Volunteer Vacation - Eagle Cap Wilderness, OR

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 popular trip and head into the Hurricane Creek drainage in the Eagle Cap Wilderness!

The Eagle Cap Wilderness lies in the heart of the Wallowa Mountains in northeastern Oregon on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The Hurricane Creek trail is a major access point for hikers and horses into the Eagle Cap Wilderness. View massive granite and limestone cliffs, waterfalls, and an abundance of wildflowers along the trail. Gradually climb across subalpine meadows alternating with timbered areas. This route will provide panoramic views of Sacajawea, Matterhorn and Eagle Cap Peaks. Cross-country hiking in and around the basin provides spectacular views and photographic opportunities.

Volunteers will work on constructing trail drainage structures such as water bars to prevent erosion, installing check dams to reclaim sections of incised tread, constructing a turnpike to get through a wet/muddy area, clearing brush out of the trail corridor and restoration of campsites and/or fire rings near Echo and Billy Jones Lakes. Volunteers will depart from Hurricane Creek Trailhead and backpack into basecamp near the confluence of Billy Jones and Hurricane Creeks. Pack stock will carry all food and group gear, giving volunteers time for a 4.5 mi hike with 1200 ft of gain. Volunteers will hike 1-5 miles daily with elevation gain of up to 3000 ft on backcountry trails. Volunteers may choose to drive their own vehicle or be transported in a Forest Service vehicle to the trailhead. Hurricane Creek Trailhead is about 10 miles from the initial meeting location in Enterprise, OR and is accessible by passenger vehicle. Parking is limited so carpooling to the trailhead is encouraged.

During this trip, Eagle Cap Wilderness has an average high temperature of 83°, and average low temperature of 58°.

Accommodations: The base camp for this project will be in a backcountry setting. Volunteers should be prepared for a backpacking-like experience with a few extra amenities in the camp kitchen such as coolers, roll-up tables, and a four-burner propane stove. Showers will be provided at the end of the project. Toilets are not provided during the trip. Volunteers need to bring their own camping gear, sleeping bags or linens, towels, and personal toiletries. Volunteers that do not depart of the final day will have the option to camp at the Forest Service undeveloped camping site with their own camping gear. Showers will be available at a nearby fire warehouse.

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/eagle-cap-wilderness-or-volunteer-vacation-2024/