Participants in an ILLA Adventures outing pose for a photo during a fall excursion, where connection and camaraderie are as central as the thrill of the outdoors. Photo: ILLA Adventures

PARK CITY, Utah — ILLA Adventures, a women-focused outdoor experience platform, is bringing its first curated event to Park City this July, aiming to transform the way women+ connect through adventure.

Founded by Tana Hoffman-Cook, a longtime outdoor industry professional and sponsored snowmobile athlete, ILLA has helped over 3,000 women across the West try new sports, find community, and turn “curious” into “confident.” On July 19, the company will debut its first Park City-based experience—a UTV to stand-up paddleboard (SUP) alpine lake adventure, designed to blend motorized thrill with peaceful connection.

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“We rarely ever do the same event twice,” Hoffman-Cook said. “These experiences are designed just for us and with us.”

Participants will meet at a designated trailhead and travel via guided UTV caravans—four to a vehicle—to one of two alpine lakes, where they’ll spend the rest of the day paddleboarding and exploring. The trip is co-created with input from participants through group chats in ILLA’s free mobile app, where those interested can connect ahead of the event. The app also serves as a tool to find local adventure partners outside of the scheduled experiences.

Three ILLA Adventures participants pause for a moment of fun and connection during a guided outdoor experience, embodying the spirit of curiosity, courage, and community at the heart of ILLA’s women+ programming. Photo: ILLA Adventures

Every event includes a host, or “friend on the inside,” who welcomes each participant and offers support from sign-up to send-off. “You’re never going to show up not knowing anyone,” Hoffman-Cook said. “We’re really trying to flip the model—community comes first, and the adventure follows.”

In addition to the UTV-to-SUP adventure, ILLA is planning a “Learn to Fly Fish” experience in Park City this fall, as well as potential programming in Moab and St. George later this year. ILLA previously hosted an electric dirt bike adventure for first-timers in Salt Lake City that sold out quickly.

“We want to spend the first hour and a half just learning knots and getting our gear together,” she said of the upcoming fly-fishing experience. “It’s not just showing up to a plug-and-play guided trip. Our participants help shape the day.”

Founded in Jackson, Wyoming, ILLA grew out of Hoffman-Cook’s own frustration with trying to find women who shared her love of outdoor sports like backcountry snowmobiling and snowboarding. After years of introducing friends to one another informally, she pitched a social connection app for women+ to VF Corporation, parent company of brands like The North Face and Smartwool—and won.

ILLA has since evolved into a platform for curated adventure experiences with inclusivity and connection at the center. The company uses the term “women+” to describe its community: cis women, trans women, and nonbinary or genderfluid individuals who identify with woman or femme some or all of the time. The community includes people of all orientations, abilities, sizes, ages over 18, and racial and ethnic backgrounds.

At its core, ILLA is designed to reduce the intimidation that often surrounds outdoor adventure and make entry points more accessible. “That transformation from curious to confident really comes down to who you’re with,” Hoffman-Cook said. “When you see someone else doing it, you start to believe you can too.”

To learn more about upcoming events or join the email list, visit illaadventures.com. The ILLA app is available for free on the iOS App Store.