An upcoming charity hiking event will allow San Diego residents to support Mission Trails Regional Park while covering a few miles.

“Hit the Trails Hike-a-thon for Mission Trails” is a three-month charity event from October 15 to January 15 that encourages participants to get outside to hike, run and bike while tracking their miles and collecting donations from their community. While funds raised will support the regional park, one of the largest urban parks in the U.S., participants can complete the challenge anywhere, whether it’s at Mission Trails, anywhere else in San Diego County or beyond.

The event will kick off the 50th anniversary celebration of the city and county’s purchase of Cowles Mountain, the highest peak in the city of San Diego and located within a regional park.

Organizers from the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department, Councilman Raul Campillo and the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation aim to raise $100,000 through the walk, which will be used to support park activities such as trail maintenance and educational programs.

“It’s a way for people to give back to a place that gives so much to them,” said Jennifer Morrissey, executive director of Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation, which announced the hiking marathon on Thursday.

Interested in getting involved? Here’s what else you need to know.

How does a hiking marathon work?

Participants can track their miles through a range of activities, including hiking, running, mountain biking and cycling. Morrissey said even rock climbers could track the miles they walked to reach the crag.

Registration for the event is currently open on the Mission Trails Regional Park website. The cost is $35 per person, which goes toward the participant’s fundraising goal. People can sign up individually or as part of a team, whether they create their own team or join an existing one.

Friends and family of participants can pledge a set amount of money for every mile they walk or bike, or they can make a one-time donation directly to the cause.

Over the course of three months, participants can earn merchandise for reaching key fundraising milestones, such as a T-shirt for raising $100 and a belt and lapel pin for raising $500.

Where will this money go?

The funds will go toward trail maintenance and educational programs for adults and youth, as well as land purchases, Morrissey said.

In July, the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation donated 55 acres of land in the East Elliott Community Planning Area, located north of State Route 52, to the city for inclusion in the regional park. The foundation continues to work with private landowners to purchase additional parcels for the regional park, Morrissey said.

She added that funds from the walk will also go towards habitat restoration, such as purchasing and planting native plants in the park.

Why is there a hiking marathon this year?

The city and county purchased Cowles Mountain in December 1974, 50 years ago this winter. The 1,593-foot mountain is one of San Diego’s most popular hiking spots.

“Before it officially became part of the park, it was pretty wild,” Morrissey said, recalling when Cowles Mountain was nicknamed “S” Mountain after hundreds of San Diego State University students painted the letter on the mountainside in 1931.

After the mountain was purchased and established as a regional park in 1974, the area became a much more formalized recreational destination.