June is just around the corner, and Summit’s trails are beginning to defrost. Organizations across Summit County geared toward maintaining trails and natural areas already have their calendars full of volunteer opportunities. 

Friends of the Dillon Ranger District program manager Lizzie Morrison explained Summit County’s trails provide access to the area’s picturesque wilderness. The trails are one of the county’s biggest draws, but they don’t take care of themselves.

“If you love to use the trails and bike and hike and go into the wilderness, it would be great to give a couple hours of your summer to give back to those trails,” she said. 

Morrison said Friends of the Dillon Ranger District, Friends of Breckenridge Trails and the Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance all have opportunities for people to give back this summer. 

Karn Stiegelmeier, a longtime volunteer with the Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance, said the White River National Forest’s status as the most visited national forest in the nation creates a lot of wear and tear.

“We have more visitors and fewer Forest Service employees. It’s more important than ever (to volunteer), and there are lots of opportunities,” she said.

Friends of Dillon Ranger District

Trail Projects

Trail projects through Friends of the Dillon Ranger District start in June and run through the end of October. Volunteers can help trail construction and maintenance, erosion control, corridor clearing, turnpike construction and building bridges. All gloves, tools and instruction will be provided.

Here’s what’s on the books so far:

• June 26 — Gore Range Trailhead Maintenance
• June 27 — Wheeler Flats/Ten Mile Creek Trailhead
• June 28 — Peak 7 Siberian Trailhead/Green Gate
• July 10 — Frog Trail near Frey Gulch
• July 17 — Quandary Peak Trail Maintenance

For updates, visit TinyUrl.com/zdry6whf.

Forest Health Projects

Volunteers assisting with forest health can help with weed removal, planting and collecting native seed, collecting stream data and habitat protection and restoration. No experience is necessary, and all tools, gloves and instruction will be provided.

Here’s what’s on the books so far:

• June 3 — Holy Cross Ranger Station
• June 7 — Lake Dillon Clean Up
• June 18 — Keystone Mountain Clean Up
• July 11 — Mesa Cortina
• July 12 — Summit County Community Weed Pull
• July 23 — Maryland Creek Park
• Aug. 1 — Mesa Cortina
• Aug. 12 — Tiger Road Staging Area
• Aug. 22 — Copper Mountain
• Aug. 28 — Copper Mountain

For updates, visit TinyUrl.com/33tt9ntv.

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Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance

Stiegelmeier said many of the volunteer opportunities with Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance require a quick training so they are done well and responsibly. Opportunities range from pulling noxious weeds, updating signs, clearing and maintaining trails and more.

Trail-related projects:

• June 10 — North Rock Creek to Boss Mine and Pebble Creek
• June 12 —Willow Creek Trailhead to Mesa Cortina to Buffalo Connector
• June 13 — Meadow Creek Trail
• June 14 — North Ten Mile Creek Trail
• June 16 — Meadow Creek Trail
• June 27 — Meadow Creek Trail
• July 10 — Meadow Creek Trail
• July 15 — Rock Creek to Boulder Lake Trail Clearing

For updates, visit Wild4Eswa.org/eswa-events.

Friends of Breckenridge Trails opportunities

There’s opportunities to volunteer on Breckenridge trails up through mid-August.

Here’s Breckenridge-specific opportunities:

• July 7 — Meet at Carter Park Pavilion to do work five different trails throughout town
• June 21 — B&B Trailhead
• July 19 — Baker’s Tank Trail
• Aug. 2 — Baker’s Tank Trail
• Aug. 16 — Blue River Trail

For more information, visit BreckOst.com/events.

The National Repertory Orchestra adopted a stretch of the Blue River between the dredge near Ollie’s Pub & Grub and Breckenridge Station (the gondola) around two years ago and does maintenance projects on it. Volunteering comes with free lunch. Volunteer dates include: May 20, June 10, July 1, July 22, Aug. 12, Sept. 2 and Sept. 23.

More information can be found at NroMusic.org/ways-to-give/volunteer/.