Trips

Support new trail development while being surrounded by wildflower meadows, stream corridors, Douglas-fir savannas, wetlands, and diverse ecological communities! Cady Mountain Preserve, the 142-acre preserve extension that expands upon multiple square miles of uninterrupted territory, where deep-forest species can thrive, is located in the middle of San Juan Island. Situated in the northern reaches of…

With over 1,000 miles of trails, 78 lakes and 800 miles of rivers and streams, Stanislaus National Forest provides ample access to the outdoors! Come support trail maintenance in this beautiful national forest situated on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains.  The world class 18-mile whitewater run down the wild and scenic Tuolumne…

Nestled amidst the breathtaking beauty of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois, join this project to support trail accessibility at Touch of Nature Environmental Center! Touch of Nature Environmental Center hosts experiential education programs that utilize the many natural resources on and around its 3,400 acres located in beautiful Southern Illinois. These programs offer…

Created in 1892 as one of the first Forever Wild Forest Preserves in the nation, the Adirondack Park is a unique wilderness area, and volunteers are needed to help maintain it! 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…

DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT: Spend two amazing weeks contributing to the improvement of trails in Washington through consecutive Volunteer Vacations. Team up with Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge and Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge for a joint expedition. Interested in participating in two trips? The initial trip registration costs $425, while subsequent trips have a registration…

Support trails and enjoy the outdoors at the newly designated Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area, the largest wildlife area owned by Ohio’s Division of Wildlife. Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area was purchased from American Electric Power from 2018 -2021. Before European settlement, this area was an old growth forest. Today all of the forests are second or…

Come explore the the million-acres of Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a stunningly beautiful designated wilderness area located in the northeastern tip of Minnesota. It is a unique landscape that is made up of lakes, rivers, and wetlands, and boreal forest. While canoeing is the dominant use of the Wilderness, there are 200 miles of…

Explore diverse coastal habitat and maintain trails at the same time with this beautiful trip to Santa Catalina Island! Santa Catalina, one of California’s Channel Islands, lies southwest of Los Angeles. It's known for its wildlife, scuba dive sites and Mt. Orizaba, its highest peak. The resort town of Two Harbors lies to the north.…

Come enjoy the beautiful sandhills of Nebraska on the Niobrara National Scenic River! Home to six different ecosystems converging in this area, Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge is one of the best places to visit in Nebraska. Volunteers will work on pruning and clearing vegetation and repairing small walking bridges on a one-mile loop trail.…

Come explore Western New York’s Allegany State Park - home to 65,000 acres of primitive forested valleys, and un-glaciated landscape.  The project is a multi-year effort to revitalize the 20.6 miles of Finger Lakes Trail /North Country National Scenic Trail within Allegany State Park. Volunteers will work together to reroof and stain a lean-to, install…

With scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area is rich with natural and historic features. Enjoy the Cumberland Plateau through Big South Fork’s 125,000 acres of tributaries, natural bridges, and wilderness. Volunteers will get to enjoy the Twin Arches area, designated as a state natural area and managed by…

Once deemed the largest fish hatchery in the world, Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery raises 1.2 million spring Chinook salmon each year! Learn about salmon life cycles, explore the outdoors, and support trail systems at this beautiful Washington hatchery located in the heart of the Cascade Mountain Range! Completed in 1940 to help mitigate the impact…

Join one of the most popular recurring Volunteer Vacations to help this friendly island community maintain local trails! Enjoy stunning ocean vistas, where there is a chance to see a pod of orca whales, humpbacks, or a plethora of other marine life and sea birds. Situated in the northern reaches of Washington State’s Puget Sound,…

From ice fields and glaciers to tundra, forests, and coastal wetlands, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge preserves almost 2,000,000 acres of Alaskan biodiversity. Become immersed in what is often called “Alaska in miniature” while supporting trail longevity! Volunteers will spend time working on Skilak Lookout Trail, with work all along the first mile of the…

Help expand  trail access while being surrounded by the Gulf of Alaska and Chugach National Forest! Spend time exploring Alaska’s Prince William Sound with its 10,000 square miles of protected waterways, islands, fjords, and around 150 glaciers. This beautiful area is home to over 200 migratory birds, 30 species of land animals, and diverse marine…

Providing access to explore over 25,000 acres of BLM-administered public lands, The Sheep Mountain Trail is a foot and horse trail that winds up an impressive box canyon to the top of Sheep Mountain. This area provides abundant recreational activities such as hiking, horseback riding, hunting, wildlife viewing, sightseeing and shed hunting. The ample amount…

