We had an awesome 2020 season of trail work! Thanks to all of our volunteers that gave so much to make Idaho’s trails better for everyone.

Dear ITA friends,

2020 presented many new challenges this year. A big thank you to our volunteers who helped us navigate this unpredictable and ever-changing season! While we did have to cancel some projects due to the pandemic, ITA still had a successful trail work program; getting some 259 volunteers out of the madness and into the mountains on 35 different trips. Thankfully, with social distancing and lots of hand sanitizer, the virus did not show up on any ITA projects. We appreciate the precautions that all our volunteers took to help make that happen. 

This season saw the continuation of many annual projects: Alice-Toxaway, Caton Lake, Vance Mountain, Middle Fork of the Payette, Big Creek, and the Seven Devils Loop. These projects have gone on for several consecutive seasons and we are starting to see some great results. ITA crews broke new ground on Big and Little Boulder creeks in the Boulder-White Cloud Wilderness for two projects, another two on the Queens and Little Queens Rivers out of Atlanta.  In the Panhandle, volunteers worked 15 projects from the St Joe to the Canadian Border, including the first Women Only Weekend (WOW!) project in North Idaho. Overall, ITA volunteers cleared over 175 miles of trail in 2020! Well done. 

The 2021 trail work season is starting to take shape and there is a lot to be excited about! We have some Hells Canyon jet boat trips into the old McGaffee Cabin at Bernard Creek and Kirkwood Ranch. We’re trying again to get into Sheep Creek in the Gospel Hump by jet boat and by UTV. Thanks to a big fundraising push by our members and some generous grants, we will be hosting 6 week-long youth projects this year, which is a tremendous expansion of this program. We are also looking at organizing our first Women Only Week-long trip this coming year.

We hope you will join us next year for another season of fun in the Idaho backcountry, maintaining our treasured non-motorized trails on a day, weekend, or week-long project. No trail work experience is required to join, just a desire to make a difference for Idaho’s trails. As a benefit of becoming an ITA member now, you will have first dibs on reserving your spot in the spring on a trail project before the schedule is released to the public. 

Support your Idaho trails by becoming a member today! Help us to expand our reach throughout the state and make 2021 our best season yet.

Clay Jacobson
Trails Program Director