Love NY Hikes? Volunteer For Adopt-A-Trail Program

Hiking the Adirondacks and the many trails throughout the Capital Region and beyond is and has been very popular in 2020 because of the pandemic. The New York State Department of Conservation is looking for hikers who want to Adopt-A-Trailhead to volunteer to keep them clean and safe. So if you are passionate about hiking and helping, here's your chance.

There has been an influx of people enjoying the outdoors like parks, lands, and especially the hundreds of trails in Upstate New York. So many people I know who never went hiking before took an interest during the pandemic and because of the increase in foot traffic, the DEC needs help keeping the hiking trails clean and those new hikers educated according to News Channel 10.

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Those who have been enjoying the trails aren't as educated in keeping trails clean and safe. The Adopt-a-Trailhead volunteers will be the ones to help trail users learn about being prepared on the trail which will, in turn, help keep litter off the trails. If more hikers are educated, they will be able to maintain safety and potentially harmful to themselves and the lands. There is also a need for hikers to find alternative trails in the Adirondacks with a similar experience but with fewer hikers on them.

If you would like to apply, you can click HERE. If your application is approved, the groups or individual hikers will be given a specific trailhead that is in their area. The Adopt-a-Trailhead program will provide online training courses with visitor interaction and education, virtual meetings with the DEC staff, spending time at assigned trailheads, and monthly reports that highlight stats like the number of volunteers and hours spent on the trailhead.