Do you love our local trails? Do you like giving back to the community? Do you want to
get to know some amazing people? Do you enjoy getting dirty? If you answered yes to
all of those questions, you should be a trail volunteer!
I don’t know exactly what possessed me to sign up for a workday on the Incline (of all things) but I did and was hooked on that first day. It was hard work, but I felt such a sense of accomplishment. On subsequent trail work days, I have worked alongside many people including some wonderful WMBA members. It’s a great way to get to know people!
No experience is necessary. When you volunteer, there are always trained crew leaders on site that will teach you how to use tools safely and efficiently, how to build sustainable trails, how to move and position rocks and more.
Depending upon the trail or area, there are many different tasks that may include clearing vegetation, collecting and placing rocks, building water diversion features, breaking up soil and closing social trails. Sometimes the tasks are as simple as cleanup of trash or dog poop so there is something for everyone! When I moved here from Florida, I was a total novice.
Ready to dive in? Great! Let’s find a project. There are numerous organizations in the area that do trail work, but you may have to do a little research to find a project that works for your schedule and location.
Trails and Open Spaces Coalition (TOSC) has a nice calendar with many of the volunteer opportunities listed. If you want to work in a specific park, you can check out the websites (and Like their Facebook page to receive current information) for the various Friends groups for specific parks, such as Friends of Ute Valley Park (1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. April through September), Friends of Cheyenne Canon, Friends of Cheyenne Mountain State Park (the Trail Dogs have a ton of workdays planned), Guardians of Palmer Park (some Saturdays and some Wednesdays), Friends of Red Rock Canyon Open Space (FoRRC) and Friends of Monument Preserve (FoMP).
There are other organizations that do trail work all over the city (and all over Colorado), including Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates (MWTA), Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI) and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC). Friends of the Peak (FOTP) also has a lot of trail days listed on their schedule!
Several of our WMBA members have leadership roles in these organizations including Susan Davies (TOSC), Calla Baillet (RMFI), Susan Jarvis-Weber (Friends of the Peak), Jessi Michael (MWTA) and Priscilla Marbaker (VOC) so they can be great resources. Also, keep checking the WMBA Members Only FB page as some events get posted there. When you get a large group together, just a few hours of time can make such an impact! So grab a friend and get out there!