Portola Trail Crew
The Portola Trail Crew is organized by the Portola and Castle Rock Foundation and meets monthly (usually on the second Saturday) to do trail work at Portola Redwoods State Park. We work in conjunction with State Parks management and to their standards (see their handbook here) to supplement their team in maintaining trails. The work can be somewhat strenuous but also very much at your own pace, and is suitable for volunteers of all ages (volunteers under 18 must have a guardian over 18 with them while volunteering).
Ways to Sign Up
- Use our volunteer form. Your personal information will not be sold or shared.
- Sign up for a work day via the Bay Area Outdoors Volunteering Meetup group.
- Sign up as a State Parks volunteer.
What to Expect
We meet at 9 am at Portola Redwoods State Park’s Ramada or Madrone parking area (location will be posted in the event details on the meetup page and emailed to our volunteer list). Here is a park map showing locations. We work from 9 am until 3 pm. Please arrive before 9 am so we can start on time. If you need to leave before 3 pm it’s not a problem, just let your crew leader know.
Please bring gloves, lunch (will be carried with you on the trail), and plenty of water (at least 2 liters). We recommend long sleeves and pants to protect from poison oak and insects.
After your volunteer shift, please check for ticks. If you find one, Bay Area Lyme Foundation offers information on how to get it checked for Lyme disease. You should assume you have been in contact with poison oak and shower with detergent soap (dish soap is commonly used) or a product like Tecnu. Put all outer clothing in the washer immediately and wash them separately.
We don’t typically use power tools, and are specifically prohibited from using them April through September because it’s the mating season for the endangered Marbled Murrelet (the Sempervirens Fund web site has an interesting article about this unique bird). If you’re curious to learn more about the tools used for trail maintenance, the Santa Cruz Mountain Trail Stewardship web site has a great article on the most commonly used tools for trail maintenance.
