Keystone Trails Association
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KTA Trail Care Program
TRAIL CARE FAQs

How to sign up

As introduced in 2023, we are shifting to an online sign-up process. This will facilitate better recordkeeping and ease of reconciling DCNR Conservation Volunteer hours. Also, there is a dedicated website for each of the Trail Care Events with details on camping options, logistics, links to trail information, etc. For more information on each event, and to sign up, head to the main Trail Care page: https://www.kta-hike.org/trail-care-program.html

Questions?
Jenn Ulmer
Manager of Trail Maintenance & Training
[email protected]
​570-854-8316

Volunteer Options

Trail Care events will include Friday as a scheduled workday. Camping sites for Trail Care Weekends will be available on Thursday evenings for participants who want to roll-in and get set up. Two full days of trail work on Friday and Saturday are followed by evenings of campfire sociability and possibly dinner out at a local restaurant (Dutch treat). After a morning of additional trail work, the weekend concludes around noon on Sunday. Volunteers who cannot work the trail on Friday are still very welcome to come in Friday night for work on Saturday and/or Sunday. Participants provide their own camping gear and food.

Code Orange events are a one day event usually scheduled to work in a State Park. Camping may be available and food is sometimes provided.

If you can't attend an entire event, you can join the group for whatever portion is convenient. No experience or special skills are required. Tools and work gloves will be provided.
Volunteers agree to the KTA Activity Waiver. 

TYPICAL TRAIL CARE SCHEDULE
(these times may vary depending on your or our circumstances)

Thursday:
Arrive in the late afternoon to evening. See event website.
Dinner is on your own.

Friday - Saturday:
​~6:00 a.m. Wake Up
~7:00 
a.m. Breakfast
7:30 a.m. 
Morning Meeting
8:00 a.m. Head out to the Trail
12:00 p
.m. Lunch in the Field
4:00 p
.m. Return to Camp
6:00 
p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Campfire (weather/supplies permitting)
10:00 
p.m. Bedtime (recommended)

Sunday:
~6:00 a.m. Wake Up

~7:00 a.m. Breakfast
7:30 a.m. 
Morning Meeting
12:00 p.m. Pack up and head home (or you can pack up during breakfast and leave from the work site)
Picture

What to Expect

WORK CONDITIONS

Trail building, clearing, and maintenance often involves vigorous work. This can include use of a chainsaw or brush cutter, moving tree limbs, doing rock work, digging treadway, or installing signage posts. The degree of difficulty of the work, however, varies with the task. Many volunteers perform less strenuous tasks, such as trimming back brush with hand loppers or blaze painting. Generally, there is plenty of work for every age, ability, and level of experience. Please let the leader know in advance about your work experience and the type of work that you can handle, so they can accommodate you. KTA will supply tools and equipment. You can bring your own tools if you wish.

Due to ever-changing weather conditions, it is necessary for all participants to prepare properly for the day ahead. All participants should carry no less than 2 quarts of water, a rain jacket, and light fleece or other insulating layer. It is also a good idea to have an energy bar or snack available. During the month of June, heavy rain and cool conditions can lead to hypothermia. Conversely, heat and humidity while working can cause heat exhaustion. The rule is: BE PREPARED FOR ALL CONDITIONS EACH AND EVERY WORK DAY.

LIVING CONDITIONS

Volunteers will sleep in campsites and/or cabins, or you can make your own arrangements to stay in a local motel. Accommodations will vary in each location, depending on the size and availability. There will be time in the evenings for relaxation and recreation.

Some Trail Care events may include meals. Check the event description. 
In order to ensure that all participants have a safe and enjoyable experience, any food intolerances, allergies, and medical conditions should be reported to the leader and Manager of Trail Maintenance. If you wish, this information may be kept confidential between the leader and any other individual who has the need for this information.

