Group Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering as a group is a fun and rewarding way to give back to trails. You’ll spend the day team-building and learning new skills and will walk away with a sense of accomplishment knowing that you helped WTA in our mission to create trails for everyone, forever. No experience is needed, but there are a few things to know before you get started.

HOW WE WORK WITH GROUPS

For groups of 2-6 people: You can go ahead and self-register for a work party. Please proceed to our trail work schedule to browse upcoming work parties in the next 4-6 weeks. During the registration process, you will be given the option to add up to five additional people to your group.

For groups of 7-20 people: We can accommodate private group work parties for community or corporate groups dependent upon staff availability at the time of the request.  For all group work parties we need at least two months advance notice to consider your request.  

• Community group work party questions? Reach out to volunteer@wta.org
• Learn more about corporate group work parties. Alternatively, contact our Individual and Corporate Giving Coordinator Rebecca Viets at rviets@wta.org.
• If your group includes youth under 18, please learn more about youth group work parties before requesting a group work party.

Group work parties with less than 15 people may remain open to the public to fill additional spots on the crew. If your group is larger than 20 individuals, we can offer multiple separate work parties. We cannot accommodate groups larger than 20 in one work party. 

SCHEDULE

We offer work parties Tuesday through Sunday throughout the year across the state. Our typical work party starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends by 3:30 p.m. Location options may be impacted by weather and seasonal conditions. Greater flexibility in your date request will unlock more volunteer opportunities.  

This does not include your group’s travel time to and from the work party location. Please use the driving directions included in your registration to determine how early your group needs to be on the road in order to arrive at the trailhead by our start time. 

LOCATION

When you reach out to WTA to begin setting up your work party, we will provide work party location and date options for your consideration. We cannot guarantee work parties at specific trails. Greater flexibility in your location request will unlock more volunteer opportunities.  

Be Prepared for Volunteer Day

We want everyone in your group to have a great day outside. Not sure if your group is going to enjoy a day of digging in the dirt? Here’s a handy checklist to help determine whether everyone in your group is ready to volunteer: 

• No experience is necessary—just bring a great attitude for working with a team! WTA provides the training and tools you need.
• Volunteers will be physically active for up to 6 hours on uneven terrain, but we encourage volunteers to work at their own pace.
• While there may be a toilet at the trailhead, our project sites are rarely near toilets. Is your group comfortable with relieving themselves outside according to Leave No Trace principles?
• Volunteers should have the following: closed toed sturdy shoes (preferably boots), long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, gloves and be willing to wear a WTA-provided hard hat all day, as well as eye protection when requested by the crew leader.

WHAT TO BRING

• Volunteers should wear closed-toe sturdy boots, long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and a pair of work gloves (like those you would use for gardening)
• A pack to carry personal gear
• Lunch and plenty of water
• Rain jacket and pants
• An extra set of warm clothing in case of wet or cold weather
• A sense of fun and adventure for learning new skills and meeting great people!

For more information, read our Frequently Asked Questions and check out our Trail Work Guide for an introduction to the kind of work you may do.

How to Set Up Your Group Work Party

1. Complete our Group Work Party Request Form
2. You’ll be sent an  email confirming we received your request. Within a couple of weeks, we will let you know whether or not we are able to accommodate your group. If we can, we’ll provide work party date and location options for your consideration.

Once we’ve agreed on a date and location, we will send you registration information to provide to your group. Each group member needs to register, provide their email address and complete our annual waiver. This ensures that everyone who is volunteering receives important information regarding the work party.