Join American Hiking Society at the first of Virginia’s National Parks and part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah National Park! This national park is home to over 200,000 acres of protected lands.  With over 500 miles of trails, elevation ranging from 550 feet to over 4,000, and diverse flora and fauna, Shenandoah National Park…

USE CODE: 2024EldoradoNFVV for a special registration fee of $250 thanks to grant funding received for this project. To register at this price please select “First Trip of the Year” registration cost. Additional trip discount not available for this special rate. Join this project to backpack into a stunning river valley of granite and pine…

Join one of the most popular Volunteer Vacations with an all women crew to help this friendly island community maintain local trails! This project is open to anyone who feels that an all- women’s trip is the right space for them. Enjoy stunning ocean vistas, where there is a chance to see a pod of…

Come enjoy the magnificent mountains, the serenity of wilderness, the miracle of spring flowers, majestic big game, and the sounds of birds here in the Bitterroot Mountains! Explore nature and support trails in this 1.6 million acre forest in southwest Montana and Idaho. Join this project in the heavily glaciated, rugged peaks of the Bitterroot…

USE CODE: 2024EagleCapVV for a special registration fee of $250 thanks to grant funding received for this project. To register at this price please select “First Trip of the Year” registration cost. Additional trip discount not available for this special rate. Join this popular trip and head into the Hurricane Creek drainage in the Eagle…

USE CODE: 2024WayneNFVV for a special registration fee of $250 thanks to grant funding received for this project. To register at this price please select “First Trip of the Year” registration cost. Additional trip discount not available for this special rate. Help repair the Vesuvius Recreation Area hiking trails in Wayne National Forest, Ohio’s only…

Rolling hills, riverfront villages, and bald eagles perched on trees form a vibrant backdrop as the Delaware River snakes gracefully through the rural countryside. But the story of the Upper Delaware is more than just a collection of beautiful pictures. The clean water of the Delaware, the last major undammed river in the eastern United…

Join this project to support backcountry trail maintenance in Mammoth Cave National Park, and explore the longest known cave system in the world!  Mammoth Cave National Park is a park on two levels – 52,830 acres of reclaimed hardwood forest and winding riverways, and below it, the longest known cave system in the world, surveyed…

Visit one of the original six Virginia State Parks! Hungry Mother State Park  is known for beautiful woodlands and a placid 108-acre lake in the heart of the mountains. For this project, volunteers will  continue trail work on the Raiders Run Reroute, which American Hiking Society crews have worked on for the last two years.…

Help protect the Appalachian Trail and enjoy the beauty of the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts! This public land is the backbone of the largest natural corridor that remains east of the Mississippi River, creating a haven and migration path for humans and animals alike. Maintaining the boundaries of this land helps to protect it…

Created in 1892 as one of the first Forever Wild Forest Preserves in the nation, the Adirondack Park is a unique wilderness area, and volunteers are needed to help maintain it! 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…

Become immersed in the red and cream colored sandstone of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area while repairing trail erosion and increasing safety for hikers! Located 17 miles west of Las Vegas in the Mojave Desert, explore Nevada’s first National Conservation Area and warm up early in the year with warm desert sun. Red…

Join this project and help maintain access to a trail system that winds through bayous, oxbow lakes, privet swamps, and cypress-tupelo swamps! Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge is home to 22 actively-managed trails. They are styled as primitive trails to give the visitors ‘a walk in the woods’ type of experience. Paseo de los Patos…

Spend time at Tennessee's newly established park in Southeast Davidson County! Mill Ridge Park consists of 600+ acres of multi-use greenspace providing a sustainable and equitable outdoor experience for the diverse community of the greater Nashville area in southeast Davidson County.  Volunteers will help provide healthy access to nature and recreational activity space for neighboring…

Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Program approximately 48,000 acres of land were purchased in the area of the park. This purchase provided jobs for many people. Programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration established many of the buildings still being used today and laid the foundation for what is…

Dive into St. John's 3,000 years of human history! Go beyond Virgin Islands National Park’s stunning white-sand beaches. Hike to historic plantation sites to learn about a challenging past when sugar and enslaved labor dominated life on the island. Visit the Indigenous Taino’s ancient petroglyphs. Snorkel coral reefs to discover hidden marine life. Two-thirds of…

Dive into St. John's 3,000 years of human history! Go beyond Virgin Islands National Park’s stunning white-sand beaches. Hike to historic plantation sites to learn about a challenging past when sugar and enslaved labor dominated life on the island. Visit the Indigenous Taino’s ancient petroglyphs. Snorkel coral reefs to discover hidden marine life. Two-thirds of…

