We designed the ADK Gateway 8 logo and visual identity from scratch — a mark that feels connected to the outdoors, the Adirondack region, and the community spirit behind the challenge. The identity needed to work across the website, social media, embroidered patches, stickers, and printed materials including a rack card designed to be distributed at local trailheads, visitor centers, and community locations across Saratoga County. Welcoming to participants of all skill levels — from first-time hikers to seasoned trail runners.

We designed and built the ADK Gateway 8 site in WordPress — structured around the challenge’s core needs: clear activity listings for all 18 activities (10 hikes, 4 bike rides, 4 paddles) with maps, trail highlights, and historical information. The site makes registering and participating simple, whether you’re completing all eight activities or starting with four.

We integrated a membership plugin to power the challenge’s participant experience end to end. Participants register and pay directly on the site, then log their completed activities through a personal dashboard. Once they reach the required number of completions, they’re automatically added to the finishers list — ordered by the date of their last completed activity. It’s a seamless system that removes friction for participants and eliminates manual tracking for the organizers.

The site includes an online store for challenge merchandise — patches, stickers, and any future additions — and a public finishers list where every participant who completes the Gateway 8 or Gateway 8 Lite sees their name. It turns the site into more than an information hub — it’s a living record of the community the Gateway 8 is building.

On-page SEO was baked in at build — metadata, schema markup for the organization and event, semantic heading structure, and internal linking across activity, registration, and finishers pages. Local SEO signals are built into the copy throughout, positioning the ADK Gateway 8 Challenge for search visibility across Saratoga County and the broader Capital Region outdoor recreation market.