We heard about this incredible ongoing volunteer opportunity bridging Eastern Europe and Western Asia and wanted to pass this along for ITA members and supporters. We wouldn’t blame you if you need to miss an ITA project to travel abroad and bring back some new trail work tips!

The Transcaucasian Trail is a long-distance hiking route threading through Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, roughly 3,000 km when complete, connecting national parks, protected areas, remote villages, and some of the most biologically and culturally rich mountain terrain on earth. Many of the sections being built follow centuries-old shepherds’ paths and traders’ routes. Restoring them isn’t just trail work. It’s the preservation of a landscape’s memory.

That work has real economic stakes. The villages the trail passes through, often remote, often without many other options, gain guesthouses, guiding work, transport income, and a reason for the next generation to stay. A trail through a mountain community is infrastructure. The TCT treats it that way.

The International Volunteer Program runs each summer in Georgia and Armenia, pairing international volunteers with local trail crews for two-week backcountry sessions. The work is physical and often repetitive, clearing tread, improving drainage, building switchbacks, and it produces something measurable at the end of every session. Since 2016, the program has mobilized more than 30,000 volunteer hours and trained 60 local crew leaders who continue the work year-round. Volunteers leave with trail-building skills and a crew. Learn more at transcaucasiantrail.org/volunteer.

For those who want to experience the trail first, Supporter Treks and Group Hikes offer guided routes through some of the most spectacular sections: the red sandstone canyons of Vayots Dzor, the dramatic high passes of Svaneti, and the lush forested ridgelines above Sheki. These trips fund trail construction, maintenance, and youth conservation programs directly. Details at transcaucasiantrail.org/group-hikes.

The TCT is a community effort, with trail builders, conservationists, cartographers, local families, and international volunteers building something that connects landscapes and the people who live in them. It requires careful planning and physical commitment. The reward is a trail that didn’t exist before, in mountains that most of the world hasn’t found yet.

Get involved: learn about the trail at transcaucasiantrail.org, volunteer at transcaucasiantrail.org/volunteer, join a trek at transcaucasiantrail.org/group-hikes, or support trail building and conservation at transcaucasiantrail.org/donate.