Work with Coconino National Forest to restore ponderosa pine habitat
Join us the morning of April 26, 2025 for a half day of volunteering in Flagstaff, Arizona.
In 2022, Coconino National Forest completed a new trail plan for the Mt. Elden and Dry Lake Hills area north of Flagstaff, Arizona. To meet growing recreational demands and protect natural resources, the U.S. Forest Service is building new trails, rerouting eroded trails, and closing and restoring others.
Join us this summer to help the Forest Service turn its paper plan into on-the-ground action. Working alongside the agency, we will restore closed areas as specified in its trail plan to help wildlife, soil, and water quality recover and to improve the fire resilience of Flagstaff’s forests.
Volunteers ages 14 and up are welcome to help us move rocks and branches, build barriers, and clean up campsites for the benefit of our forests.
Location Arizona
Contact Volunteer Program
Open to Everyone
Topics Forest Ecology, Habitat Restoration
Who can sign up?
Many of our trips are family friendly! Please see our FAQs for more information or email us with questions about particular trips.
Membership is optional, but we ask that participants who are comfortable financially become members of the Grand Canyon Trust with a $25 donation. Members receive a subscription to our biannual print magazine, The Advocate. Please contact us if you have any questions. You’ll also need to submit your volunteer application form to secure your spot on the trip.
Note: Due to uncertainties and staffing interruptions in federal agencies, we cannot guarantee that all of our projects will move forward as scheduled. As we learn more, we’ll keep you updated. Thanks for your understanding and patience.
What to expect
We’ll meet in the morning near Flagstaff, Arizona (exact location will be specified in pre-trip emails) for a project introduction and safety talk. We will hike to the site (up to several miles) and work together through the morning. We’ll pack up our tools and say goodbye until next time around noon.
Accommodations
This is a day trip with no camping involved. Vehicles will be nearby, but plan to be without cell service or formal amenities for the morning.
The Trust provides: Snacks, water, field equipment, tools, and training.
Participants provide: Personal transportation to the site, individual work clothes, hiking boots, work gloves, wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, rain gear, and a refillable water bottle. Please come prepared.
How to sign up:
- Select “SIGN UP,” and follow the prompts.
- Check your email for further instructions.
- Send in your volunteer application form for the year.
- Become a member of the Grand Canyon Trust.
- A Trust trip leader will confirm your spot.
Questions? Email volunteernow@grandcanyontrust.org
Trip packing list
Our gear list will help you prepare. We can loan some items on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact us for details.
Frequently asked questions
Curious about logistics, the food you'll eat during the trip, or the difficulty of the field work? Check out the frequently asked questions.
7 perks of volunteering with the Trust
When you volunteer with the Trust, we make it worth your while. From eating good food, to learning new skills. Find out the perks of volunteering.
Public health considerations on volunteer trips
Our top priority is the safety and comfort of our trip participants. Precautionary measures that will be followed on trips to avoid the spread of communicable diseases will be communicated in pre-trip emails. If we feel that a trip cannot be safely conducted due to public health conditions, or for any other reason, we will cancel the trip with as much notice as possible. Volunteers or participants may reach out to volunteernow@grandcanyontrust.org with any questions.
The Grand Canyon Trust is committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion at every level of our work. The conservation field and the Colorado Plateau have their own histories of racial injustice and exclusion and as a largely white organization, we know we have work to do. We are actively working to make the conservation field and the Colorado Plateau more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive. Read the Grand Canyon Trust’s justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion statement
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