South Cumberland State Park, TN – Volunteer Vacations 2023

Come build a new trail in the beautiful setting of the Cumberland Plateau! The work will be physically demanding, exhilarating, sweat-inducing, memory-making, rewarding, and just plain fun! With instruction by master trail builders, participants will learn how to read the land, plan with maps, cut tread, properly use tools, build stone steps, and more.

Volunteers will hike from their lodging to the daily project work. The hike from accommodations to the work site could be up to a mile on either completed trail, old logging roads, or on rocky, angled slopes. Elevation change is 200 feet.

There is no experience needed to join a Volunteer Vacation! Your expert hosts will provide detailed instruction, tool demonstrations, and project oversight throughout the week. All you need is a willing attitude and to be in good physical condition to participate in moderate physical activity for approximately 6-8 hours a day with plenty of breaks, at your own pace. Find out more about what it’s like to join a Volunteer Vacation and other frequently asked questions here.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the ᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East), Chikashsha I̠yaakni’ (Chickasaw), S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee) 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.