Volunteer Vacation - Five Springs Falls Campground, Wyoming 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:

Help maintain trails at Five Springs Falls Campground, which provides an excellent opportunity for camping, hiking, picnicking, and sightseeing! The elevation ranges from 6,520 feet at the campground to 7,240 feet at the forest boundary. This area offers breathtaking views of northern Bighorn Basin with a panoramic view of the Bighorn, Pryor, and Absaroka Mountains. Wildlife in the area include: deer, elk, moose, black bear, and mountain lion.

Project work will comprise of the maintaining the two trails located at the campground, the lower loop trail and the upper access trail. The Five Springs Falls Campground lower loop trail is a heavily used .30 mile trail that provides access to the Five Springs lower falls observation point. Because this trail it so heavily used there are numerous areas that need attention and repair. Work on this short trail would include fixing cribbing walls, slough and berm work, water bar installation, and minor vegetation clearing. This trial also has a small 20 foot boardwalk over a riparian area that needs repair.

The Five Spring Falls Campground upper trail is a key access trail that provides access to the Bighorn National Forest. This trail was once the old historic US 14A highway that was used to connected Lovell to Sheridan Wyoming. The first mile of this trail is on BLM before entering into the Bighorn Forest. Work will include vegetation clearing, trail defining, and signage installation.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Apsáalooke (Crow), Tséstho’e (Cheyenne) and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ 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 camp at car camping tent sites with nearby vault toilets and potable water at Five Springs Campground. 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/five-springs-falls-campground-wy-volunteer-vacations-2023/