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Custer Gallatin National Forest

July 12, 2020 - July 18, 2020

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PROJECT CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19:

This project consists of general trail clearing and maintenance on trails in the Clark’s Fork River drainage and the Beartooth Plateau on the Custer Gallatin National Forest in the Cooke City, MT area. Trail clearing and maintenance includes clearing downed trees across trails, cleaning of water bars, and removing trailside brush using primitive tools such as crosscut saws, axes, shovels, pulaski’s, and loppers. Maintenance may also include some work repairing or installing new trail structures such as turnpikes or puncheons. Work will consist of day trips that involve hiking 6 to 10 miles per day while conducting trail work. Volunteer crews will be supervised and will work directly with some of the district’s trail crew. Most of this project work will occur within the picturesque Absaroka Beartooth-Wilderness. Volunteers would stay at the Forest Service Cooke City work station, a rustic log cabin located 2 miles from Cooke City, MT. Shower and laundry facilities are available. Goals for week would be clear out as many miles of trails as possible in this area that contains more than 50 miles hiking and horseback riding trails as they emerge from the winters snow pack.

Host

US Forest Service

Accommodations

Cabin/Lodge

Hiking/Access

Day hiking up to 10 miles each work day

Project Rating

Very Strenuous

Minimum Volunteer Age

16

Maximum Group Size

6

Area and Attractions

Cooke City is a small mountain community located just outside the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park. It is also a primary portal to the Beartooth Plateau portion of the Absaroka/Beartooth Wilderness Area that sports spectacular scenery, wildlife, fishing and outdoor recreation. There is also easy access to site seeing and wildlife watching within Yellowstone National Park. The area is rich in history, and offers outdoor enthusiasts an array of adventures from weeklong backpack trips to shorter day hikes to one of over 600 high alpine lakes. Elevation in the area ranges from 7,500 to 11,000 feet.

Accommodations Description

The Cooke City cabin is located about 2 miles from Cooke City and can accommodate up to 6 people in bunks. The small two room cabin has electricity and running potable water and is road accessible. Bringing your own sleeping bag is required. The cabin has cooking facilities (electric stove, microwave), refrigerator, cooking gear, wood stove and electric heat. The nearby admin site has toilets, showers and laundry facilities. Volunteers should bring their own linens (twin sized sheets or sleeping bag, pillow, and towel) and personal items.

Travel

Airport Pickup Provided from Bozeman International Airport. Airport pickup and dropoff times will be sent to registrants when the trip is confirmed.

Location

Custer Gallatin National Forest
620 HWY 212, Cooke City, MT 59020 United States
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