Trail Design & Certification
More Than A Trail
A forest therapy trail isn't a hiking trail with a new name. It's a route designed around presence rather than pace — how a body moves through it, what the eye and ear encounter along the way, where it invites a person to stop rather than push forward. The difference between a trail people walk through and a trail people walk into comes down to design.
That difference isn't cosmetic. A well-designed therapy trail measurably supports the restoration and stress-reduction outcomes the format is built for; a poorly designed one — laid out for throughput, sightlines, or convenience instead — undercuts them, no matter what it's called. Sensory engagement, sightline framing, and pacing aren't finishing touches. They're the mechanism the whole benefit depends on.
Not every trail on a property is suited to this kind of use, and not every design gets it right. That's where landscape architecture and forest therapy design expertise meet.
Who This is For
Parks & Open Space Districts
Design that supports both public wellness programming and long-term land stewardship goals.
retreat centers &
wellness Resorts
Give guests a sensory forest trail experience that matches the caliber of everything else you offer.
land trusts &
conservation groups
Open protected land to the public in a way that deepens care for it, not just access to it.
healthcare &
Senior living campuses
A therapeutic outdoor asset backed by real clinical metrics and design rationale, not just landscaping.
corporate campuses
Turn underused green space into a measurable wellness benefit for employees.
universities & schools
A restorative, low-cost campus asset that supports student, faculty, staff, and community mental health.
Trail Design & Assessment Consulting
The core service — valuable on its own, whether or not certification ever enters the picture.
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Every trail project starts here, and it starts with more than a forest therapy walkthrough. As a licensed landscape architect, the site assessment draws on the same rigor used for any professional site design: landform, existing vegetation, microclimate (sun, shade, and wind patterns across the seasons), and circulation and ADA accessibility — layered together with the sensory and pacing principles specific to forest therapy design. The recommendations report also includes a design precedent review with inspiration images, grounding the recommendations in real examples rather than description alone. From there, you get the trail narrative and invitation text and placement guidance for the space.
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What's included:
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Full landscape architecture site assessment — landform, existing vegetation, microclimate, circulation and ADA accessibility
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Forest therapy-specific evaluation — sensory engagement, pacing, and safety
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Recommendations report with design precedent review and inspiration images
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Trail narrative and invitation text/placement
This is the work behind every trail in the portfolio.
Good design stands on its own, and a licensed landscape architect's assessment is a different level of due diligence than a sensory walkthrough alone.
Anft Certification Facilitation
The one additional step — for organizations that want the official designation, not a "better" trail.
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The design and documentation work is identical whether or not you certify. This step is simply the difference-maker for organizations that want it: submitting the completed assessment and documentation to ANFT for formal review, and liaising with ANFT through approval.
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What's included:
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ANFT liaison
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Submission for official certification review and approval
This is the right add-on if visibility, funding eligibility, or a marketing hook matters to your organization — not a requirement for a well-designed trail.
400+
WALKS LED
3,000+
GUESTS GUIDED
INTO NATURE
5
MINNESOTA TRAIL
PROJECTS DESIGNED
Backed by two decades of award-winning, licensed landscape architecture practice,
including the Lob Pine Award — Minnesota's highest honor in the field.
Faq
HOW LONG DOES A PROJECT TAKE?
It varies by project. Timeline depends on the size and complexity of the land, how quickly your organization can act on recommendations, funding availability, and whether any public review or approval process is required — common for municipal land or park districts. A private site with a clear go-ahead can move in a matter of weeks; a public park project working through funding cycles and community input can take considerably longer. Actual timing gets scoped during the initial consultation, once your specific land and process are on the table.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DESIGN CONSULTING & CERTIFICATION?
Design consulting is the core service every client receives — the site assessment, recommendations, and trail design work. Certification is an optional final step for organizations that want the public ANFT designation once that work is complete.
DO I NEED TO CERTIFY MY TRAIL?
No. The on-the-ground experience for visitors is the same whether or not a trail is certified. Certification is a separate, optional step that adds visibility (placement on ANFT's international trail map), a marketing and PR hook, and eligibility for certain grant and funding applications — not a better-designed trail.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Cost depends on the size of the site, which service tier you're after (design consulting alone, or design plus certification facilitation), and project-specific factors like how many site visits are needed or whether public presentations are part of the process. Rather than publish a flat rate that won't reflect your actual project, pricing gets scoped after an initial conversation about your land and goals — reach out below to start that conversation.
Whether you're after a full ANFT certification or simply want a trail designed with a licensed landscape architect's eye, the first step is the same: a conversation about your land.