Volunteers Blazing The Way For Adventure

March 05, 2019
News
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

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Volunteers Blazing The Way For Adventure
Volunteer nailing trail blazes at Ramapo Mountain State Forest. Photo by Ben Sugar.

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Trail Conference volunteer father-daughter team Otto + Olivia are blazing the way for adventure!

Together they cut sheets of aluminum into 290 blazes for trails across North Jersey, including Ringwood State Park, Norvin Green State Forest, and Ramapo Valley County Reservation. They also snipped corners and drilled nail guide holes for each of the 290 blazes. Plus: They recently adopted a trail together in Ramapo Mountain State Forest! Thank you for all you do, Otto + Olivia! You rock!

Interested in learning more about trail maintenance?

If you’re passionate about trails and are looking for one to call your own, the Trail Conference needs volunteers like you! Trail maintainers adopt a 1 to 2-mile section of trail in their favorite park to ensure it remains open and safe for fellow users. Maintainer responsibilities include:

  • Hiking your trail section a minimum of two times a year.
  • Clearing your trail of natural obstructions and litter.
  • Blazing your trail.
  • Educating hikers about trail use and preservation.
  • Protecting the trail from erosion and misuse.

No prior experience is necessary; just bring a love for hiking and the outdoors!  We encourage attending a free trail maintenance workshop that gives you hands-on experience, teaches trail maintenance protocol, and prepares you to become a trail maintainer. Skills taught in this workshop include how to clip trail corridor, clean drainage structures, proper blazing techniques, and reporting trail conditions.

2019 Trail Maintenance Workshops + Hikes:

Sunday, April 14: Schunnemunk Mountain State Park, Monroe, N.Y. (Sold Out!)

Saturday, April 20: Stokes State Forest, Branchville, N.J.

Saturday, May 4: FDR State Park, Yorktown Heights, N.Y.

Saturday, May 4: Trail Maintenance Hike at Neversink River Unique Area, Rock Hill, N.Y.

Saturday, May 11: Trail Conference Headquarters, Mahwah, N.J.

Stay tuned for more 2019 workshops!

The trails belong to all of us, and we need your help in protecting them. Join our force of 2,400 trail-loving volunteers maintaining more than 2,100 miles of trail from Catskill Park to the Delaware Water Gap.

Please explore our volunteer opportunities, fill out a volunteer interest form, or email us at [email protected] to see which trails need some love.