Apply to Join the Volunteer Long Trail Patrol
Why Join the volunteer trail crew?
Run away and join the trail crew for a week! You’ll:
- Meet new people of all ages and backgrounds while working and living on the trail,
- Learn how to build and maintain hiking trails,
- Or, if you’re already an experienced trail maintainer, practice your skills on some neat projects.
2023 Crew Schedule
Volunteers arrive at base camp in Mt. Tabor, VT on Thursday evenings at 6pm. They enjoy a communal dinner together, have a quick introduction and sleep at base camp. After breakfast and packing gear on Friday morning, the crew carpools in GMC vehicles to the trailhead, hikes into their worksite and stays in the woods until the following Tuesday. At midmorning on Tuesday they pack up gear, hike out, drive back to basecamp and de-rig before heading for home or enjoying their days off prior to their next week of volunteering.
- June 22 – June 27
- June 29 – July 4
- July 6 – July 11
- July 13 – July 18
- July 20 – July 25
- July 27 – August 1
- August 3 – August 8
Volunteer Position Description
Spending a week (or more!) as a member of a volunteer trail crew is a significant commitment. Please review the volunteer trail crew member description prior to filling out your application. Contact [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns prior to applying.
How it works
A volunteer trail crew consists of four to six rotating volunteers led by a GMC Crew Leader and an Assistant Crew Leader. Volunteer crew members work for a week at a time (with the option of working single or multiple weeks) along the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail on projects such as building puncheon, turnpikes, water bars, side-hill tread, and bridges. Volunteers are based out of the Mt. Tabor Work Center in Mt. Tabor, Vermont. Most Volunteer Crew projects are in the Green Mountain National Forest, and some are in federally designated wilderness areas.
Crews work Friday through Tuesday in the field in most weather. They work with rock and lumber, as well as native timber as projects require. Crew volunteers arrive at the Mt. Tabor Work Center each Thursday and have a communal dinner with GMC staff. Friday through Monday nights, crews camp near their worksites and share a communal camp kitchen, as well as camp chores. The GMC provides transportation to the worksite trailhead, food for the crew during the workweek, tools, personal protective equipment, and some group equipment (stove, fuel, cookware, first aid supplies), as well as some personal gear for volunteers to borrow. Communal day-off housing is available in Mt. Tabor. You must be 18 or older to participate.
What you’ll do with the volunteer trail crew:
- Learn to use tools such as rockbars and pick-mattocks for their maximum mechanical advantage; Read “Leverage: It’s Not About Size or Strength”
- Turn a 50-foot mud pit into a dry, sustainable, and pleasant hiking surface which will persist for decades
- Eat delicious food, make new friends, and give back to Vermont’s hiking trails!
