We Love Idaho Trails
As the voice for hikers, Idaho Trails Association promotes the conservation and enjoyment of Idaho’s backcountry on foot.
ITA is a nonprofit that works with volunteers, organizations, and government partners to preserve Idaho’s incredible trail system through education, maintenance projects, and public lands advocacy. Join us in our mission to keep Idaho’s hiking trails open for all!
Caretaking of Trails
Caretaking of Trails
Since ITA began, we’ve completed nearly 400 trail stewardship projects with the help of hundreds of volunteers.
Education and Awareness
Education and Awareness
ITA educates the public about the stewardship of our recreation areas and following Leave No Trace principles.
Advocacy and Protection
Advocacy and Protection
As the voice for Idaho’s hiking community, ITA works to conserve trails and keep public lands public.
Traditional Skills
Traditional Skills
Crew leaders teach volunteers the safe use of hand tools on every project to keep trails open in the front and backcountry.
Volunteer with ITA
We need hikers, bikers, equestrians, hunters, and public lands enthusiasts of all kinds to join us on trail maintenance projects across the state of Idaho. Give back to your trails by volunteering for a day, weekend or weeklong project in some of the most beautiful landscapes Idaho has to offer. Our experienced crew leaders will teach you everything you need to know about maintaining trails using traditional trail maintenance tools. Find adventure and give back to your public lands!
We host special projects for women, youth, veterans, and more. Check out our FAQs about volunteering or the full list of upcoming projects to find the right one for you.
“There are a lot of things I love about volunteering with ITA! From the smell of freshly-cut everything to being able to explore little-known spectacular Wilderness areas to opening up new/old trails for everyone to explore. I also love all the people that I have met through my ITA experiences. There’s just something magical about quickly forming a team, slowing down to nature’s pace, putting in some hard work on trails together, dealing with and/or accepting whatever weather arrives, and then being able to share stories back at camp or even back at home later.” – ITA Crew Leader Bryce Campbell
Recent Stories
Trail Spotlight: Deep Creek-Upper Payette Loop
Our Trail Spotlight highlights day trips to multi-day hikes across Idaho. Trail conditions can change quickly- swollen rivers can become impassable, ... Read More
Volunteer Spotlight: James Grantham
“I truly can’t imagine this youth season without James. It takes a steady, adaptable, and genuinely caring person to ... Read More
Fire Restrictions in place across Idaho
Going hiking or camping soon? Stage 1 fire restrictions are now in effect in most of Idaho and stage ... Read More
Follow us on Instagram @IdahoTrailsAssociation
A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN IN THE WILD!
Looking for a chance to get out on the trail, try something new, and spend a few days in fellowship with other women who love the outdoors? Our Upper Priest River Trail project (moved to Tillicum Creek Trail) near Priest Lake is now being offered as a Women in the Wild project! 👩🥾
This is a great opportunity to experience a women-only trail project, build connections, learn alongside other women, and give back to the trails we all love. 💚
📅 August 28–30 — NEXT WEEKEND!
📍 Upper Priest River Trail near Priest Lake
👩 Women-only project
🌲 3 days of trail work, community & adventure
We’re still looking to fill the crew, and next weekend is right around the corner! If you’ve been curious about volunteering with Idaho Trails Association or have been waiting for the right opportunity to join a Women in the Wild project, this is your chance. Join for one day or the whole weekend!
Grab a friend, come meet some new ones, and spend the weekend working and enjoying the outdoors together!
👉 Get the details & sign up:
https://idahotrailsassociation.org/event/2026-upper-priest-river-trail/
Reach out to trails@idahotrailsassociation.org with any questions!
A crew of eight volunteers focused on reopening the Cataract Creek Trail 309, a remote gem in the Coeur d'Alene Ranger District, that has been inaccessible for many years. The total length of the trail is about 5 miles, and the primary goal was to remove downed logs, then brush the trail as time permitted.
Over the two days, the crew cut out 117 logs and did a cursory level of brushing over 3.0 miles of trail. The entire length of the Cataract Creek Trail 309 is now at least passable to hikers.
ITA provided food support for this project, and two volunteer cooks kept the energy levels high! The crew camped at the Waller Family cabin a short distance away from the lower 309 Trailhead. A nearby swimming hole on Teepee Creek was an added bonus after a hot day on the trail!
An energetic team of 9 worked on the Harrison Lake project in the Selkirk Range Northwest of Sandpoint. This trail is very popular and heavily used by both day hikers and groups camping up at the lake. The trail has issues with water runoff and a LOT of loose rock and erosion of the trail surface. In addition, higher up the trail there were 3 large boulders in a narrow section of trail that hikers needed to step up and over.
The ITA team focused on building and restoring 23 water bars on the lower section of the trail and then built 3 "Steps" in front of the large boulders, which judging by trail users reactions on the day, were a very popular upgrade to the trail. We also built 5 check dams in a section of trail suffering from erosion and cut out 2 trees. - Herbert Klein, Crew Leader
🏔️ New project alert: Soldier Lake Basin! 🏔️
If you’ve ever wanted to combine trail work with some seriously jaw-dropping scenery, this long weekend project is calling your name.
