Trail Stewardship Program

An important part of our mission is to ‘conserve the climbing environment.’

A stone mason, dramatically lit, leans over to shape a stone at Hanging Mountain.

John LaValley works on a stone access trail Hanging Mountain. Photo by Chris Beauchamp.

One way to conserve the climbing environment mitigate human impact by building and maintaining sustainable trails and belay platforms. You might not notice all of the work that went into stabilizing the belay platform at the Sunbowl or the Wall of Early Morning Light, but this important infrastructure prevents erosion and social trails. It also enhances your experience at the crag.

Many of our volunteers are skilled in building stone steps and retaining walls which will last for decades. We provide training for volunteers and find that many volunteers return regularly to take care of the places that are meaningful to them. Our volunteer trail days are a great way to get to know your crag better and make lasting connections with other climbers.

Invasive species removal is another part of our stewardship program. Invasive plants crowd out native plants, and are especially problematic in the rich, diverse habitats found at our cliffs.

Before image of a bouldering area showing impact from climbers on the environment: dirt eroding down the hill, exposed tree roots, and lack of vegetation due to a widely impacted area with compacted soil

Before image from a trail day at Reservoir Rocks in Great Barrington.

After image of the bouldering area showing a retaining wall preventing erosion and keeping soil over the tree roots, steps funneling climbers to one path and clear boundaries for the staging area that will allow regrowth down the hill.

After image of the work of about 20 volunteers.

2024 Stats

26 Trail Days
798 Volunteer Hours (valued at $33,516!! calculated at the MA volunteer rate)
155 Volunteer Engagements

Locations:

Stevens Property (1 day)
Hanging Mountain (8 days)
8 Car Lot at Farley (2 days)
Poplar Mountain (2 days)
Sunbowl (5 days)
Farley (8 days)

Trail Day Sponsors

Each individual trail day costs about $100-$150 to run. Expenses include snacks, coffee, and the salary of our paid Operating Executive to organize and advertise the trail days. We are thankful for the support of grants in the past few years from Two for Trails, the American Alpine Club and the AMC, which cover other larger costs, such as tools, volunteer trainings, first aid kit items, gloves, and safety glasses, etc.

Would you or your business like to sponsor a trail day, or a series of trail days? View the sponsorship package and email us at wmcc@climbgneiss.org to chat more.