National Trail's Day® - Pinnell Mountain National Recreation Trail

Region:

Alaska

Join the Steese National Conservation Area on June 4, 2022 for a volunteer work day to help maintain the Pinnell Mountain National Recreation Trail near the Eagle Summit Wayside (Steese Highway mile 107) in celebration of National Trail's Day®. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., volunteers are asked to arrive anytime before noon to start work.

Sign up before noon on Monday, May 30, 2022 to be entered into a drawing for prizes.

For questions or to sign-up, contact the BLM at 907-474-2200 or PinnellMountainTrail@blm.gov.

Description of Work

Volunteer start and finishing times are flexible. The day of the event, volunteers can check-in to begin work at the Eagle Summit Wayside parking lot between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Please check-out with event personnel if you plan to leave before 5 p.m. 

After checking in for the day, volunteers may need to hike up to 2 miles from the parking area to reach their worksite. Some worksites are closer and can be reserved for those who may have trouble hiking further. Please let us know what your needs are. 

Work will focus on improvements to the boardwalk and revegetation area. Work may involve bending, stooping and squatting; working with hand tools such as shovels, rakes or hoes; working with lumber; and working with or around power tools such as drills and drivers. 

What to Bring

Volunteers should bring a backpack with enough water for the day, your favorite work gloves and clothing for a day in the mountains. The BLM and event sponsors will provide everything else: beautiful scenery, tools, food, protective equipment (including gloves if you need them) and other necessary protective equipment. If you'd like to bring your own tools contact the BLM about what may be needed.

We recommend you wear hiking boots and bring layers for working on the alpine trail. Weather conditions are highly variable at Eagle Summit, so volunteers should carry a backpack with layers suitable for working in cool, windy and possibly rainy conditions. You can monitor the forecast wind and temperature conditions for Eagle Summit here.

Safety

BLM staff trained in Wilderness First Aid will be on site with emergency equipment and communication devices. Volunteers must adhere to event safety and COVID-19 protocols based on the most current CDC and Department of the Interior policies. Hand sanitizer and masks will be provided. In the event we are unable to host an event, we will notify Volunteers 24 hours before the scheduled event.

Event Cancellation

The event may need to be cancelled due to severe weather or high rates of COVID-19 infections the week of the event. 

If an event is cancelled, we will notify volunteers who have signed up via email no later than 7 p.m. the evening before the event. We will also post the cancellation at the top of this event page. 

How to Sign up as a Volunteer

To help with planning and preparations, we are encouraging people to sign up early. Volunteers who sign up before noon on Monday, May 30 and participate in the June 4 event will be entered into a drawing. The drawing will occur in the afternoon of June 4. Prizes include a stay at a cabin in the White Mountains National Recreation Area, a voucher for a week at select BLM campgrounds, and other prizes donated by sponsors.

To sign up as a volunteer, individuals should fill out a Volunteer Service Agreement and return it to the BLM. Groups can have a group leader complete the Volunteer Service Agreement and group members can sign up using the Group Sign-up Form. Youth are also welcome to participate and must have parental or guardian approval on their Volunteer Service Agreement. If youth are part of a group, use the Group Sign-up Form and attach a completed Volunteer Service Agreement with a parent or guardian signature. Please note the group leader's name on the form.

Volunteer Forms

The forms are available by contacting the BLM via email at PinnellMountainTrail@blm.gov or on the phone at 907-474-2200 or 1-800-437-7021.   

You have several options for submitting completed forms to the BLM:     

Email forms to PinnellMountainTrail@blm.gov
Mail them or drop them in the BLM office drop-box

                      Bureau of Land Management 

                      Attn:  Pinnell Mountain Trail Repair

                      222 University Ave

                      Fairbanks, AK 99709

Bring forms with you to the event. Forms will also be available during the event at Eagle Summit for participants to sign-up on site. This does not count as early sign-up unless you communicate with BLM before noon on May 30 about your plans to work at an event.

Forms will be available during the events at Eagle Summit for participants to sign-up on site. So don’t worry if you can’t commit early — just show up before 12 p.m., and we will sign you up, give you an orientation, and put you to work.   

American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day ® is a nationally recognized trail awareness program that occurs annually on the first Saturday of June and inspires the public to discover, learn about, and celebrate trails while participating in outdoor activities, clinics, and trail stewardship projects. National Trails Day® is a registered trademark of American Hiking Society. 