Wilderness / Back-country Hikers 

Project: Bighorn Trail Assessment
Needed: Experienced Hikers
Organization: Alberta Hiking Association

Location: Travel to the Bighorn/Nordegg area (David Thompson Highway), Alberta
Logistics: Provide your own backcountry gear and transportation

Post-pandemic Alberta has seen a significant increase in trail activity along the David Thompson Highway, and with that a greater need for trail management.

Through the Alberta Public Land Trails Grant, The Alberta Hiking Association (AHA) is mobilized to increase provincial capacity to enact the Trails Act (Alberta 2022).

This initiative provides the opportunity for a partnership approach to trail management within the province using the help of volunteer and nonprofit groups. The grant funding has allowed AHA, a traditionally volunteer run non profit, to hire core staff to oversee the success of the Bighorn Trails Project, the technology needed to collect data, and essential safety gear for volunteers in remote areas.

We are seeking the help of experienced back country hikers with an interest in GPS mapping, trail assesments and trail construction. This project requires volunteers to travel to the Bighorn/Nordegg area, providing their own backcountry gear and transportation.

Volunteers will be asked to complete a volunteer sign up sheet, complete with emergency contact information, communicate with the coordinator their back country itinerary, and attend 1 virtual training session.

We’ve partnered with Alberta Lands and Mcelhanney Consultants to develop an app specifically designed for trail assessments and construction. The virtual training session will cover project objectives and how to download and use the app on your personal phone, or a provided Ipad. Volunteers will be asked to stop in Nordegg on their way to and from the trails to pick up a SPOT satellite device, trail map, and some swag! We hope you may join us this season.

With the help of volunteers we hope to cover the following trails:

• Eagle Ridge
• Allstones Lake
• Hoodoo Creek
• Coral Creek (“Cline & Coral Canyons Loop”)
• Pinto Lake
• Kinglet/TuffPuff
• Vision Quest
• Lake of the Falls
• Landslide Lake
• Hidden Quartzite

If you are interested in volunteering, please direct all inquires to:

Felicity Chitty, Volunteer Coordinator
coordinator@abhiking.ca

Please indicate you saw this posting at GoodWork.ca.