Previous Volunteer On Trail

Make a visible impact and feel rewarded by volunteering for the Trail Conference on-trail! Descriptions of the types of opportunities are listed below.

Click here for our current On-trail Vacancies.

If you don't see a vacancy that interests you, or you can't decide, then complete our Volunteer Interest Form and indicate the program areas that interest you most. We will contact you with more information to help match you with the perfect volunteer opportunity!

Trail Crews

Have you ever wondered how all those magnificent rock steps, bridges, boardwalks, and bog bridges emerged to make your hike more enjoyable? These “luxuries” are the product of thousands of hours of work by our trail crews. Our crews design, construct, and rehabilitate the hiking trails in our region. With plenty of on-the-job training, newcomers feel right at home on our crews. Trail crews usually meet on the weekends, in groups of six to ten persons. These dedicated men and women head off into the woods, armed with high spirits, rugged determination, and the knowhow to accomplish the task at hand. Our crews work as far north as the Catskill Forest Preserve and as far south as the Delaware Water Gap.

 

Trail Land Monitors

As the race to protect open space speeds up, the Trail Conference is becoming more active in these efforts. At times, we acquire property with the expectation that it will be conveyed to public ownership. As we purchase additional trail lands, we need volunteers to monitor and help protect these lands until they can be taken over by public agency partners. Land monitors mark the boundaries of the lands, watch for illegal activities and misuse, and keep an eye out for significant environmental changes.

 

Trail Maintainers

Hiking trails need routine maintenance to keep them open for the public to enjoy. Trail maintainers are assigned a one-to-three-mile section of trail to keep passable and well-marked. On average, maintainers visit their trails three times a year, clipping brush, collecting litter, cutting small trees that have fallen across the trail, and replacing markers as required.

Shelter Caretakers

After a long day of backpacking in the rain or snow, nothing feels better than finding a dry shelter. Volunteers are needed to help maintain the overnight shelters along the trails. Shelters (lean-tos) are available for adoption throughout the Catskills and along the Appalachian Trail.