Volunteer Vacation - Wayne National Forest, OH

Join American Hiking Society for a week of building & maintaining trails in exciting locations across the country. Volunteer Vacations foster public land stewardship and provide volunteers the opportunity to give back to the trails they love, meet new people, and have a great time doing it! Crews consist of 6-15 volunteers accompanied by a crew leader. Volunteer Vacations involve backpacking or day hiking and accommodations vary from primitive campsites to bunkhouses or cabins. Tools and supervision are provided by the host agency or organization. Experience nature up close. Travel to new destinations. Meet other outdoor enthusiasts. Take a vacation that nourishes your body & your spirit. Get Out. Give Back.

Project Specifics:

Help repair the Vesuvius Recreation Area hiking trails in Wayne National Forest, Ohio’s only national forest! The Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area is the Wayne National Forest’s premier developed recreation site and is named after the historic Vesuvius Iron Furnace. The rugged hills and out-cropping cliffs provide a scenic backdrop for this historical and beautiful site. It contains a 143-acre lake, two family campgrounds and one group campground, beach and swim area, multiple picnic areas, fishing, boating, hiking, scenic overlook and an archery trail. This recreation area is home to the 46-mile Lake Vesuvius Horse Trail System, open from early spring to winter.

On this project, trail work will consist of tread repair, brushing, adding signage, and pruning of the Vesuvius Recreation Area hiking trails. Volunteers will be driven to strategic points along the trails and hike into the trail to begin work. On average, Volunteers will be hiking 3 to 8 miles a day through varying elevations and steep terrain. OHVs are utilized to shuttle equipment and volunteers to work sites when possible.

During this trip, Wayne National Forest’s average high temperature is 76°, and average low temperature is 54°.

Accommodations: Volunteers will stay at the beautiful Oak Hill Campground. All campsites are fully accessible with water and electrical hook-ups. Two new flush restrooms with showers and one new vault restroom were installed. To view the accomodations and layout of Oak Hill Campground, please visit https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232904. There are 4 hiking trails that connect to different parts of this campground and boat dock. The Rock House, Black Oak, Old Beach, and Scarlet Oak Trails form a 1.5 mile loop with a 200-foot elevation change. Volunteers need to bring their own tent and personal camping gear, sleeping bag, towels, and personal eating utensils.

Trip Cost: $425 per person

Volunteer Experience: While trips do not require prior trail maintenance experience, all of our projects require participants to be in good physical condition and will involve 30-40 hours of physical labor during the week.

Find More Information & Register Here: https://americanhiking.org/volunteer-vacation-trip/wayne-national-forest-oh-volunteer-vacation-2024/