Stand up for our Public Lands! ITA is proud to announce we have joined a new coalition of public lands-minded organizations, organized by @cvidaho, called Idahoans for Public Lands.

Join us at the Idaho Rally for Public Lands event happening on March 22 on the Capitol steps in Boise. Let's keep public lands public!

🌲 ITA's 2025 Youth Trail Program schedule is out! 🌲

Are you a teen aged 14-18 looking for a summer adventure, a chance to meet new friends, and a volunteer experience for job or college applications? Join us on the trail! ITA offers youth trips ranging from a weekend to a week and from beginner to advanced, as well as an all-girls and an all-boys trip.

Trail project adventures are designed to teach participants new skills, from working as a team using traditional tools like crosscut saws and axes to clear one of Idaho's beautiful public trails, to camping in the backcountry, to some of the history of Idaho's wild public lands.

Many teens who showed up for their first ITA trip unsure about what to expect and tentative in picking up a crosscut saw for the first time find themselves returning each year, helping leaders welcome and mentor new volunteers. Camping and working on the trail is fun!

No experience is required, and all food is provided. We also have camping gear to loan out and a mini grant program for volunteers to purchase what they need for a trail project!

See link in profile to check out our Youth Trail Crew page and see all the opportunities coming up this summer for youth.

🎉 It's Here! Our 2025 Volunteer Project Schedule is going live today! 🎉

The wait is over—sign-ups are opening for ITA member sign-up starting at 8am PT/ 9am MT! With over 80 incredible projects planned across Idaho, now’s your chance to get outside, give back, and be part of an amazing trail community.

🥾 One-day, weekend, and weeklong trips
🏕️ Backpacking, car camping & pack-supported adventures
👩‍🔧 Special projects for youth, women & veterans
🛶 Fly-in & jet boat access trips

Spots will fill fast! ITA members get first dibs until March 15, when registration opens to the public. Not a member yet? Join today and grab your spot before it’s gone.

See link 👉 in our profile to see our projects or become a member.

Can't wait to see you out on the trail this coming season!

Did you miss our 2025 Season Kickoff Webinar last night? We had a great time talking about our upcoming project season and what it means to volunteer with ITA on the trail! You can watch the full recording here just in time for our Project Schedule Launch tomorrow morning. See link in our profile to watch the recording or visit our volunteer project schedule page.

Join us TONIGHT for our 2025 Season Kickoff Webinar! This is a great opportunity to learn about our 80+ volunteer opportunities available throughout Idaho this year. We'll talk about some of the best projects happening this coming season and what you need to know to volunteer, as well as have some fun Idaho trivia sprinkled throughout!
When: 6pm PT/ 7pm MT
See link 👉 in our profile to sign up!

🎉Our 2025 volunteer Project Schedule Preview is NOW OPEN! 🎉

That means you have one week to check out all the exciting volunteer trail projects we have planned across Idaho before sign-ups open for ITA members on March 1. With over 80 projects ranging from one-day outings to 10-day backcountry adventures, there’s something for everyone!
What to Expect:
🌿 One-day, weekend, and weeklong trips
🥾 Backpacking, car camping & pack-supported projects
👩‍🔧 Special crews for youth, women & veterans
🛶 Fly-in & jet boat access projects
Spots fill fast! ITA members get first dibs starting March 1—public sign-ups open March 15. Not a member yet? Join now to secure early access!
Check out the schedule and start planning your 2025 adventure!
See link in our profile to see our full schedule.

Join Idaho Trail Association and @selwaybitterroot on March 3 in McCall for a presentation about the Southern Nez Perce Trail (SNPT), the oldest extant trail in the US and a route used for thousands of years by the Nimiipuu people. The SNPT stretches for 100 miles through north-central Idaho from Elk City, Idaho, to Darby, Montana. Dennis Baird and Ivar Nelson will talk about the route’s rich history, as well as volunteer efforts to preserve it.

Dennis Baird and Ivar Nelson have been working with many volunteers, many from McCall, to identify and clear the SNPT for the last ten years. Baird is a historian and former librarian at the University of Idaho; Nelson is the former Director of the University of Idaho Press and currently a columnist for the Lewiston Morning Tribune. Both are authors of books of history in Idaho.

When: Monday, March 3 from 6-8pm

Where: McCall Public Library, 218 Park St, McCall, 83638

Dear ITA members and supporters,

Idaho Trails Association was saddened to learn that over 3,400 Forest Service employees nationwide were fired last week, many of whom were in Idaho. As a partner in public land trail stewardship, we value our dedicated land manager partners. We are a force multiplier, adding to what Forest Service trail crews accomplish on the ground each season. We feel for Forest Service employees that have, over the years, become friends in addition to partners whose dedication to public lands is deep and inspiring.

Public lands will see the effects of a 10% reduction in work force. The immediate effect may be amplified by the fact that most of these employees were field-going, on-the-ground workers, people tasked with clearing trails, cleaning campgrounds and outhouses, spraying noxious weeds, maintaining range fences, and marking timber sales. Many were also part of their forest’s “surge capacity” for wildfire suppression, certified to fight fire and called up to leave their regular duties and be part of fire crews when the season got busy.

Most of these gaps ITA can’t help with, but we can continue to step up for trails. Through thick and thin, and as much as it pains us to see our Forest Service partners going through this hard time, ITA is committed to keeping Idaho’s hiking trails open for all. We are in it for the long haul and focused on being part of the solution. We will step up to work on as many trails as possible and to encourage our members to do what they can for public lands, be it on a trail project, volunteering with another organization to plant trees or treat noxious weeds or cleaning up trash at a local campground on their own.

Our 2025 volunteer project schedule release date is still March 1; we have over 85 diverse projects planned and are excited to get to work. We hope you will join us in showing up for public lands this season by volunteering to keep Idaho’s beautiful trails open for all!

Respectfully,
Melanie Vining
Executive Director

ITA Board of Directors
Tim Martin- President
Mark Sugden- Vice President
Lilly Ragan- Treasurer
Pam Bond- Secretary
Tom Dabrowski
Tobey Jinkins
Herbert Klein

Trail Spotlight!
The Blackmare Lake Trail southeast of McCall has great views ending at a large, beautiful mountain lake. This trail was overgrown for many years but ITA crews have been clearing the way for the last few years with one project scheduled in 2025 to finish the last stretch! See link in our profile to read our full Trail Spotlight blog all about this awesome, nearly-lost trail.

Join us this Wednesday evening, February 12 at 6pm PT / 7pm MT for a webinar with ITA's newest employee, Barbara Sammut! 🌞
She will talk about her journey hiking the 2,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail (AT). Known on trail as Forklift, Barbara started with no camping experience in 2021 and set out to complete the PCT in 2022, followed by the AT in 2024. In this engaging online presentation, she’ll discuss everything from selecting gear and preparing for the hike to the challenges she encountered on both trails. Barbara will also compare the PCT and AT, offering practical tips and advice for anyone dreaming of a thru-hike on one of the 'big three' trails!
See link in profile to sign up.