Adirondack Park, New York – Volunteer Vacations 2022

Created in 1892 as one of the first Forever Wild Forest Preserves in the nation, the Adirondack Park is a unique wilderness area. At 6 million acres, it is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States. The state of New York owns approximately 2.6 million acres, while the remaining 3.4 million acres are devoted to forestry, agriculture and open space recreation. The Adirondack Park is not a National Park – there’s no fee to enter and the park doesn’t close at night, nor is it a state park, a common misconception. It’s also the largest National Historic Landmark, covering an area larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and the Great Smokies National Parks combined. Champlain Area Trails has a number of new trails  that will be developed in Adirondack Park this year. Volunteers will work to establish and maintain these new trails by clearing the trail of branches, brush, and fallen logs plus doing some side-cuts to level the trail on hillsides. Volunteers may also assist with the installation of new bridges and boardwalks as needed throughout the week.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) and Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee) peoples past and present. We honor the land itself, the Indigenous communities who have stewarded this land for generations, and those who continue to steward these lands today. AHS invites all volunteers to join us in our commitment to support and amplify the work of Indigenous communities as they work to dismantle the systems of oppression that these communities continue to face today.