Volunteer Vacation - Prince William Forest 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:

Volunteers are needed to relocate a section of North Valley Trail following sustainable trail building guidelines! New trail will be just over 1 mile in length through the woods over varied terrain. Work will involve hand tools and moderate to heavy manual labor; raking, digging, moving small rocks, forest debris, clearing vegetation/downfall, grading trail tread, and chopping small roots. New trail may or not be roughed-in by that time, but will at least be pin flagged at minimum. There is 1 footbridge to be constructed. Lumber may be needed to be hiked in to the bridge site.

Volunteers should be prepared to hike off-trail for short distances over uneven rolling terrain and potential tripping hazards. The trail access is directly off of a gravel fire road where volunteers will park your vehicles. Hiking is no more than 2 miles round-trip over varied terrain. Tools and materials will be hiked in from the road.

The trail head is 5 miles away from the cabin campground. 4.5 miles of those miles is on paved road. The last half-mile is on rough gravel road. Transportation will be provided. Volunteers can bring their own vehicles if you prefer.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Doeg 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 in several 10 person, very primitive cabins. These cabins have no climate control, but have electrical outlets and lights. The beds consist of spring cots with mattresses. There are central showers and bathrooms. The cabins have a mess hall with a commercial grade kitchen, large walk-in refrigerator and large dining area with a fire place. There is a fire pit with benches for group gatherings. Civilian Conservation Corps constructed our cabin camps in early 1930's. Firewood is provided. No laundry service is available. Potable water is available at the facility. Volunteers need to bring a sleeping bag / bedding, 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/prince-william-forest-park-va-volunteer-vacations-2023/