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Five Springs Falls Campground, WY – Volunteer Vacations 2023

August 20, 2023 @ 5:00 pm - August 26, 2023 @ 10:00 am

Trip Navigation

Help maintain trails at Five Springs Falls Campground, which provides an excellent opportunity for camping, hiking, picnicking, and sightseeing! The elevation ranges from 6,520 feet at the campground to 7,240 feet at the forest boundary. This area offers breathtaking views of northern Bighorn Basin with a panoramic view of the Bighorn, Pryor, and Absaroka Mountains. Wildlife in the area include: deer, elk, moose, black bear, and mountain lion.

Project work will comprise of the maintaining the two trails located at the campground, the lower loop trail and the upper access trail. The Five Springs Falls Campground lower loop trail is a heavily used .30 mile trail that provides access to the Five Springs lower falls observation point. Because this trail it so heavily used there are numerous areas that need attention and repair. Work on this short trail would include fixing cribbing walls, slough and berm work, water bar installation, and minor vegetation clearing. This trial also has a small 20 foot boardwalk over a riparian area that needs repair.

The Five Spring Falls Campground upper trail is a key access trail that provides access to the Bighorn National Forest. This trail was once the old historic US 14A highway that was used to connected Lovell to Sheridan Wyoming. The first mile of this trail is on BLM before entering into the Bighorn Forest. Work will include vegetation clearing, trail defining, and signage installation.

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 Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Apsáalooke (Crow), Tséstho’e (Cheyenne) and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ 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.

Location

Five Springs Falls Campground
1002 Blackburn Street, Cody, WY 82414 United States + Google Map

Host

Accommodations

Car Camping Tent Sites

Hiking/Access

Day hiking up to 2 miles each work day.

Project Rating

Moderate

Minimum Volunteer Age

18

Maximum Group Size

10

Area and Attractions

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area offers visitors outstanding opportunities to experience natural and cultural resources in an environment largely free from human-caused disturbances. The preserved landscape provides unobstructed views of the canyon, surrounding mesas, mountain vistas, and distant scenic features. The secluded location and lack of large urban areas nearby result in minimal impact from light pollution, allowing excellent views of the dark night sky. Visitors also have opportunities to experience wilderness solitude with little disturbance from modern sounds or other intrusions while exploring the parks 15 hiking trails and 4 historic ranches. The Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark is located at an elevation of 9,642 feet near the crest of the Bighorn Mountains of north central Wyoming. It occupies a rolling limestone plateau 30 miles east of Lovell, Wyo., and 12 miles south of the Montana border. It is an important prehistoric archeological landscape as well as an ancient Native American spiritual site where tribal ceremonial activity continues to this day. It was also a major historic preservation flashpoint that transformed public land management in Wyoming. The Big Horn Mountains and Bighorn National Forest are an outdoor paradise filled with recreational opportunities including hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and backpacking, horseback riding, mountain biking, picnicking, sightseeing, photography, snowmobiling, skiing, and sledding. The Bighorn National Forest, including the Cloud Peak Wilderness, is unique and diverse. Within the National Forest area, you can encounter grass prairies, evergreen forests, mountain meadows, rugged alpine peaks, dramatic canyons, arid desert lands, and cascading waterfalls - all within a day's journey. There are several scenic byways which pass through the Bighorn National Forest, all of which provide the traveler with scenic views. The Bighorn Scenic Byway (US 14) connects the cities of Sheridan and Greybull and includes 45 miles of scenic mountain driving. The Cloud Peak Skyway (US 16), connecting the city of Buffalo and the town of Tensleep, crosses the southern Bighorn National Forest and offers breathtaking views of snow-capped peaks along its 45 mile length. The Medicine Wheel Passage (US 14A) rises sharply from the Bighorn Basin near the city of Lovell and travels 25 miles through high alpine meadows to Burgess Junction, where it intersects with the Bighorn Scenic Byway. This route also boasts the largest ancient Medicine Wheel site in North America.

Accommodations Description

Volunteers will camp at car camping tent sites with nearby vault toilets and potable water at Five Springs Campground. Volunteers need to bring their own tent and personal camping gear, sleeping bag, towels, personal cup / bowl / mug / eating utensils. Please contact volunteer@americanhiking.org for assistance with gear needs.

Travel

Yellowstone Regional Airport, Cody Wyoming is the closest major airport. Airport pick up and drop off is available for volunteers and will be arranged upon confirmation of the trip.
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