Explore ways to deepen your connection to the trails and the hiking community volunteering with the Green Mountain Club! We’re especially looking for folks to fill our information volunteer roles, at three different high-use sites on the mountains and trails. If you are a people-person with a love for education, stewardship, and sharing your passion for the trails with others, consider joining us as a Volunteer Trail Steward at the Mount Mansfield Visitor Center or the Lincoln Gap Trailhead, or as a Barnes Camp Information Volunteer.
About the Volunteer Trail Steward Role
Volunteer Trail Stewards provide general trail and hiking advice to the hiking public. This person is an advocate for the trails and surrounding vegetation, especially vulnerable alpine zones found on Mount Mansfield, Camel’s Hump and Mt. Abraham. You will talk with hikers, answer any questions they have about the trails, ensure they are prepared, and share stewardship guidelines. You are also serving as eyes and ears on the ground for the Green Mountain Club, and can pass along valuable user feedback, trail conditions, and ideas.
“For me, there is nothing better than spending time in the alpine zone, with the opportunity to observe its unique vegetation, watch the sky, and enjoy the views. I found interacting with visitors rewarding, whether sharing bits of alpine or Long Trail information, advising about the rigors of the ridgeline hike, bringing families with young children into the Visitor Center to play with nature stickers, or answering questions.” — Phyllis Rubenstein
This program launched in 2025 at the Mount Mansfield Visitor Center at the top of the Stowe Auto Toll Road and is expanding to the Lincoln Gap Trailhead in 2026. You will receive training in trail information, alpine ecology and plant identification. You will also be able to shadow an experienced caretaker at work, and share the duty of greeting and assisting visitors. This is a great way to be an ambassador for the Green Mountain Club and spread your love and care for Vermont’s mountains and trails!
Shifts are flexible: we ask for a commitment of at least two 4-hour shifts over the course of the summer and fall hiking season, though more are always possible.
About the Barnes Camp Information Volunteer
This position is similar to the Trail Steward, but involves staffing the historical Barnes Camp Visitor Center at Smugglers’ Notch (across the street from Stowe Mountain Resort). You will be giving a lot more hiking, sightseeing, and general travel advice, and it is less specific to the alpine/summit environment. The Barnes Camp Visitor Center is open on weekends, from Memorial Day Weekend through Indigenous Peoples Day Weekend. Hundreds of visitors stop here before or after driving through the infamous Smugglers’ Notch, or on their way to a hike or nature walk. You can recommend nearby hikes based on visitors’ interest and experience level, share natural and cultural history of the area, and share information about the Long Trail and the Green Mountain Club.
Trail Work Volunteer Opportunities
If chatting with fellow hikers isn’t your idea of a great time, there are numerous trail maintenance volunteer opportunities that may be of interest. Adopt a portion of the trail as an individual trail or shelter adopter, or join a section work day near you, coming up in May. We are also looking for a few more corridor monitors to survey land boundaries to ensure proper use is upheld. Learn more about all of those opportunities and apply.
Volunteer positions are flexible to your schedule and a great way to further connect to your backyard mountains. GMC’s volunteers are essential in making our work on the trails possible, and we want you to join us this season! Questions? Get in touch [email protected]