Join Southern Blue Ridge Hikers in beautiful North Carolina to help restore a short, popular trail to a beautiful waterfall in the Nantahala National Forest! Enjoy the modern comforts of staying in a recently restored lodge with wifi, chef prepared meals (including hot lunch on the trail!), and walking access to the quaint nearby town…

Join this project in the beautiful rolling hills of Southern Illinois to help maintain trails! During your downtime, volunteers will have the opportunity to experience a variety of scenic hikes or get on the water by canoeing nearby lakes and rivers within a short driving distance of the dormitory-style lodging. Explore the Garden of the…

Discover the rugged beauty of California’s Lost Coast while making a meaningful impact on the land. This Volunteer Vacation blends a multi-day backpacking trip with hands-on trail restoration work along the remote and scenic Rattlesnake Ridge Trail. After an overnight stay at the King Range Visitor Center, you'll hike 4.5 miles to your beachside basecamp…

Explore diverse coastal habitat and maintain trails at the same time with this popular and beautiful trip to Santa Catalina Island! Santa Catalina, one of California’s Channel Islands, lies southwest of Los Angeles. It’s known for its wildlife, scuba dive sites and Mt. Orizaba, its highest peak. The resort town of Two Harbors lies to…

FULL Our federal public lands are facing threats like never before—over 5,700 staff have been eliminated and funding is being cut resulting in trails eroding, habitats shrinking, and public access cut off. Your support is needed now more than ever to protect these places! We are in urgent need of volunteers on projects across National…

SPECIAL $250 REGISTRATION: Our federal public lands are facing threats like never before—over 5,700 staff have been eliminated and funding is being cut resulting in trails eroding, habitats shrinking, and public access cut off. Your support is needed now more than ever to protect these places! We are in urgent need of volunteers on projects…

Explore diverse coastal habitat and maintain trails at the same time with this popular and beautiful trip to Santa Catalina Island! Santa Catalina, one of California’s Channel Islands, lies southwest of Los Angeles. It’s known for its wildlife, scuba dive sites and Mt. Orizaba, its highest peak. The resort town of Two Harbors lies to…

Alaskan Rainforest Paradise on Prince of Wales Island. Cave Tour Included! Often referred to as P.O.W, the third largest island in the US, is part of the Tongass National Forest. The island is a 2 million acre temperate rainforest with endless mountains, streams flowing with salmon, and bays to watch breaching whales. Native Alaskans have…

Build Trail Experience in the Finger Lakes and the nationally recognized North Country Scenic Trail! Special 1-Year Membership to Finger Lakes Trail Conference included! Join Allegany State Park for the second year of a multiyear effort to revitalize the 20.6 miles of Finger Lakes Trail /North Country National Scenic Trail! This project will build upon…

You won't want to miss this fantastic opportunity to connect with nature, contribute to important conservation efforts, and experience the breathtaking beauty of Fire Island. We invite you to join us for a rewarding week of volunteer service! Fire Island is a stunning roadless barrier island that serves as a vital protector of Long Island’s…

See why West Virginia is Wild and Wonderful! Help support this dynamic National Wilderness Area! The 47,815-acre Cranberry Wilderness in the Monongahela National Forest is in Pocahontas and Webster Counties, West Virginia located between Morgantown, WV and Roanoke, VA. In keeping with the Wilderness ideals, volunteers will use hand tools such as loppers, garden shears,…

Explore the highest arches east of the Mississippi River at one of the most popular destinations in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area! With scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is rich with natural, historic and cultural features. The park is on the world famous…

SPECIAL $250 REGISTRATION & ONE FREE SPACE AVAILABLE: thanks to a generous donation by another AHS volunteer, we have one space available completely free of cost! Please email volunteer@americanhiking.org for information on how to register for this project at no cost, on a first come basis! Our federal public lands are facing threats like never…

Immerse Yourself in Alaska Life with temperate outdoor camping with Indoor Meals, Hot Showers, and Wifi in town! Join us in Whittier, Alaska in the heart of the Chugach National Forest and Prince William Sound! Volunteers will be making a tangible impact as they construct new trail, build sturdy retaining wall sections, step & run…

SPECIAL $250 REGISTRATION: Our federal public lands are facing threats like never before—over 5,700 staff have been eliminated and funding is being cut resulting in trails eroding, habitats shrinking, and public access cut off. Your support is needed now more than ever to protect these places! We are in urgent need of volunteers on projects…

Join one of the most popular recurring Volunteer Vacations to help this friendly island community maintain local trails! Enjoy stunning ocean vistas, where there is a chance to see a pod of orca whales, humpbacks, or a plethora of other marine life and sea birds. Situated in the northern reaches of Washington State’s Puget Sound,…

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…