Alaska Trails

Volunteer and Paid Trail Crews: Alaska Trails Stewards-Alaska Trails is continuing its program to train, equip, and deploy trail maintenance volunteers. Alaska Trails partners with municipal, borough, state and federal agencies on the Alaska Trail Stewards Program. By training capable volunteers and connecting them with government agencies in need of trail support, the Alaska Trail Stewards Program significantly increases the amount of maintenance performed on trails in Alaska. In addition, Alaska Trails employs seasonal employees to help build and maintain trails. Alaska Trails works with the Municipality of Anchorage and Anchorage Parks Foundation to coordinate the Youth Employment in the Parks (YEP) Program by hiring a YEP Field Supervisor. Alaska Trails also hires paid trail crew members to work on trail construction and maintenance. They work May through September to help build trails, improve existing trails, and decrease the backlog of trail maintenance.

Training and education: Alaska Trails conducts trail trainings across the state of Alaska, and conducted several throughout the year. Alaska Trails hosted its 2023 Statewide Trails Conference in April 2023 as both in person and virtual format. In November, Alaska Trails held the Land Manager Forum in connection with the Bureau of Land Management. In May, Alaska Trails held the annual Crew Leader Training which trains our volunteers and partner trail organization members to be leaders on trail construction and maintenance projects. In July, Mike Shields, local trail expert, led an Alaska Trails training on Trail Structures and Hydrology. The variety of training and education Alaska Trails provides for the community ensures that our volunteers, staff, trail crew members, and trail work partners in Alaska are well informed, knowledgeable, and confident in building sustainable trails that will last and benefit everybody across Alaska.

Projects/partners: Alaska Trails Initiative-Alaska Trails is leading this initiative which is a coalition of trails organizations from around the state collaborating with leaders in government, business, the health industry, and the non-profit sector to invest more in the trails we love. People and communities across Alaska recognize that outdoor recreation supports health, contributes to a high quality of life and, perhaps more importantly, drives spending that supports business, creates jobs, and generates tax revenue that pays for schools and other public services. Investing in outdoor infrastructure attracts employers, residents, retirees, and a skilled workforce, ensuring those communities thrive economically and socially. More than one job in ten in Alaska is tied to tourism and outdoor recreation spending. Smart investments could further grow this dynamic sector. In this vein, the Alaska Long Trail project seeks to connect 500 miles from Seward to Fairbanks.