Where You’ll Be:
Mt. Sneffels, located in Ouray, CO, is accessible through Yankee Boy Basin. This basin is home to fields of wildflowers and wildlife and leads up to one of the most beautiful fourteeners in the state. Nestled in the San Juan Mountains, Mt. Sneffels receives about 5,000-7,000 visitors annually, which is relatively low but has some of the worst conditions of the five major ranges, according to a recent report card procured by Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.
Nearest town: Ouray, CO 81432
The specific location will be shared with all registered volunteers 2 weeks before the project.
What You’ll Do:
At Mt. Sneffels, several large tundra beds are being undercut due to foot traffic. As soil erodes from beneath plant life, this delicate vegetation dies.
In partnership with Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, volunteers will help construct retaining structures and delineate the trail to ensure the continued health of this important alpine environment. Improvements such as installing tundra support walls and rock check steps will stabilize the footpath, allowing hikers to stay on the route and preventing widening of the existing trail.
Enjoy breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday, with dinner on Saturday. Bring your own dinner on Friday night, and enough snacks for the weekend.
Free campsites are available on Friday and Saturday nights, and volunteers are encouraged to arrive at base camp before 8 pm on Friday.
Support This Project as a Crew Chef Helper!
We provide full meals on our overnight projects to ensure volunteers are well-fed and ready for a day of volunteering, and we could use your help to make it happen!
View this document to learn more about how to support and sign up.
Why It Matters:
Colorado’s 54 fourteeners (peaks over 14,000 feet in elevation) see over 300,000 hikers and climbers each year – all of whom are traveling through the alpine tundra ecosystem. This ecosystem thrives in an environment of high winds, short growing seasons, and cold winters, but is very easily damaged by foot traffic and erosion. Construction and maintenance of hiking trails on fourteeners prevent impacts to the sensitive plants and wildlife, and restoration projects repair areas that have already been damaged.
Eligibility Requirements:
Ages 18+
Project Difficulty:
This project is considered difficult; please check our difficulty rating criteria here for more details.
General physical considerations for participating in this project (Some or all may apply): long hike to worksite with significant elevation gain; carrying project tools and materials to worksite; digging, shoveling, moving soil and rocks; repetitive bending, lifting, and walking; working at elevation; working and hiking on steep or uneven terrain.
You can expect to bend, squat, lift heavy objects, dig, reach, stretch, lean, rotate, and engage many muscle groups, all at a high elevation. This project is not for the faint of heart!
The hike from the campsite to the worksite is up to 2 miles. Volunteers may be hauling project materials up the trail to the worksite (logs for structures).
Access Factors:
Vehicle Access: Moderate vehicle clearance and AWD is require to get to the camping location.
Other Notes: This is a remote project. There is no cell service at the campsite or worksite.
Join us in reducing our carbon footprint by carpooling! Click here to sign up for the carpool (please do this after registering for the project).
If you enjoy trail maintenance, you can view similar projects here.
If you enjoy projects that include components of rock work, you can view similar projects here.
