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History Comes Alive in the Bridger-Teton National Forest! WY

July 13, 2025 @ 5:00 pm - July 19, 2025 @ 8:00 am

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History comes alive in the Bridger-Teton National Forest! The Shafer Creek Trail is part of a trail system that makes up a section of the historic Oregon Trail.

Volunteers will enjoy Kemmerer, Wyoming a scenic location with great fishing at the Kemmerer Reservoir, Lake Viva Naughton, or the Hams Fork River. History abounds with the first J.C. Penny store opened in 1902, Kemmerer’s first underground coal mine was opened in 1881, and Fossil Butte National Monument, where you can hike into a prehistoric lakebed!

The Shafer Creek Trail is in need of some TLC, showing its age, and the years of deferred maintenance are taking their toll. The trail has overgrown, eroded, and blocked with deadfall. The trail has become difficult to navigate, which has impacted visitation and the visitor experience.

Restoring the trail will involve several elements: recutting the trail corridor with shovels and Pulaskis; removing downed trees by bucking them into manageable pieces with hand saws, axes, and chainsaws, and then removing cut tree rounds from the trail proper; delimbing hazardous branches that are hanging over the trail; brushing out the overgrowth by using brush saws and adze hoes to create a cleanly defined trail.

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.

Register

Host

Private: Kemmerer Ranger District Bridger-Teton National Forest

Accommodations

Primitive Tent Sites

Hiking/Access

Volunteers can hike to the project worksite, or if driving is required, host staff will provide transportation.

Project Rating

Strenuous

Minimum Volunteer Age

18

Maximum Group Size

10

Area and Attractions

Kemmerer Wyoming has a very diverse and deep history with coal mining, the railroad, fur trapping, bootlegging and historic trails. The city was founded and established with the coal mining industry and the railroad. Coal was first discovered in 1843 and the first underground coal mine was established in 1881. The railroad has a deep history in Kemmerer as well with the development of the Oregon Short Line Railroad which helped develop the town. In 1902 the J.C. Penney Golden Rule store was founded in Kemmerer. The mother store is still open and operational. There is also the J.C. Penney House which was the home of J.C. Penny and is now a museum. Kemmerer has also made its name in tourism with fossils. The Fossil Butte National Monument is located just 15 miles west of Kemmerer where you can hike into a prehistoric lakebed. Many tourists come to Kemmerer to try their luck at one of the many fossil quarries in Kemmerer. This region is a part of the Green River Formation which is wildly popular for how well the fish fossils are preserved. It’s not just fish fossils that can be found but also fossils of turtles, crocodiles, birds, and even a dawn horse, that is now on display at the Smithsonian, have been found. The Hams Fork River draws anglers from near and far because the fishing is good year-round. Anglers can also expect to find good-sized rainbow trout and brown trout in the river. This area is also part of the Tri-Basin Divide, this is a unique area where three different watersheds of the Snake River Basin, the Green River Basin and the Great Basin all converge together. This is also the only place in the world where anglers can catch three different species of West Slope Cutthroat Trout. This area is also a golfing destination; the Fossil Island Golf Club is the local golf course in Kemmerer. This golf course features the only dual island green in the United States. The landscape surrounding Kemmerer is high plains desert, a lot of sagebrush and exposed rock. However, a drive up the road to the Bridger-Teton National Forest will bring you into some beautiful, remote, and breathtaking wilderness, often described as the “jewel” of the Bridger-Teton by staff at the Kemmerer Ranger District. Kemmerer Ranger District hosts 21 miles of the Lander Cutoff, a National Historic Trail as well as parts of the Oregon Trail. Popular activities on the Kemmerer Ranger District include horseback riding, hunting, fishing, camping, nature viewing and scenic driving. Big Spring Scenic Backway is one of the main routes into this wilderness. On this drive you will come to Big Spring day-use area which is located just off the Big Spring Backway. A short hike takes visitors to a natural spring coming out of the hill side that creates a beautiful cascading fall.

Accommodations Description

Volunteers will stay in a dispersed camping site with a port-a-potty and water provided by the Forest Service. Showers will be available at the end of the trip. Volunteers need to bring their own tent and personal camping gear; sheets, bedding or sleeping bag; towels; and personal cup, bowl, mug, and eating utensils.

Travel

Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport in Rock Springs, Wyoming is the closest airport. Airport pickup is available for volunteers and will be arranged upon confirmation of the trip.

Location

Kemmerer Ranger District Bridger-Teton National Forest
308 US HWY 189, Kemmerer, WY 83101 United States + Google Map