The mountains give us so much joy and freedom while creating a space for us to unplug and savor the best things in life. Opportunities to give back to those very same mountains abound this summer with a number of stewardship and volunteer events.
Let's take care of the canyons we love and all commit to giving back this summer. The following events and organizations are offering community days to better the trails, plant some trees, pick up trash, and show our mountains a little love.
ALTA SUMMER STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMMING
Escape to the beauty of Alta's wildflower-covered meadows while participating in one of the ski area's many summer stewardship events. The Alta Environmental Center partners with a number of organizations and local non-profits to help repair the fragile ecosystem that was once decimated by mining activities in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Family friendly events focus around education, giving back, habitat restoration, tree planting, and responsible stewardship.
Registration is required for all events and can be found here.
Alta Community Volunteer Days
Alta hosts monthly volunteer days throughout the summer allowing folks to contribute to various restoration activities around the resort that include planting native vegetation, weed pulling, and tree harvesting. All ages are welcome and free food is provided after the event on the following dates at the Albion Base Area.
Wednesdays | 3–5PM
July 3, 2024
July 3, 2024
September 25, 2024
TreeUtah Harvest & Restoration at Alta
The Alta Environmental Center partners with TreeUtah to harvest young saplings that have sprouted up on or along Alta's ski runs. Volunteers help to carefully remove the small trees and transport them to a nursery on site where the trees can be planted in more suitable locations across the mountain.
Meet at the Albion Base Area on Saturday, July 27 from 9AM–12PM.
Alta Tree Planting Days
Change the face of Alta's slopes for the better in a massive effort to plant up to 1,000 tree saplings. Volunteers will hike to various locations throughout Alta and learn from experts where best to plant seedlings based on aspect, elevation, soil type and more. Lunch is provided. Details, registration, and times can be found here.
Saturday, September 21 | 8AM–1PM
Friday, September 13 | 9:30AM–1PM
TRAIL STEWARDSHIP WITH THE COTTONWOOD CANYONS FOUNDATION
The Cottonwood Canyons Foundation (CCF) is a local non-profit dedicated to the restoration, beautification and protection of our beloved Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons. Each summer the foundation hires a professional Trail Crew who collaborates with the US Forest Service and a handful of other local organizations and volunteers. The Trail Crew dedicates its summer to building, improving, and maintaining responsible trails and pathways in forest and wilderness areas throughout Millcreek Canyon, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Little Cottonwood Canyon, and along the Wasatch Front.
Why help out?
It may be shocking to learn but more people visit our foothills and canyons than the total number of people who visit Yellowstone National Park each year! There is an imperative need to maintain resilient trails and promote sustainable use. CCF hosts frequent stewardship events and volunteer days from May through October. A number of our local ski resorts also partner with CCF to benefit from their expertise and volunteer network (more info below). Use the CCF website to learn more and register for any one of the Trail Stewardship Dates:
- Tuesday July 9: Solitude Sustainability Trails Day
- Saturday July 20: Trail Work with Wasatch Trail Run Series and Wasatch 100
- Thursday July 25: Solitude Sustainability Trails Day
- Saturday July 27: Trail Work with Wasatch 100
- Thursday August 1: Trail Work with Wasatch 100
- Saturday August 3: Trail Work with Wasatch 100
- Thursday August 8: Trail Work with Wasatch 100
- Saturday August 10: Trail Work
- Thursday August 22: Trail Work
- Saturday September 7: Climbing Access Trail Work with SLCA
- Thursday September 19: East Gate Trail Work
- Saturday September 28: National Public Lands Day
- Thursday October 3: East Gate Trail Work
PLANT STEWARDSHIP WITH THE COTTONWOOD CANYONS FOUNDATION
The Cottonwood Canyons Foundation (CCF) is hosting plant stewardship days at Snowbird and Solitude throughout the summer in partnership with the Solitude Homeowners Association and Snowbird Sustainability. Volunteers will learn about and remove invasive plant species and assist with revegetation efforts by planting native wildflowers and plants. You must register with CCF to participate, click here.
Tuesday, July 23 | 9AM-1PM @ Snowbird
Thursday, August 1 | 9AM - 1PM @ Solitude
Wednesday, August 7 | 9AM - 1PM @ Snowbird
Saturday, September 7 | 9AM - 1PM @ Solitude
Wednesday, September 11 | 9AM - 1PM @ Snowbird
WOODWARD'S PLAY FOREVER FRIDAYS
While it's not necessarily about volunteering or stewardship, locals should definitely know about Woodward Park City's Play Forever Fridays which offer discounted access tickets and benefits area non-profits. Make a positive impact while shredding the trails or sending inside the 66,000-square-foot Action Sports Hub. On set Fridays, guests can enjoy discounted $45 All-Access passes or $20 lift tickets. Ten dollars from each All-Access ticket sold will be donated to a local non-profit organization. Forever Friday dates are as follows and tickets can be booked in advance online:
June 21, 2024
July 12, 2024
Aug 9, 2024
Sep 13, 2024
After you're done helping to make our canyons a more beautiful place, here are few ideas for full on summer fun at Utah's ski resorts. If you want to continue enjoying and appreciating nature don't miss these resort activities for nature lovers.
