American Hiking Society

The mission of American Hiking Society is: Empowering all to enjoy, share, and preserve the hiking experience. At American Hiking Society (AHS), we envision a world where everyone feels a sense of belonging in the hiking community and has lasting access to meaningful hiking experiences, be that in urban, frontcountry, or backcountry settings.

Volunteer Vacations: American Hiking Society Volunteer Vacations are week-long adventure service trips hosted at picturesque locations across the country. These trips foster public land stewardship and provide volunteers the opportunity to give back to the trails they love, meet new people, and have a great time doing it! Crews consist of 6-15 volunteers accompanied by a crew leader. Volunteer Vacations involve backpacking or day hiking and accommodations vary from primitive campsites to bunkhouses or cabins. Tools and project supervision are provided by the host agency or organization. Volunteers experience nature up close, travel to new destinations, meet other outdoor enthusiasts, and enjoy a vacation that nourishes the body and spirit.

Crew Leader Training: The success of the Volunteer Vacations program depends on hard working and dedicated crew leaders. Leading a Volunteer Vacation crew for American Hiking is immensely rewarding and one of today's premier volunteer leadership positions working to support America's trails. The crew leader's main responsibilities include communication, meal planning, orientation, safety, and social leadership to ensure a week of quality trail work and great memories! Crew Leaders make invaluable contributions to the success of these trips. In order to ensure Volunteer Vacations 45+ years of impact continues, American Hiking is working to further develop and grow our crew leader program, including with a new in-person crew leader training in 2023. In 2023, AHS will host an in-person Crew Leader Training for 15 participants that will provide hands-on instructional courses and training materials led by experts to equip new participants with the skills and knowledge to successfully lead or co-lead a Volunteer Vacation. The training will include Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) specific training for event and volunteer management from JEDI experts. AHS will adapt the training to an online format as well for use in subsequent years by future crew leaders. Leaning on the vast experience and knowledge of current volunteers, the training will offer opportunities for experienced AHS Crew Leaders to facilitate select training sessions. The U.S. Forest Service has provided additional financial support for this program.

Alternative Break: American Hiking Society Alternative Break program offers students 18 years and older the opportunity to cultivate leadership, conservation, outdoor, and team-building skills during their spring break. For many, an Alternative Break with American Hiking is their first opportunity to participate in volunteer trail building and land conservation projects, sometimes even their first time hiking. AHS works directly with colleges/student groups and project hosts to facilitate week-long volunteer trail maintenance trips across the country, providing students the opportunity to learn from and work directly with land managers and conservation staff to gain valuable skills and an appreciation of everything that goes into trail maintenance. Alternative Break is funded through the generous support of individual donors, brand sponsors, and foundations. Typically, schools also pay a registration fee per student and for some of their other associated expenses like food and travel. AHS works to keep the registration fees as low as possible; in 2022, these fees covered 20% of the total cost of the program. For schools whose prospective AB participants have historically faced barriers to accessing outdoor leadership and conservation opportunities, we offer the opportunity to apply for comprehensive need-based financial assistance.

National Trails Day: National Trails Day is the only nationally coordinated event designed to unite all muscle-powered trail activities with the goal of connecting more people to trails. Every trail beckons adventure and has a story to share with any person willing to discover it, and American Hiking Society believes these trail experiences can improve the lives of every American. Each year, on the first Saturday of June, American Hiking Society and the trails community invite Americans of all ages and abilities to find their own adventure and discover their unique story at one of the thousands of events hosted throughout the country. By coordinating a wide array of trail activities on a single day, National Trails Day attracts new trail users and helps connect existing trail enthusiasts with local clubs and organizations with the hopes of creating trail advocates and stewards. The task to protect and maintain more than 200,000 miles of trails in the U.S...

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