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Where you'll be:
Discover Lost Lake, nestled near Cottonwood Pass, boasting clear blue-green waters and a rock island. Despite its lack of a designated trail, Lost Lake remains easily accessible, just 30 minutes outside of Buena Vista—an ideal spot for a weekend getaway. This area attracts around 1,000 people annually and improvements are needed to make the enjoyment of this lake more sustainable.
What you'll do:
Embark on a trail relocation project aimed at resource protection, wildlife habitat improvement, watershed health, and user safety.
VOC volunteers helped to complete the first phase of this project in 2022. Now, we are returning to help the US Forest Service complete phase two which involves restoring the user-created route and constructing new tread, with a focus on heavy rock work, tread improvement, and corridor management. Enjoy breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, along with dinner on Saturday. Bring your own lunch (BYOL).
Why it's important:
Your efforts will contribute to the restoration and revegetation of high-alpine tundra and riparian areas suffering from decay due to off-route travel. Thousands of hikers frequent this area each year, and by redirecting users away from sensitive zones, your work will jumpstart revegetation, mitigate erosion, and positively impact both the environment and its users.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Ages 16+
For overnight projects, all youth under 18 must be accompanied by an adult aged 21 or older.
Difficulty:
This project is moderate to difficult in nature, please click here to read more about our difficulty rating criteria
Accessibility Features:
Work at a high elevation (11,500ft) site, requiring a 1/2 to 2-mile hike to work sites. No cell service and no on-site facilities.
