Volunteer Vacation - Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Trail Maintenance

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Join American Hiking Society for a week of building & maintaining trails in exciting locations across the country. Volunteer Vacations foster public land stewardship and provide volunteers the opportunity to give back to the trails they love, meet new people, and have a great time doing it! Crews consist of 6-15 volunteers accompanied by a crew leader. Volunteer Vacations involve backpacking or day hiking and accommodations vary from primitive campsites to bunkhouses or cabins. Tools and supervision are provided by the host agency or organization. Experience nature up close. Travel to new destinations. Meet other outdoor enthusiasts. Take a vacation that nourishes your body & your spirit. Get Out. Give Back.

Project Specifics:

Just 75 miles from the bustle of Washington, D.C., Shenandoah National Park is a land bursting with cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, fields of wildflowers, and quiet wooded hollows. With over 200,000 acres of protected lands that are haven to deer, songbirds, and black bear, there’s so much to explore and enjoy.

Volunteers will work on a variety of trails in Shenandoah National Park’s Central District. Trails will pass through woodlands as spring flowers begin to bloom and cross ridgelines with views of the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains. Difficulty will vary from strenuous, exposed, steep mountain terrain to moderate, forested, rolling hills. Projects will ensure trails are inviting and user-friendly by clearing vegetation, installing and maintaining trail structures, and mitigating water damage through the maintenance of water bars and other water drainage structures. Volunteers may use loppers, weed whips, mcleods, pick mattocks, and rakes.

Volunteers will be transported from the campsite to the trailhead where work will begin each day. They will travel, carrying work tools, along the trail to work up to 6 miles in a day. Terrain is often steep and rocky with elevation changes up to 2,000 feet in day.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) peoples past and present. We honor the land itself, the Indigenous communities who have stewarded this land for generations, and those who continue to steward these lands today. AHS invites all volunteers to join us in our commitment to support and amplify the work of Indigenous communities as they work to dismantle the systems of oppression that these communities continue to face today.

Accommodations: Volunteers will stay at Big Meadow Campground, a developed campground with toilets and potable water. Coin showers and laundry are also available nearby. Each site has a picnic table, fire pit, and food storage box. Volunteers should bring their own tent and personal camping gear, sheets / bedding or sleeping bag, towels, personal cup / bowl / mug / eating utensils. Contact volunteer@americanhiking.org for assistance with gear needs.

Trip Cost: $425 per person

Volunteer Experience: While trips do not require prior trail maintenance experience, all of our projects require participants to be in good physical condition and will involve 30-40 hours of physical labor during the week.

Find More Information & Register Here: https://americanhiking.org/volunteer-vacation-trip/shenandoah-national-park-va-volunteer-vacations-2023/