Volunteer Vacation - North Country National Scenic Trail, MN

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:

Trek the hills and valleys, and stand on the shores of lakes and streams formed by glaciers 10,000 years before at North Country National Scenic Trail! Clear-flowing water, a fairyland of snow, open prairies, and distant horizons paint this incredible trail. Historic sites along the way tell how America settled and grew as a nation. Spanning 4,800 miles across eight states, North Country National Scenic Trail is one the longest National Scenic Trails in the country.

Volunteers will work on building a new segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail southwest of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The work will involve using hand tools to clear the trail corridor of brush, remove tripping hazards like rocks and roots, and to level the soil creating the trail tread. Volunteers will drive or carpool to the trailhead. The hike from the road into the worksite is less than two miles. The campsite will be at Schoolcraft State Park, which is approximately 14 miles from the trail project site.

During this project, North Country National Scenic Trail’s average high temperature is 69°, and average low temperature is 48°.

Accommodations: Volunteers will stay at a campground located at Schoolcraft State Park. Bathrooms will be available at the State Park Campground but showers will be available at the YMCA in Grand Rapids during the week. The campsite will have a full camp kitchen setup. Volunteers need to bring their own camping gear, sleeping bags or linens, towels, and personal toiletries.

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/north-country-national-scenic-trail-mn-volunteer-vacation-2024/