When : August 28-30
Tucked into a remote corner of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, Soldier Lake Basin is a stunning glacial alpine landscape filled with high-elevation lakes, glacial moraines, and BIG mountain views. You might even spot elk, deer, or mountain goats while you’re out on the trail!
We’ll car camp together at Josephus Lake Campground and spend our days logging out, brushing, and tackling tread work to keep these beautiful trails open for hikers, anglers, and other backcountry adventurers.
Come work hard. Play hard. Leave the trail better than you found it.
Sign up for the Soldier Lake Basin project and join us! See link in profile to learn more.
A small crew of four tackled a big project on the New Meadow District of the Payette National Forest recently, clearing and brushing 3.5 miles of trail around beautiful Twin Lakes in the head of the Rapid River drainage. The crew was packed in to begin work, backpacking to move camp mid trip, then continuing to clear toward where a July crew left off work from the other end of the trail. All but 1.3 miles of this 13-mile stretch of trail linking the two trailheads accessing Twin Lakes is now clear. We plan to return next year to complete this work and focus on improving tread and additional brushing.
A huge thanks to the dedicated volunteers on this small crew for their hard work in the smoky, hot conditions, and to our packers for hauling our gear in and out as well as years-old trash left at a camp near the lake. We'd also like to thank Idaho Fish and Game for supporting this project through their Access Fund.
Note: The 1.3-mile section of trail not yet cleared is through Echols Basin. This is not passable for stock, so if you are planning a ride use the Bear Creek trailhead and remember best practices for Leave No Trace camping with stock while at the lakes.
Our first family project in collaboration with Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation was a huge success!
Twelve volunteers (the youngest was 5!) spent the weekend working on the Cougar Creek–Deep Creek #336 and Trail #337 near Upper Payette Lake outside of McCall. Together, they cleared 18 trees and more than half a mile of brush, making the entire loop fully passable again!
And the trail work was just one part of the fun. One of our volunteers, a teacher, planned some awesome activities for the kids, including painting with natural materials and creating a footprint trap to discover what wildlife had been passing through the area.
A huge thank-you to everyone who came out and made this such a special weekend! We loved seeing families get outside, work together, and experience the fun of giving back to their trails. We’re hoping this is just the beginning of more projects designed to get families and younger volunteers out on the trails with us!
@selwaybitterroot
Yesterday, six staff members from the offices of Senator Crapo, Senator Risch, and Representative Fulcher joined us in the Boise National Forest for a day of hands-on trail work! This hearty crew got right to work, removing 14 trees blocking the trail with crosscut saws and hand saws, while also brushing back limbs and overgrown vegetation.
A huge thank-you to this awesome group for spending the day with us and learning firsthand about traditional trail work and the challenges facing Idaho’s trails. We loved having you out there!
An ITA crew of 7, with their intrepid cook Jay, recently took on the Rapid River Trail... No, not that Rapid River trail. This Rapid River flows by the Seafoam Guard Station, where we set up our camp, down to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.
Our crew spent a week logging out trees, clearing debris slides, and brushing this old trail which goes about 14 miles from the trailhead at Float Creek to the confluence with the Middle Fork. It follows an old road bed to Bruin Creek, where two antiquated wheelbarrows lie hidden in the fireweed.
Beyond our work area, there are several slides on the loose granitic slopes that will require additional trail projects to repair, though they are passible on foot. The area seemed more popular for fishermen than hikers, and we didn't see anybody out on the trail for the whole week. This is a great place to explore if you are seeking solitude in the Stanley Area.
Near the trailhead, Josephus Lake is a good jumping off point for exploring the multitude of high mountain lakes hidden in the crags above. However, don't take the Seafoam Lake road in your personal vehicle! Our crew helped fix two flat tires for a young couple that had tried it. - Clay Jacobson, Crew Leader and ICT Coordinator
Volunteers needed!
This project just got an update and we still have spots open for one of our most adventurous projects of the summer! The Windy Bill project runs starting this weekend, August 9-15 in the Proposed Great Burn Wilderness near Pierce, Idaho. This weeklong backpacking trip has you logging out the Scurvy Mountain and Windy Bill Trails -- part of the Idaho Centennial Trail -- with stunning views overlooking the Moose Mountains, Cayuse and Kelly Creek drainages, and Scurvy Lake. Gear gets packed in, you hike out. Food per diem provided. If you're ready for a week of saw work in incredible backcountry sign up now!
https://idahotrailsassociation.org/event/2026-windy-bill/
This was a great week…as we worked the trails, as we hacky-sacked, as we climbed peaks, and as we enjoyed meals together! The beautiful scenery, the hard work, the removal of 207 trees and a BFB, the cold water of Ruth Lake, the physical exercise, and the great companionship made it truly wonderful. And finding my new love in the Rock Bar was a good addition too. Thank you all. – Conner Hall, volunteer
Photos by: Rachel Burnett, Chris Keilty, Sarah Antrobus, and Alex Cravener