Registration opens April 15 for Walk Southeast 2026! Don’t miss out on the fun, get on the email list to receive a reminder when it opens.
Walk Southeast
Make the 297-mile virtual trek from Juneau to Ketchikan between May 1 – September 1! You track the miles you walk, run, or hike—on your favorite trail, when walking the dog, while on vacation, whatever works best for you— and virtually pass through Southeast Alaska communities on your way. The more miles you walk the more chances you have to win great prizes. Participation is free! 2026 registration opens April 15!
Participating Communities
Walk Southeast is open to all, however residents of Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, and Petersburg have some added bonuses like registration help sessions, group hikes, local prizes, and a contact in town.
*New in 2026!*
Two new programs are coming to Walk Southeast this year; check them out!
Walk, Run, or Hike
What counts as miles? This is a pretty common question! Walk Southeast miles are:- Intentional walks, runs, and hikes
- Treadmill and elliptical miles
- Wheelchair miles
Do not include:- Daily step count (or the mileage converted from a step count)
- Bike rides, paddling/rowing activities, swimming, skiing, etc.
Tracking Miles
There are two methods to choose from: My Virtual Mission app presented by Goldbelt or the Paper Mileage Tracker. You will choose which one you will use at the time of registration.
Walk Southeast. Fly Alaska!
Get ready to walk your way to an adventure; Alaska Airlines is giving away two round-trip tickets to anywhere they fly in North America! To qualify for the drawing, you must:
- Be registered for Walk Southeast
- Be an Alaskan resident
- Walk at least 150 miles between May 1 – September 1
- Submit your tracker by September 2, if applicable
Put in the miles, and you might just take to the skies. The drawing will be held on Wednesday, September 9. Walk Southeast. Fly Alaska!
A Few FAQs
My Virtual Mission App presented by Goldbelt
The Walk Southeast 2026 challenge is private, so it won’t appear in My Virtual Mission’s public search. You’ll find the direct link to join on the confirmation page after you register, as well as in the automated email you’ll receive. Just follow the link, log into your existing MVM account (or create one if you’re new), and request to join the challenge. Once we receive your request, we’ll manually approve it within about 24 hours.
To avoid delays, we recommend setting up your MVM account, joining the challenge, and connecting your fitness tracker as soon as possible after registering. While Walk Southeast officially begins on May 1, miles won’t count in the app until your MVM registration is confirmed. For example, if you join on May 6, any walks logged between May 1–6 will not be retroactively added.
Requests to join the MVM challenge will not be accepted after Monday, May 11. If you miss the deadline, don’t worry — we’ll switch you to the paper tracker and email you a PDF so you can still take part and log your miles manually.
This year, we will be using the following fitness trackers:
- Runkeeper
- Strava
- Garmin (wearable device required)
- Apple (wearable device required)
Runkeeper and Strava are free apps that use the GPS in your phone. You can use these options even if you do not have a wearable device (i.e. a watch).
What about Fitbit? Unfortunately, Fitbit had the most issues and created a lot of difficulty for us in past years. We have opted to not use it this season.
You may notice that My Virtual Mission connects with more apps than are listed here, but Walk Southeast only works with the ones listed above.
The paper mileage tracker is a simple, no-tech way to log your miles throughout the Walk Southeast challenge. If you selected the paper tracker option during registration, you’ll receive an email from Juneau Parks & Recreation with a downloadable tracker on Thursday, April 30. Registering after April 30? You’ll receive your email shortly after you sign up.
You’ll have two styles to choose from:
- Checkboxes – check off a box for each mile you walk
- Log – write down where you walked and keep a running total
Print your favorite version or use it digitally — whatever works best for you!
Don’t forget: To be entered in the prize drawings, you’ll need to submit your completed tracker online by Wednesday, September 2.
Each participating community—Juneau, Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Sitka—will hold a ‘local’ prize drawing exclusively for its residents and and participants from nearby communities. You can earn tickets for the local drawing by reaching different milestones along the route. These milestones are marked with orange stars on the paper tracker and along the route in the MVM app.
To qualify for the local prize drawing, participants using the paper tracker must submit it by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 2. No action is needed for MVM users.
All local prize drawings will be held on September 9 and winners will be contacted by phone/email. Need not be present to win.
Upload a copy of your paper mileage tracker here:
If you’d rather drop it off in-person, please visit Juneau Parks & Recreation, Ketchikan Wellness Coalition, Sitka Parks & Recreation or Petersburg Parks & Recreation.
Trackers, regardless of how far you made it, must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 2 to be eligible for the prize drawings.
