Volunteer Vacation - Mammoth Cave National Park, KY

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:

Join this project to support backcountry trail maintenance in Mammoth Cave National Park, and explore the longest known cave system in the world!

Mammoth Cave National Park is a park on two levels - 52,830 acres of reclaimed hardwood forest and winding riverways, and below it, the longest known cave system in the world, surveyed at 426 miles to date. Located within a day’s drive of major population centers, it offers camping, hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, canoeing, picnicking, and cave tours. Mammoth Cave was established as a national park in 1941, later designated a World Heritage Site in 1981, and an International Biosphere Reserve in 1990. The Biosphere Reserve area was increased from 112,830 acres to 909,328 in 1996. In 2021 the park was certified as a Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association. The purpose of Mammoth Cave National Park is to preserve, protect, interpret, and study the internationally recognized biological and geologic features and processes associated with the longest known cave system in the world, the park’s diverse forested, karst landscape, the Green and Nolin rivers, and extensive evidence of human history; and to provide and promote public enjoyment, recreation, and understanding.

Volunteers will drive back and forth in their personal vehicles on paved roadway from the Maple Springs Housing Facility to the trailhead daily. Distance from housing to the trailhead will vary depending on the amount of work done the previous day. Maple Springs Trailhead is less than a 1 mile drive and the Lincoln Trailhead is about a 6.5 miles drive. Once work has reached the midpoint of the trail, volunteers will park at the opposite end of the trail and hike in to commence work at the midpoint and hike back out to the vehicles daily.

Volunteers who are experienced paddlers will also have the opportunity to participate in the river clean up. River levels are typically low and have very little current requiring the volunteer to be able to paddle the 12-15 miles with their gear and any accumulated litter picked up. Several sections on the river may cause the paddler to have to get out of their canoe or kayak to drag across the gravel riverbed. The park will coordinate with the Friends of Mammoth Cave canoes/kayaks, paddles, life vests, and shuttle service to and from the launch sites for the river cleanup for those interested.

During this trip, Mammoth Cave National Park’s average high temperature is 79°, and average low temperature is 61°.

Accommodations: Volunteers will stay at the Maple Springs bunkhouse which has 3 main spaces set up as bedrooms with a total of 17 twin beds, most of which have metal wardrobes for private storage. Two separate bathrooms with showers are connected to the outside portion of the house. The cooking and dining area for bunkhouses located in the nearby renovated garage that is set up as a kitchen and classroom, with picnic tables outside. The kitchen/classroom has all major appliances, including 2 refrigerators and 2 stoves. There are no laundry facilities at the bunkhouse. Firewood may be purchased at the camp store or downed trees/limbs foraged from the wooded area near the housing facility. Cutting standing trees is prohibited. Commuting from housing (located on the North Side of the Green River) to the Visitor Center Area may be up to a one-hour commute. Volunteers should plan for the Ferry to not operate during the visit when the water levels are low. The ferry status can be found on the alert page of the park's website (https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/conditions.htm) along with other critical information that is shared with the public.

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/mammoth-cave-national-park-ky-volunteer-vacation-2024/