Whether you鈥檙e still reeling from Marc Peruzzi鈥檚听attack on trail runners or just fired up to prove that you do, in fact,听love volunteer trail work, we thought we鈥檇 make it even easier to donate your time to an upcoming work day by compiling a number of听ways to give back to some听favorite听recreation spots. It doesn鈥檛 matter how you enjoy the trails, we all need to get out there and get our hands dirty.
Tahoe Rim Trail
Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada
The Tahoe Rim Trail Association鈥攆ormed in 1981 to construct, maintain, and improve the 165-mile trail that circumnavigates the lake鈥攈osts dozens of听 from June through October. You can cook for a work camp, serve on a crew yourself (they鈥檒l teach you everything you need to know), or train to become a group leader. Make a day of it while visiting the Tahoe area, or join a multi-day project听or an overnight backpacking trip.
Colorado Public Lands
Across the state
, a nonprofit organization, hosts statewide programs to protect and manage its听vast听scenic spaces. It听also organizes daylong outings and multi-day stewardship adventures, which include trail restoration in picturesque places like Guanella Pass or Mount Elbert, Colorado鈥檚 highest peak. If you want to take your whole family on a trail-building work day, this could be your best bet: the group leads nontechnical volunteer days at low altitudes for kids as young as six.
Pacific Crest Trail
Across Washington, Oregon, and California
The Pacific Crest Trail Association is so serious about its听trail days that it听even hosts a听, taught by local experts up and down the western corridor. You鈥檒l learn things like听saw training and tread reconstruction, as well as听how to use and care for all the听necessary tools. Classes are free, and afterward听you can sign up for a听 or join a regional group near you.
Florida Trail
Across the state
Spaning 1,300 miles from the panhandle to Big Cypress National Preserve, the听 relies on听听for听maintainence. Join a work party with local chapters throughout the route, and they鈥檒l provide the hard hat, gloves, brush cutters, Pulaskis, and instruction on trail clearing and restoration, plus camp-cooked meals to keep you fueled.
Arizona Trail
Across the state
罢丑颈蝉听800-尘颈濒别 traverses the desert and mountains from Mexico to Utah. The Arizona Trail Association鈥檚听 offers a crash course in multiple locations. Sign up for year-round volunteer opportunities and you鈥檒l do things like help build 13 miles of new singletrack near Flagstaff or improve your lumberjack skills by removing downed trees blocking the path north of the Grand Canyon.
Long Trail
Across Vermont
Want to volunteer but don鈥檛 want to build or restore trails? The Green Mountain Club鈥攚hich constructs and maintains the state鈥檚 272-mile Long Trail, plus its 160 miles of side paths颅鈥攈as听 like staffing the听听in Stowe. You can also drive a shuttle, adopt a shelter, or pack mulch into backcountry campsites. If you do want to get more hands-on, it听also offers听crew trips, ranging from one to six weeks, where an experienced staff member will teach you the basics of trail building.
Appalachian Trail
Up and down the East Coast
To maintain the 2,192 miles of the historic Appalachian Trail, which crosses 14 states from Georgia to Maine, the听 and local management partners rely on thousands of stewards and volunteers to keep it in good condition.听 by tagging along with one of 31 volunteer clubs associated with the AT. You can do things like backpack in听with a trail crew in Smoky Mountain National Park, monitor rare animal species in the Berkshires, or cut overgrown vegetation on a day hike with North Carolina鈥檚 Nantahala Hiking Club.
Maine to Washington, D.C.
The Appalachian Mountain Club hosts a thing called .听Spend a few days doing trail work, with ample free time to explore on your own, in places like Maine鈥檚 Acadia National Park and听the AMC-run Cardigan Lodge in New Hampshire. You don鈥檛 need experience: your crew leader will provide a safety seminar and instruction on techniques on听how to use the various tools. If you don鈥檛 want to dedicate multiple days, you can also find less time-intensive AMC volunteer projects closer to home.