Volunteers Wanted to Help With Trail Maintenance at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Published Date

July 13, 2010

If you don't mind hard work in the out-of-doors, risk of sunburn or a few mosquito bites, you're needed at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where officials are recruiting for their Adopt-a-Trail program.

And with 800 miles of trails, the park could use quite a few volunteers.

The existing Volunteers in Parks program has integrated volunteerism into many of its park operations, including trail maintenance that covers everything from picking up litter
to removing treefalls and reporting trail problems to the park.

If you're interested in lending a hand, you'll need to attend a mandatory training program scheduled for Saturday, July 31, in the North Carolina area of the park.

Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older and in good physical condition. Those accepted for the program will be expected to hike/patrol the trail(s) at least eight times per program year-- March through October. Specific trail duties include: Collect and remove litter; clean waterbars and drainage systems; perform brushing and removal of small windfalls or branches (hand tools only); perform minor trail tread maintenance; remove illegal campsites and fire rings found along trail; inspect trail and trail signs; and promote Leave No Trace outdoor ethics.

To get a better idea, read contributor Danny Bernstein's post on maintaining a section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

The training will be held July 31 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park’s North Carolina Trail Shop Training Room near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, 2 miles north of Cherokee. In order to attend, participants must register by July 26 with Christine Hoyer, Trails and Facilities Volunteer Coordinator (828-497-1949 or Christine_Hoyer@nps.gov).

The later part of the training will take place outside on the trail, so those planning to attend should wear appropriate clothing including sturdy footwear. Also, a packed lunch will be necessary.

If you are interested but are unable to attend the July training, please feel free to contact Christine Hoyer to be placed on a mailing list to attend future training sessions in Tennessee as well.

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