Join us for this event to collect litter and improve the natural beauty of Mount Major!
Friday, April 19 from 9 AM to 1 PM
This is a DIY Challenge - No Registration is Needed!
With more than 80,000 people hiking Mount Major every year, the popular hiking spot has seen its share of excessive trash, damage to vegetation, trail erosion, disturbance to wildlife, and more. In 2019, Mount Major was chosen as one of 19 Hot Spots nationwide to be the focus of training from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. As a result, we now host one seasonal staff in the summer and have established a Volunteer Trailhead Outreach Program (VTOP) to communicate the principals of Leave No Trace and responsible hiking to visitors. Even with these strategies in place, there continues to be a challenge with litter. We all have the best intentions, but sometimes we leave behind litter, forget a bag of dog poop, or our lunch bag blows away in the wind - a little bit here and there can really add up!
Each year we give the parking lot and trail system a deep clean of macro and micro litter. The goal is to start the season with a "clean slate" to set the expectation of a clean environment for visitors to enjoy the amazing natural beauty of Mount Major.
Take the DIY Trail Trash Challenge and give a little love for the mountain, the lakes, and the wildlife that calls this area home!
Guidelines:
- Arrive at the Mount Major trailhead parking lot and get a trash bag and gloves from us to collect as you hike to the summit.
- Please bring your own daypack, water bottle, appropriate footwear, and layers.
- Forest Society staff will collect your findings back at the trailhead to weigh and remove from the property. (Staff leaves the trailhead by 1 PM, so if you return after that time, we will ask that you take your finds to an appropriate waste disposal unit at home or in your town.)
Go Above & Beyond:
Can't make it in person? Give back to the trails you love as we gear up to start a trail project to improve the sustainability of Mount Major's main trail, the most popular route up and down the mountain. Make a donation here.
