Volunteer With Us


The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club plays a critical role in fostering outdoor recreation in our region. With the help of our volunteers, we are able to create and maintain accessible trails, cabins, and shelters. Volunteers are also a vital part of our community outreach programs and our monthly newsletter, the Potomac Appalachian. You can view a list of our current openings here.


Not sure where to start? Take a look at all of our volunteer areas below and decide which is the best fit. Whether you want to get your hands dirty on the trail or offer expertise from behind your screen, we have plenty of ways you can get involved.

Two men are cutting a tree in the woods with a chainsaw.
Trails + Shelters + Crews
A pile of old maps are laying on the floor.
A group of people are standing around a yellow tent in a park.
A close up of a tree with green leaves on a dark background.
A small red cabin with a blue roof is surrounded by trees in the woods.
A person is sitting at a desk using a laptop computer.
A view of a mountain range with trees and rocks on a sunny day.
An aerial view of a mountain range at sunset with clouds in the background.
The sun is shining through the trees in the foggy forest.

The Work We Do

  • We maintain over 1000 miles of trails. Learn more
  • We maintain shelters along the Appalachian Trail and Tuscarora Trail. Learn more 
  • We build, restore and manage 50+ cabins. Learn more 
  • We manage land tracts for protecting views, providing access to trails and lands around the cabins. Learn more
  • We monitor the Appalachian Trail Corridor boundaries. Learn more 
  • We do Geographic Information System, including map making and surveys. Learn more. 
  • We do advocacy work communicating our mission on the trails and at public events along with teaching and leading hikes. Learn more
  • We have tons of opportunities to work at headquarters or at home including communications, membership, volunteering, grants, publications, information technology, archive management and many other activities. Learn more 
  • We have a Natural Resource manager and a Conservationist. Learn more
  • We have Region Chapters who manage their own hike and trail maintenance. Learn more
  • We have special intertest group for ski touring and climbing/mountaineering. Learn more 



Volunteer Role Considerations


Location: The club’s broad geographical reach means that there should be a job near you. Trail maintainer jobs are located in many places. Some jobs, however, can be performed only one place. Headquarters work is an example of that. A few jobs can be accomplished remotely. While you can probably work close to home, a long drive will often lead to a rewarding job in a scenic location.

Physical work: Many jobs require hard physical work. Trail maintainers often hike a great distance to their trail sections and then do hard work. On the other hand, there are indoor, desk jobs.

Skills required: Most jobs require skills. In many cases, we will provide training. But several jobs require basic skills that volunteers need before they show up. For example, many workers at Headquarters need basic computer skills. Cabin maintainers need basic carpentry and repair skills.