FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — As more visitors explore the hiking trails at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, park officials are seeking volunteers to help maintain the routes leading to some of southern West Virginia’s best-known natural and historic attractions.
The park will host a volunteer recruitment and training event Saturday, November 14, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Park Loop Trail trailhead in Fayetteville Town Park. Participants will learn how to care for trails and get involved in the park’s volunteer maintenance program.
The event is being organized in cooperation with the Fayette Trail Coalition and Beckley Area Trails. No previous maintenance experience is necessary, and the National Park Service will provide tools and materials.
The recruitment effort continues work to strengthen a volunteer program that park officials have identified as increasingly important as visitation has grown.
Growing visitation increases need for trail maintenance
In July 2024, National Park Service Roads and Trails Supervisor Morgan Hartsock said the park is working to revive its Adopt-A-Trail program, which became inactive during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hartsock told West Virginia MetroNews that visitation increased after the area’s designation as a national park and preserve in 2020, but staffing and funding did not grow accordingly.
“We don’t have any more paid personnel to help maintain our trails, so getting added assistance from volunteers is more important now than ever,” Hartsock said then.
The park’s trail network includes routes to overlooks, waterfalls, abandoned coal-mining communities, and other destinations throughout the New River Gorge.
Popular routes include the Endless Wall and Long Point trails near Fayetteville, the Grandview Rim Trail near Grandview, and historic trails at Kaymoor and Nuttallburg.
Maintaining these routes requires regular attention to vegetation, fallen branches, erosion, drainage, and other conditions that can affect visitor access and safety.
The National Park Service has long relied on volunteer assistance in the Fayetteville area. According to its guide to Fayetteville-area trails, volunteers from schools, scouting organizations, and hiking and bicycling clubs have contributed hundreds of hours to developing trails near the community.
What trail volunteers do
The park’s Adopt-A-Trail program allows volunteers to take responsibility for inspecting or maintaining designated trails under National Park Service supervision.
Maintenance volunteers agree to work on their assigned trails at least four times during a one-year commitment. Their duties may include collecting litter, cutting back encroaching vegetation with hand tools, clearing small fallen branches, and cleaning drainage structures that help prevent erosion.
Volunteers also inspect trail signs and report problems such as landslides, larger fallen trees, vandalism, and damage to natural resources. They submit reports documenting trail conditions and maintenance activities.
A separate monitoring role lets volunteers patrol trails and report conditions without doing the more physically demanding maintenance work.
Some assignments require hiking several miles over steep or uneven terrain and doing strenuous outdoor work. The park supplies necessary tools and protective equipment.
The program also gives residents who already hike regularly a chance to share their knowledge of trail conditions.
Volunteers contribute thousands of hours
Volunteer work extends well beyond trail maintenance at New River Gorge and the two other park service areas in southern West Virginia—the Gauley River National Recreation Area and Bluestone National Scenic River.
According to figures published on the park’s volunteer information page, nearly 1,000 people annually contribute more than 15,000 hours of service across the three areas.
Their activities include maintaining campgrounds, restoring historic structures, assisting visitors, monitoring natural resources, and helping care for trails and riverbanks.
The park also welcomes volunteer participation from families, schools, scouting organizations, civic groups, and businesses. Some projects can be completed during a single workday, while others involve longer commitments.
How to become a trail volunteer
Registration for Saturday’s event will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Park Loop Trail trailhead in Fayetteville Town Park.
From 10 a.m. to noon, park rangers and experienced volunteers will lead a hands-on session demonstrating trail maintenance techniques and park service standards.
The Park Loop Trail is an easy, 1.1-mile route that begins at Fayetteville Town Park and connects with other trails in the area.
Prospective volunteers can contact National Park Service Trails Volunteer Coordinator Jeremy Browning at 304-719-2488 or jeremy_browning@nps.gov.
Additional information about volunteer opportunities is available on the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve website.