Volunteer Vacation - Bitterroot National Forest, Selway-Bitterroot Wilde, Montana 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 in the heavily glaciated, rugged peaks of the Bitterroot Mountains! Volunteers will be clearing with crosscut saws, axes, and handsaws as well as cleaning drains and improving trail tread. The Big Creek Trail #11 threads through a scenic Montana canyon and offers a pristine Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness experience.

During the first half of the trip, volunteers will clear the Big Creek trail of fallen trees and overgrown vegetation from Big Creek Lake to Packbox Pass at milepost 13.8, on the Montana-Idaho border. There will be an optional day off in the middle of the Volunteer Vacation during which volunteers may choose to swim, hike, relax at camp, or bushwhack to help identify and define the route of the historic Big Creek Divide Trail #306. Time permitting, the crew may spend the latter part of the project clearing the South Fork Big Creek Trail #118, a 3-mile trail running along the southern shore of the lake.

Volunteers will camp at one of several campsites that are available, depending on group size and trail conditions. Volunteers will backpack in 8-9 miles. The trail is fairly flat with easy terrain for the first 7 miles, with gradual incline. Several footbridges aid with creek crossings. The 1-mile approach to the lake is steep with switchbacks. Total elevation gain about 2400 feet. This trail is well-traveled by outfitters with stock animals and backpackers.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis, and Salish 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: The crew will be car camping at the Big Creek Trailhead on the evening of Tuesday, August 1. There is a pit toilet and picnic table on site, but it is not an established campground and has no running water. On Wednesday, August 2, volunteers will hike into basecamp approximately 8-9 miles to a primitive backcountry site. These backcountry campsites have no amenities; the group will dig a latrine and the host will provide water filters for group use. Pack support will be provided to carry group gear, food, and tools. Volunteers will carry their own personal gear. Volunteers need to bring their own tent and personal camping gear including 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/bitterroot-national-forest-selway-bitterroot-wilderness-mt-volunteer-vacations-2023/