The Keystone Trails Association (KTA) is an umbrella group that represents the interests of approximately fifty hiking, outdoor, and trail clubs, as well as about 1300 individual-member hikers and backpackers in Pennsylvania.

The mission of the KTA is "to provide, preserve, protect, and promote recreational hiking trails and hiking opportunities in Pennsylvania." KTA does this through

• Trail Advocacy — working with the state legislature, DCNR, and other agencies to protect footpaths and hiking from harms such as mechanized encroachments (such as ATVs) and from policies adverse to hiking (such as Sunday hunting)
• Trail Protection — securing permanent access to footpaths through landowner agreements and other rights-of-way
• Trail Care — building and maintaining trails through once-monthly weekend Trail Care events, three week-long Trail Crew programs in June, and periodic weekend training seminars on topics such as chain saw safety, step and water bar building or rock work, and wilderness first aid
• Local Club Trail Support — teaming with local clubs in trail maintenance or construction programs, such as bridge building
• Hiking Opportunities — cosponsoring Pennsylvania Hiking Week in June with DCNR, sponsoring "Prowl the Sproul" hiking weekend, and providing guided hikes at selected locations around the state during the spring and fall meetings each year

The STC pays membership dues and makes additional financial contributions to KTA. KTA worked with the STC in funding and building the bridge (nicknamed "Ted's Truss," for forester Ted Ligenza) across Young Woman's Creek at mile 36 on the STS. In April 2009, the KTA spring meeting was held in Coudersport, Pa., and STC members led twenty hikes over the three-day weekend and also provided the program for the Saturday night meeting, in the form of Dr. Paul Lenz's 70 minute DVD presentation on the STS. A number of STC members are active individual members of KTA, working with KTA Trail Care Crews, providing photos for their website, leading hikes at spring meetings in Wellsboro, Renovo, or Coudersport, and even serving on the KTA board.