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***Note: the camp location has been updated as of 6/13/2023

Project Description:

Join Wild Arizona for our Summer Stewardship Series in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Every other weekend starting Memorial Day Weekend, we will host a camping trip to work on some of the region's trails. For the third event, the weekend of June 24th, we will Camp near Hannagan Meadow and work on the nearby Horse Ridge Trail # 38. Stewardship activities will include clearing logs off the trail, controlling overgrowth, and installing erosion control structures. No prior trail work experience necessary!

This is a moderately strenuous volunteer opportunity that will include hiking (up to four miles per day in mountainous terrain), tool use, digging, bending, and lifting.

A private USFS group camp will be provided at the Hannagan helibase (coordinates below), about a 5 minute drive from the work area. A vault toilet is accessible from camp at the adjacent Foot Creek/Steeple Trailhead, and a spigot is available across the street at Hannagan Campground.

A free camp dinner will be provided Saturday night!

There are limited spots available, so please officially register via this page, and cancel if your plans change so that another volunteer can take your place.

Itinerary:

Friday (optional): Meet at the Hannagen helibase and set up camp in the afternoon/evening. Introduce yourself and relax by the campfire.
Saturday: Leave camp in the morning for a full work day on the Horse Ridge Trail (9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). Return to camp in the afternoon and enjoy a free group dinner provided by Wild Arizona.
Sunday: Work a half day on the trail. Break camp and say our goodbyes! Expect to be on the road by the early afternoon.

Location:

Camp: Hannagan helibase (33.63262, -109.32557) Google Maps Link
Work: Horse Ridge Trail #38 (33.68885, -109.21854) Google Maps Link
Directions from Alpine: Drive 22 miles south on US Highway 191 past Hannagan Meadow Resort to Hannagan Campground on the west (right). Immediately across the the street from Hannagan Campground is a dirt road that leads to the Foot Creek/Steeple Trailhead. The only right turn off this road leads to our camp.
Note: Exact work and camp locations may be subject to change.

Gear, Tools, PPE:

All necessary trail tools and instruction for their safe and proper use will be provided by Wild Arizona.
Hardhats and gloves are provided (or you can bring your own).
Bring your own: long-sleeve shirt, long pants, sunglasses/safety glasses, and closed toe shoes, (gloves and hardhat if you have them).
A large group camp stove will be available to use for breakfasts and Friday's personal dinners.

What to Bring:

Per our safety policy, a long-sleeve shirt, long pants, sunglasses/safety glasses, and closed toe shoes are mandatory to participate in volunteer work.
Personal camping gear: tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, messkit, headlamp, toiletries, camp chair, guitar, etc.
Warm layers and a rain jacket
Water bottles or hydration pack (3 liter per day capacity minimum for the work day)
Personal food: breakfast, lunch, and snacks. If arriving Friday, bring a personal dinner. Saturday night's group dinner will be provided by Wild Arizona.
A day bag/backpack to carry snacks, lunch, water, layers, rain jacket, etc. while working
Camp chair
What else? If you are unsure about what else to bring, or if you need to borrow any of the items listed above, please reach out to Luke (contact info below).

Contact:

Luke Koenig (Volunteer Coordinator)

Luke@wildarizona.org

(443) 676-3200

About the Area:

Apache Sitgreaves ("A–S") is a large and remote National Forest that sits along Arizona's eastern border with New Mexico. The A-S is a high-elevation, mountainous area, and a cool and breezy escape from the hot desert below. Situated along the Mogollon Rim, its dramatic elevation changes and position in an ecological transition zone contribute to the area's remarkable biodiversity--home to many hundreds of species of wildlife, including the endangered Mexican gray wolf.

Apache-Sitgreaves contains three Wilderness Areas and the Blue Range Primitive Area, remarkable bastions of protected ecosystems and human-powered recreation. It's rugged terrain, jaw-dropping scenery, hundreds of miles of trails, immense forests, deep canyons, and trout streams offer a lifetime of exploration. Before this area became a National Forest, it has long been home to indigenous people, including the Apache, for whom the forest is named. The forest is home to countless archaeological and culturally significant sites.

This is the region that inspired some of the most famous work of influential conservationist Aldo Leopold. His essays, "Escudilla," "Thinking like a Mountain" and "On Top" reflect on his time spent working in Apache National Forest--an experience that contributed to his groundbreaking ecological work and role in establishing the world's first legally protected Wilderness Areas.

This area has long been at the nexus of our relationship to wild places and public lands. Join us in the next chapter as we build a stewardship community surrounding its trails-- the throughlines that connect us to wild places, and increasingly, wild places to each other.

Trail Stewardship Camping Trip in Apache-Sitgreaves #3

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