entirely unique.” Steve spent his career as an educator as well as a handyman. He remains an avid hiker and outdoorsman, as well as a dedicated student of the natural and human history of the Great Plains. He is the founder and Director of Great Plains Trail
Robert Pahre
Great Plains Trail Board member
Robert Pahre is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois – Champaign/Urbana where he teaches Environmental Policy, and the Politics of the National Parks. Though a native of the forests and mountains of Washington State, Robert’s years living in Illinois have taught him to appreciate the prairies and the Great Plains. He is currently writing a book about the various National Park units found in the Great Plains.
Kevin Purdy
Great Plains Trail Board member
Kevin Purdy is an author, retired teacher and founder of Trailsnet.com. Growing up in northwest Montana, Kevin spent most of his summers hiking and backpacking in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area. These days he enjoys traveling throughout the United States, touring as many trails as possible and reporting his findings on the Trailsnet website. Kevin especially enjoys exploring international bicycling and hiking trails with a particular passion for England footpaths and bike trails. He currently lives in America’s #1 small town and home of the Great Plains Trail Alliance headquarters … Louisville, Colorado.
Luke Jordan
Great Plains Trail Board member
Luke Jordan grew up on a farm in central Minnesota about 30 miles from Minneapolis. During his college years he started getting into backpacking and volunteered on trail construction crews for the Superior Hiking Trail every summer. He graduated from St. Cloud State University with a degree in Natural Resources, and immediately after attempted a thru hike of the North Country National Scenic Trail. He succeeded, and became the 4th person to successfully thru-hike the trail. Since then he’s been involved with several trail organizations, including participating in the Partnership for the National Trail System’s (PNTS) Trail Apprentice Program and doing some work for the North Country Trail. In 2016 he attempted a thru-hike of the Great Plains Trail and succeeded, hiking from Texas to Canada in the spring, spreading the word along the way. He’s here now to help in the efforts to establish the GPT as America’s next great adventure. Luke’s trail name is “Strider.”
Drew Smith
Great Plains Trail Board member
Drew Smith is a long time backpacker, outdoorsman, beer-lover and aspiring ukulelelist whose stories can frequently be found in TrailGroove magazine. He leads trips for the Sierra Club’s ICO program, which provides fun, free and safe wilderness outings for kids who would not otherwise have the opportunity. He has been camping and exploring Colorado’s eastern plains since the 1980’s.
Clay Bonnyman Evans
Great Plains Trail Board member
Clay Bonnyman Evans grew up in Boulder, Colorado. After working as a cowboy around the West for many years, he returned to his first love, journalism. He was a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register and other newspapers and columnist and editor for the Daily Camera in his hometown. He is now a freelance writer and author of several books, including his most recent, “Bones of My Grandfather: Reclaiming a Lost Hero of World War II.” He has been an avid outdoor enthusiast since he was a boy and in 2015 took his first plunge into long-distance hiking. He has since hiked the Colorado Trail, Appalachian Trail, Foothills Trail and Alabama Pinhoti Trail. In August and September 2019 he hiked more than 300 miles from Bear Butte, South Dakota to Scottsbluff, Nebraska on the pilot trail of the Great Plains Trail. Click here to return to the home page.
