Volunteer Vacation - Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska 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:

Join this project to conduct trail work with some of the best views possible, including glaciers, mountain vistas, and the turquoise Kenai River. Not to mention the chance to see some of the refuge’s wildlife, including moose, caribou, brown and black bear, mountain goats, Dall sheep, lynx, wolves, coyotes, furbearers, and thousands of shorebirds and waterfowl! The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is just one of more than 500 units of the national refuge system but it stands out as a very special place among special places! The hunting and fishing traditions that helped create the Refuge in 1941 still flourish, but so do enhanced opportunities for hiking, camping, canoeing, and wildlife watching. The scenic wonders of the Kenai Mountains, the glaciers of the Harding Ice Field and the turquoise-colored waters of the Kenai River make for an ideal place for a Volunteer Vacation doing trail work.

Project work will occur on a variety of day-use trails within the Skilak Lake Recreation Area. Work will include routine brushing of the trail corridor as well as 1-2 enhancement construction projects. Projects may include 1) constructing short trail re-routes, switchbacks or climbing turns, 2) construction of rock or timber stairs and/or 3) construction and/or rehabilitation of erosion control or drainage structures. Volunteers will drive to a trail head either by provided van or boat and then start working on the trail by hiking to the project site.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Dena’ina Ełnena and Dënéndeh 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 stay at campsites within a "walk-in" tent loop in Upper Skilak Campground for base camp. These sites are available for overnight stays the day before or after the project to spend extra time exploring the refuge. A short trail provides quick and easy access to 10 campsites with tables, grills, and bear proof food storage lockers. Parking areas, toilets, water and dumpsters are located nearby. Volunteers need to bring their own tent and personal camping gear, sleeping bag, towels, personal cup / bowl / mug / eating utensils. Please 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/kenai-national-wildlife-refuge-volunteer-vacations-2023/