How Aspen's Open Space Team Transformed Land Management with Outway

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Protecting Aspen's Natural Legacy

Nestled in one of the country's most visited and breathtaking regions, the City of Aspen's Open Space and Parks Department faces a unique challenge: balancing high visitor traffic with environmental conservation. With world-class ski resorts, protected lands, and an intricate web of parks, Aspen is home to some of the most biodiverse landscapes in Colorado, including Hallam Lake—a small yet ecologically rich area in the heart of downtown. Stewarding these lands requires coordination, community engagement, and strategic resource allocation.

Challenges: Disconnected Teams and Outdated Systems

Before adopting Outway, Aspen's Open Space team relied on a patchwork of spreadsheets and outdated software to track operations. "Their team spent a tremendous amount of time and effort just trying to understand what their own working group was doing," said Aaron, CEO of Outway. "There were times when they'd realize they hadn't checked a certain trail or parcel in over a year. It wasn't that they didn't care—they didn't have the tools to keep up."

The reporting process was equally cumbersome. "We're talking about weeks of effort just to compile reports for leadership and the county board," Aaron explained. "That's time that could have been spent in the field, improving the land, instead of being stuck in an office sifting through numbers."

Collaboration was another major hurdle. Communication was often fragmented, with over 60 agencies and organizations involved in land management, including county, state, and nonprofit partners. Without a centralized system, ensuring that rangers weren't duplicating work or missing critical areas was a persistent challenge.

The department also faced external challenges in securing funding. "It wasn't just about proving they were doing good work—it was about making sure the community understood the impact," Aaron said. "When you're advocating for new projects, like a mountain bike park for local kids, you need clear data to back it up. Otherwise, the loudest voices in a city council meeting can shape the narrative."

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Solution: A Unified, Real-Time Management Platform

Aspen's Open Space team partnered with Outway to transform its approach to land stewardship. The transition was a collaborative process, with Aspen providing valuable feedback that shaped the platform's evolution. "They weren't just customers; they were partners in building something that actually worked for land managers," Aaron said.

Outway provided a mobile and web-based solution that allowed field teams to log incidents, patrols, and maintenance tasks in real-time, even in areas without cell service. "Now, a ranger can log a dog-off-leash incident, a maintenance team can track a broken sign, and a wildlife specialist can document a bear sighting—all in the same place," Aaron explained.

Instead of relying on fragmented spreadsheets, Aspen's managers could access comprehensive reports at the push of a button. This shift significantly reduced administrative burden, allowing staff to focus on proactive management rather than tedious data entry.

By integrating with county systems, Outway also improved collaboration across jurisdictions. "If the county rangers logged an issue with an individual multiple times, the city rangers could see that pattern and take proactive steps," Aaron noted. "That kind of cross-agency coordination simply wasn't possible before."

Results: A More Efficient, Proactive, and Data-Driven Team

The impact of Outway was immediate and far-reaching. Rangers, Wildlife Management, and Operations teams could now see in real-time what work had been done and where efforts were still needed. As their teams expand, so does the partnership—keeping everyone aligned and informed.

Decision-making improved as well. "Take the issue of moose coming down from the North Star Preserve," Aaron said. "Instead of playing catch-up, the team could track movements, coordinate trail closures, and communicate with the public in a way that actually kept people safe."

With more precise data, Aspen was also better positioned to justify projects to the public and policymakers. "When a handful of vocal opponents tried to shut down a small mountain bike project, Aspen was able to present real trail usage numbers, engagement statistics, and community input to back it up," Aaron explained. "It changed the conversation from emotion to evidence."

The efficiencies gained also freed up time for higher-impact work. "Instead of spending hours on paperwork, they could spend that time in the field, engaging with visitors, educating the community, and actually making a difference," Aaron said.

A Growing Partnership and the Future of Land Stewardship

Aspen's adoption of Outway represents more than just a technological upgrade—it's a shift in managing public lands. "What we built with Aspen is now shaping how we work with land managers across the country," Aaron said. "Their feedback helped us refine Outway into something that truly serves the people stewarding our landscapes."

Looking ahead, the relationship between Aspen and Outway continues to deepen. "They're constantly pushing us to make Outway better," Aaron said. "We're developing new features to allow even more seamless cross-agency collaboration, improved wildlife tracking, and expanded volunteer integration. Aspen is at the forefront of this movement, and it's exciting to see where it goes next."

For land managers everywhere, Aspen's experience is a model of what's possible when technology is designed with stewardship in mind. "At the end of the day, it's about protecting these places and ensuring future generations can experience them," Aaron said. "That's what Aspen is doing, and that's what we're here to support."

Would you like to explore how Outway can help your organization improve land stewardship and efficiency? Contact our team here to learn more.

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Cover Photo by Xuan Nguyen on Unsplash