Check out our 2025 summer volunteer projects!

No experience necessary. Join us for one day or multiple days. All tools are provided. Complimentary camping and most dinners are provided.. Registration is required for all events - all volunteers must each register separately.

If you have difficulty registering, please contact [email protected].

Trail Renewal events start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. Expect to travel and work on rugged and uneven ground. Please register only if you can volunteer for a full day. Want to know more about what to expect on a Trail Renewal event? Check out our FAQ.

A special way to support our group projects – We’re looking for folks to participate as a camp cook. This person would arrive at camp at 4:00pm to set up for dinner. If you’re interested in cooking, please contact Barbara Budd at [email protected].

2025 Projects Dates and locations are subject to change on trail maintenance needs.

Our 2025 Project List is still being determined. In March, we'll have an Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities webinar where we'll outline the projects for the year. That's also when registration will open for most events. To be notified about the webinar and upcoming volunteer opportunities, sign up for our once-a-month volunteer e-newsletter, Boots on the Ground. Sign up here.

Ongoing All Summer - 

Trail work between the southern terminus and Two Harbors has ended for 2024. We'll have more events starting in April or May. Registration will be open in March.

Join our southern area contractor, Larry, as he leads trail maintenance events in the Duluth vicinity. Depending on the day, you might find Larry leading groups of volunteers lopping, weed whipping, or building trail structures like stairs or boardwalks. Check out the list on the registration page for dates and details about what project will happen at any given event.  When you get to the registration page, look for events that start with the words "Duluth Area."

Dates and projects will be posted regularly throughout the summer. We post these opportunities four or more weeks in advance, though last-minute opportunities will also arise, so keep coming back to find a date that works for you!

Register here!

Introduction to Trail Work  New to trail maintenance? Have you ever wondered if this was something you'd enjoy? This half-day event is a great way to check out what it's all about. No experience necessary.

There are currently no Introduction to Trail Work events scheduled.

Adopt a section of trail: Section Adopters inspect and maintain a 2-5 mile section of the trail at least twice per year. The primary goal of a section adopter is to lop back the persistent brush that threatens to obscure the Trail. Check out the full job description. Update 5/10/22 - We are celebrating 100% adoption! If you would like to be on the waiting list for a section, please fill out this form. We will get back to you as soon as there is an opening on our adopter list.

Adopt a campsite: Campsite Adopters inspect and maintain a SHT campsite at least twice per year. They clean out the fire ring, clear brush, and report hazard trees in the area. Check out the full job description. Update 5/10/22 - We are celebrating 100% adoption! If you would like to be on the waiting list for a campsite, please fill out this form. We will get back to you as soon as there is an opening on our adopter list.

To file your volunteer hours, please follow this link to get to your volunteer portal and the reporting system. If you do not yet have a portal, or if you have any questions  this, please email [email protected].

If you have any questions about adopting, please email [email protected].

There are lots of ways to volunteer at SHTA, and not all of them require using a shovel or a saw.

Below are some areas where we can use help. If you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, please contact [email protected]. Let us know how you'd like to help out at SHTA, and we'll let you know when opportunities arise. If you have a skill to share or an idea of how you can help that isn't on the list, let us know.

• Facebook moderators
• Trail Ambassador
• Trail store and office
• Camp cook (for group events)
• Photography
• Education and outreach, tabling
• Professional/Technical

These instructions are for Adopters, Trail Clearing (sawyers/swampers), and other individual projects (i.e. tabling, office/store, board activities). If you participate in a Trail Renewal or Duluth Area Group Project, your hours are automatically recorded. Do not fill them out using this system.

Please note that there were several years that records were not being kept in this system. At this point, we do not have plans to enter them here, but know those hours were recorded in the fiscal years when they were performed.

Instructions for filing your hours.

Here are the steps to follow:

• Click on https://superiorhiking.secure.force.com/requestVolPortalAccess
• If you use the email address that you gave SHTA, you should be in the system and it will automatically generate an email to you sending you a secure link that is your personal, secure volunteer portal.
  • Go to that email and click on the link you find there.
  • Scroll down to Your Volunteer History and click on the "Submit a New Task" button on the right.
  • Fill out the form.
    • If you are entering adopter hours and need to file a full report, at the volunteer activity question, choose "Adopter, Section and/or Campsite (full report)" and the long form report will open. Please fill out the entire form and click Submit at the bottom
    • One note: Date you began is the date you started your adopter work this spring. If it was multiple days, don't worry, just one date is necessary. Then you can put the total number of hours (so yes, you could have 32 hours listed, but only one day listed). If you are also entering hours from last fall, please do a separate entry for fall.
  • Scroll to the bottom and click "Submit."
  • You can keep that link (by saving the email and/or bookmarking your portal link) and use it to file all of your volunteer hours, except any hours spent on a group project like our Trail Renewal Projects or Duluth Trail Maintenance - those will be entered by the crew leader. If you lose the link, you can get a new one by requesting it using the same link above.
• If you use a different email address, or if you have never been in our database (for example, if you brought a friend to help you, they need to enter hours, but they won't be in the database), the above link will give you an error message to contact [email protected]. If you get that message, please send me an email with your (or your helper's) name, email address, and zip code, and I will send out a link to the portal. It may take me a day or two to respond to that request, depending on which day the request arrives. Once I get the request, I will initiate an email with a link to your (or your helper's) volunteer portal. Then follow the steps above starting with "Go to that email and click on the link you find there."

If you brought friends out with you, please have them file their hours separately. If they don't want to do that, please just let me know via email at [email protected]. But it would be very helpful to have everyone's hours logged in our system for accurate reporting. You can have them request their link directly from me, or you can send me their names and emails and I'll send out a link to them, whatever works best for you.

Because the SHT is an affiliate of the North Country Trail, SHTA volunteers have access to the Volunteer-In-Parks program. The VIP program for the NCT is co-managed by the National Park Service and the North Country Trail Association. The VIP program provides important protection for volunteers. All VIPs are entitled to the same injury considerations that NPS employees receive (provided they are operating within their approved scope of duties and NPS policies). Additionally, VIPs are recognized for their contributions and earn annual recognition items based on hours of service and are eligible to attend certain skills and leadership training.

To sign up as a VIP, please follow this link. Choose "Individual Agreement Sign-Up Process" and take into consideration the instructions below.

Under Step 1, there are multiple categories to choose from. Please select all titles where you could potentially volunteer. If you ever choose to add a position, you will need to update your VIP paperwork if you do not choose it now.

* As an SHTA volunteer, please contact [email protected] when the position description states to contact someone within NCTA and the Chapters.

Follow the rest of the steps as outlined.