The Idaho Trails Association (ITA) started in 2010 with a focus on the McCall and Boise areas, and then organized its first trail project in North Idaho in 2015, says ITA board member and volunteer Tom Dabrowski.

Since then, thanks to a dramatic spike in more local hikers donating to and volunteering for ITA, the group has a total of 16 trail projects planned for the Idaho Panhandle National Forest this year. In 2019, ITA volunteers worked a total of 8,000 hours on trails around Idaho, says Dabrowski. “The neat thing about volunteering is we’re really helping our public lands, and we’re not spending taxpayer money to do it.”  

What Does It Take to Join a Trail Project?

ITA has trail projects with a wide range of difficulty, even on the same trail. “Sometimes there are difficult things to do like moving large rocks, and then there are easier things to do like clipping brush,” Dabrowski says. “We ask people to come on out and even if they’ve never done trail work before we’ll show you how to do it safely.” Hiking distances on projects vary widely too, from 2-3 miles to up to 8-miles over the day.

A trail project typically starts with volunteers meeting up at a trailhead to get to know other volunteers and project leaders, have a safety briefing, and then head on up the trail together.

Once at the project site, volunteers get to learn how to use different types of tools and try different tasks. Some people may use a crosscut saw to clear downed trees off the trail (ITA only uses hand tools for safety reasons), and others might use smaller hand saws or other tools to clear smaller trees or brush or improve the trail surface.

Volunteers have lunch together out on the trail and then return to the trailhead in the afternoon. At the end of the day, explains Dabrowski, the most satisfying thing is hearing people say “wow, look at what we got done. It’s a thing where you can get that gratification of your hard work in the space of one day.”

Meet Fellow Trail Lovers

“When people come out and volunteer,” says Dabrowski, “the number one thing they comment on is the people they met and work with.” The camaraderie is a big thing with volunteers, he says.

Dabrowski also says that they often see wildlife out on the trail. “I just came back from a project in Hells Canyon where we saw large herds of elk, bears that had just come out of hibernation, and mountain goats.” The scenery in North Idaho, he adds, is particularly impressive.

Summer Trail Projects

ITA trips are a great way to get out on some of Idaho’s most beautiful wild areas, meet new people, and give something back to our trails. You do not need to have any experience to sign up for a project; ITA will give you the training and tools you need to do the work.

Whether you are looking for an easy one-day project, a weekend getaway, or a week-long work vacation, you are sure to find a project that is right for you.

Learn more about Idaho Trails Association or sign up for one of these trail projects this summer at Idahotrailsassociation.org.

May 15-16: Lake Shore Trail 294 (rated easy) – Cut out logs and brush on this trail along the northwestern shore of Priest Lake (day trip or car camping).

June 5: Mickinnick Trail (rated moderate) – This popular hiking trail gains 2,200’ to reach a beautiful viewpoint above Sandpoint. Help cut out logs, do tread work, improve drainage, and trim back brush.

June 18-20: Coeur d’Alene River Trail (rated moderate) – This is a three-day project in the beautiful upper North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River removing logs and improving the trail. Join for one or more days and optional car camping.

June 26-27: Upper Priest River Trail (rated difficult) – A two-day project up to American Falls with bridge, rock, and tread work on several area trails.

July 7-11: Seven Devils Loop (rated difficult) – A self-supported, 27-mile backpacking trip around the Seven Devils peaks clearing the trail of downed trees and doing trail tread work along the way. 

July 10: Ball Lakes Trail (rated moderate) – Cut back brush, remove logs, and improve the trail surface on this 3-mile hike 1,300 feet up to this beautiful Selkirk Mountain alpine lake.

July 18-23: Fault Lake Trail (week-long trip rated difficult) – This 6-day project high in the Selkirk Mountains will include building a raised walkway through a swampy area along with other trail clearing and improvement efforts. 

Originally published as “Volunteers Makes the Different for North Idaho’s Hiking Trails” in the May-June 2021 issue.

[All photos courtesy Idaho Trails Association.]

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Iller Creek: New switchbacks have been completed near the top of the east ridge. The long-awaited reroute replaced a steep, rutted section of trail and is a great new addition. 

Saltese: A new trail called Turtle Gulch is under construction. Formally known as “the trail to nowhere” for heading up a draw before dead ending, construction and repair will make for a new route for climbing and descending that should be ready to ride by early June.  

Mica: Work continues on the new Silicate Slide flow trail on Mica Peak Conservation Area land. The downhill mountain bike trail that features berms, jumps, and rollers will connect the lower face with the upper face and is significant because it will be the region’s first one-way only trail on public lands open only to mountain bikers. “It’s open now and could definitely use some more wheels on the fresh dirt work,” says Conley. “It’s not totally tuned up yet, but volunteers are doing the final hand work now.” The full loop is about 7 miles with around 2,200 of elevation with the climb back up on a mix of singletrack and road.  

Mount Spokane: Upper Trail 290 that will be the continuation of the lower section (The Goods) from the snowmobile parking lot to the summit. The trail route has been flagged and partially brushed, with trail construction scheduled to start this summer. “Below treeline will be machine built and then it’s all hand work up higher,” says Conley. “It should be open and rideable next summer with the new section adding another two miles of singletrack.” 

Antoine Peak: A new trailhead (Etter Ranch) is in the planning stages for the southside of the conservation area, as well as two new singletrack trails that Washington Trails Association is taking the lead on. Trail construction may start this fall, with the trailhead planned for next year. The trails will climb up towards the top and create multiple loop options.  

Dishman Hills: In 2018, Spokane County acquired the 179-acre former “Flying L Ranch” through the Conservation Futures Program, creating the opportunity for a new trailhead and trails in the Glenrose Unit of Dishman Hills Conservation Area. The new Phillips Creek Trailhead near the Iller Creek trailhead is under construction now and Spokane Mountaineers volunteers are coordinating efforts on a new trail.  

Find updates on all of these trails and public lands projects at Evergreeneast.org.

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The park will feature a wide range of mountain bike trails, jumps, and a pump track. Haney says he’s also looking at buying an inflatable airbag for riders to practice jumps with a soft landing. The vision, according to Silver Valley local and pro mountain bike racer Frank Culhno, the main trail builder responsible for bringing the park to life, is to create something akin to the legendary Coast Gravity Park on BC’s Sunshine Coast. “We started off building a big flow trail that anyone from parents to racers can ride, and we’re also putting in a pump track that’s going to be legit,” says Culhno. 

After that, the 5-year plan is to keep Haney’s new Kubota excavator working full-tilt to add more flow and technical downhill trails as well as some more mellow trails. The first 1.3-mile flow trail should be ready to ride by early summer and will take 10-4 minutes to ride, with a shuttle making endless laps possible, says Culhno. Keep an eye out for updates as the park progresses at Silverstreakziplinetours.com.

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