Volunteers Needed for Alum Cave Trail Rehabilitation

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to assist a Trails Forever trail crew on rehabilitation projects on the Alum Cave Trail every Wednesday from May 20th through October 28th, 2015.

The Trails Forever program provides opportunities for both skilled and non-skilled volunteers to work along-side national park crews to complete various trail projects. Trail volunteers perform a wide range of trail maintenance and rehabilitation work from rock and root removal, rebuilding trail tread, cleaning drainage ditches, constructing drainage features (water bars), and adding fill material. Great Smoky Mountains National Park will provide all the safety gear, tools and equipment needed for the projects.

Volunteers work on trail restoration projects in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Photo – NPS)

Volunteers are required to wear boots and long pants. They should also bring a day pack with food, water, rain gear and any other personal gear for the day. Work shifts run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., however arrangements can be made for shorter shifts upon request.

The Trails Forever program is a partnership between the national park and Friends of the Smokies. The volunteer component gives individuals the opportunity to work alongside professional trail workers and make lasting improvements to trails throughout the Park. Interested parties should RSVP before the events by contacting Alan Chapman by phone at (828) 497-1949 or by email at Alan_Chapman@nps.gov. For more information on the Trails Forever restoration projects visit, www.smokiestrailsforever.org/Trails-Forever-Projects/Projects.aspx

Header image photo credit: By Brian Stansberry (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons