Bitterroot National Forest, MT – Volunteer Vacation 2024

Come enjoy the magnificent mountains, the serenity of wilderness, the miracle of spring flowers, majestic big game, and the sounds of birds here in the Bitterroot Mountains! Explore nature and support trails in this 1.6 million acre forest in southwest Montana and Idaho.

Join this project in the heavily glaciated, rugged peaks of the Bitterroot Mountains. Volunteers will work with experienced wilderness stewards from the Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation to clear trails using crosscut saws, axes, and handsaws. For a third consecutive year, this collaborative effort will continue to open the Big Creek Trail #11 from Big Creek Lake to Packbox Pass (at milepost 13.8) on the Montana-Idaho border. This trail threads through a scenic Montana canyon and offers a pristine Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness experience. Secondary tasks may include brushing back overgrown vegetation, cleaning drains, and improving the drainage of trail tread. Time permitting, Volunteers will clear the South Fork Big Creek Trail #118, a 3-mile trail running along the southern shore of the lake. 

Big Creek Trail #11 winds about 2.5 miles alongside a shoreline with little elevation change until it begins to climb to Packbox Pass. The climb to the pass is steep with multiple switchbacks, gaining about 1300 feet over 2 miles. Depending on trail conditions, including the number of downed trees, the daily hike to the worksite could range from 0.1 miles to 3 miles. From the trailhead the first 8 miles are moderate, winding along the well-traveled creek through a forested area and gaining about 1530’ in elevation. The mile-long climb to the lake is fairly steep, with multiple switchbacks and an elevation gain of about 700’. The last mile to basecamp along the lake has little elevation change but narrow footing in places.

During this trip, Bitterroot National Forest’s average high temperature is 80°, and average low temperature is 56°.

There is no experience needed to join a Volunteer Vacation! Your expert hosts will provide detailed instruction, tool demonstrations, and project oversight throughout the week. All you need is a willing attitude and to be in good physical condition to participate in moderate physical activity for approximately 6-8 hours a day with plenty of breaks, at your own pace. Find out more about what it’s like to join a Volunteer Vacation and other frequently asked questions here.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis, and Salish peoples past and present. We honor the land itself, the Indigenous communities who have stewarded this land for generations, their deep and sacred connection to these lands, and those who continue to steward these lands today. We offer this land acknowledgement as the first of many steps to stand as an ally and amplify Indigenous voices. We invite the American Hiking Society community to join us through continued efforts to support Indigenous communities and learn more about the history of the lands on which we live, work and recreate.

Click here for a PDF of trip details.