Volunteer Vacation - Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Tennessee 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:

Calling all bridge builders! Join us at the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area to restore historic bridges among a peaceful area with wildlife, wildflowers, and starry night skies. The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is 125,000 acres, and boasts miles of scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs, and is rich with natural and historic features and has been developed to provide visitors with a wide range of outdoor recreational activities. The Twin Arches Trail is designated as a Natural-Scientific State Natural Area. There are four bridges in the Jakes Place (Historic) landscape which were built several years ago, and they are in need of being removed and built. Jakes’s Place is off the Twin Arches Trail but also connects to the Charit Creek Lodge (Historic). Volunteers will be replacing one of these bridges during the week of service. There are no buildings left standing at Jakes Place other than the remnants of an old fireplace. Volunteers will be driven to the trailhead but will have to hike approximately 1-2 miles to the actual work site. The terrain is steep and moderate in difficulty for hiking.

With the beginning of summer, the area is abundant with wildlife, wildflowers, birds and lush green trees. It is an area for foot traffic only and it is truly a peaceful area to visit, even if only for one day. In the evenings, star gazers can look up and see a beautiful display of stars.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East), S’atsoyaha (Yuchi), and Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee) peoples past and present. We honor the land itself, the Indigenous communities who have stewarded this land for generations, their deep and sacred connection to these lands, and those who continue to steward these lands today. We offer this land acknowledgement as the first of many steps to stand as an ally and amplify Indigenous voices. We invite the American Hiking Society community to join us through continued efforts to support Indigenous communities and learn more about the history of the lands on which we live, work and recreate.

Accommodations: Volunteers will be staying in a group campground with a covered pavilion. The pavilion is on a concrete pad and is screened in with picnic tables, fireplace and cooking grill inside. Hot showers and bath houses are within a short distance from the pavilion. The group campground is large and there is plenty of room for social distancing. 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/big-south-fork-national-river-recreation-area-tn-volunteer-vacations-2023/