What to Bring

The list below is meant as a guide. Tweak it to fit your personal needs. Please also bring your patience and understanding, good humor, sense of adventure, and willingness to try new things! 
Camping and Personal items:
  • Tent/hammock/vehicle
  • Sleeping bag or bed roll suited for temperature
  • Air or foam mattress (provides ground insulation)
  • Fleece or other warm pullover/jacket
  • ​A change of work clothes for each day
    • long pants and long sleeves recommended to protect from scratches, insects, and the sun
    • wicking fabric, and layers if possible
    • not your Sunday best- may get dirty/painted​
  • Sturdy boots
  • Camp clothes for the evenings, sleeping clothes
  • Lightweight cap
  • Warm hat
  • Camp shoes
  • Soap, shampoo, toiletries, prescription medications
  • Flip flops or shower shoes
  • Camp chair​
  • Headlamp or flashlight and spare batteries
  • Personal food for meals not provided
  • Camp cook gear, vessels, utensils
Field items:
  • Day pack
  • 2-3 quart water bottles or hydration bladder
  • Lunch and snacks​
  • Rain jacket/pants / poncho / garbage bag
  • ​Sit pad for lunch and breaks
  • First Aid Kit
  • Knife or multi-tool
  • ​GPS unit or cell phone if you have one
  • Camera/cell phone
  • Compass (maps are usually provided)
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen, sun hat, bandana
  • Backcountry "go" kit (Leave No Trace!)
  • Ear and eye protection, hard hat, if you have your own
  • Work gloves if you have them
  • ​Insect repellent
  • Deer ticks, which can carry Lyme Disease, are present in all areas of Pennsylvania. Use tick repellent such as permethrin on clothing to help keep ticks away.

History

Picture
Keystone Trails Association (KTA) launched its Trail Care program in 1984. This year, KTA will sponsor its 40th (!!!) annual Trail Care season, dedicated to improving Pennsylvania’s hiking trails. Pennsylvania has thousands of miles of hiking trails. Helping to build and maintain these trails depends upon the commitment of volunteers from the hiking community. It’s up to us to keep our hiking trails in good condition. Join with KTA in giving some time back to Pennsylvania’s trails!

​Volunteering to maintain Pennsylvania's extensive system of hiking trails can be the most important and rewarding way for individuals to connect with one of KTA’s core missions. Each year, on designated weekends between April and November, dedicated Trail Care volunteers gather, armed with blaze paint, limb loppers, pulaskis and brush cutters, they clear and upgrade hiking trail corridors and treadways. 

​
The trail care program is for all ages and abilities, with no prior experience or special skills necessary. If you can handle a pair of loppers or wield a paintbrush, then your volunteer efforts will be much appreciated by everyone in the hiking community.

Thanks to past efforts of the KTA Summer Trail Crew and Trail Care weekend volunteers, Pennsylvania’s hiking community can justly be proud of the hiking experiences available on our state’s extensive system of footpaths.

We invite you to join in on this important and ongoing project.
You’ll meet volunteers from many places, sharing time and camaraderie with them. You’ll learn to appreciate Pennsylvania’s hiking trails in a new way. You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you contributed to this project. Invest your time in the future of Pennsylvania hiking trails, become a KTA Trail Care volunteer​.




Keystone Trails Association's Lehigh Gap Appalachian Trail Section
Picture
In addition to the events scheduled above, KTA also maintains a section of the Appalachian Trail in the Lehigh Gap area, north of Allentown. KTA's section includes 10 miles of the A.T. and 6 miles of side trails. For more information and to help us maintain the A.T., check out our website, email us at [email protected] or join the Facebook group.
​


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  • About
    • News >
      • Newfoundland 2024 Trip Report
      • Newsletter Archive
      • Meet PA Hikers
      • Trail Care Stories
    • Contact
    • About KTA
    • Work For KTA
    • Strategic Plan
    • Volunteer with KTA
    • Our People
    • Our Story
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Press
    • Multimedia
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Advocacy >
      • Kids Trail Ambassador Program
    • Donate >
      • Monthly Giving: Keep Trails Alive
      • Planned Giving: The Heritage Society
      • Giving for the Future: Endowment Fund
      • Hike to Give: 100-Mile Trail Challenge
    • Membership
    • Events >
      • KTA Leave No Trace Level One Training
      • Wales 2025 >
        • Wales Interest Form
      • Keystone Hiking & Outdoor Weekend 2025
      • Backpacking for Beginners 2025
      • LHHT Slackpack 2025
  • GET OUTDOORS
    • KTA Gear Loaner Program
    • Trails
    • Pennsylvania Hiking Trail Trailers
    • Maps
  • Trail Care Program
    • FAQs Trail Care
    • Report a Trail Issue
    • 2025 Weekday Trail Care
    • #8 MST-Tioga
    • #09 AFT
    • #10 WRT
    • #11 CKT CO
    • Trail Love Events
    • KTA’s A.T. Section
  • Hiking Awards
  • Store
  • CLUBS
    • Hiking Clubs
    • KTA Grants-to-Clubs
    • Report Club Hours