About this Event
**This course is being offered in partnership between SheJumps, Black Hills Parks & Forests Association, and Wilderness Volunteers. Please visit to register. Registration MUST be completed through Wilderness Volunteers. This page is intended only to promote the event. This project is scholarship based.**
Project Information
This project is grant-funded and scholarships are available to all participants. Please complete a scholarship application here, in addition to applying for this project here. You must complete both a volunteer application and a scholarship application to hold your place on the Waitlist. Once your application is approved, a $100 fully refundable deposit will be due within 14 days. Please contact us at [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions.
This is part of a grant-funded Empowering Women and Developing Leaders through the National Forest & Grassland Stewardship project and is made possible by support from the National Forest Foundation and Athletic Brewing’s Two for the Trails grant. Through this project, we seek to increase female and nonbinary participation in stewardship and empower women to become leaders in outdoor spaces. By offering women- and nonbinary-only projects, we seek to give women and nonbinary people a safe space to offer their own ideas, step into leadership roles, and have a stronger sense of accomplishment and ownership over the stewardship projects.
Receive leader training for future Wilderness Volunteers projects during this project. We are specifically looking for people who are comfortable and competent in outdoor settings, are people-oriented, and feel a strong sense of giving something back. Like a typical project, we’ll conduct four days of service work and a free day with leadership topics covered around the work project and basecamp. Participants will learn about planning and cooking for groups, working with the agencies, managing risks, teaching Leave No Trace and more.
Once you’ve completed this leadership course, you will be eligible to co-lead Wilderness Volunteers projects around the country. After you’ve led your first trip, you’ll also be eligible for a refund of your Leader Training project fee. Volunteer leaders do not pay trip fees on trips they are leading and receive modest reimbursement for travel to the projects they staff.
Our project in Black Hills National Forest focuses on trail maintenance on Trail 9 North, which provides access to Black Elk Peak, the highest point in South Dakota. Its sister trail, Trail No. 9 South, is the more popular route up the peak. Trail No. 9N is less traveled, as it is longer, steep, and rugged. The trail has fallen into disarray, as a horse-permitted trail that has been heavily impacted by horse use. Many of the trail’s water bars and erosion control structures have not been maintained and are not functioning properly, causing water damage. Maintaining this trail is a high priority for the Forest, but machinery cannot be used in the Black Elk Wilderness and the trail’s remoteness and ruggedness make it difficult for foot crews to access.
Work will include trail maintenance, including installing and maintaining water bars, brushing the trail, and removing downed trees from the trail.
Project Fee: Once your application is approved, a $100 fully refundable deposit will be due within 14 days.
Course dates: October 5 - October 11, 2025
Accommodations: We will be front country tent camping near cars at a designated campground. Scholarships for camping gear are available.
Who can attend: While other Wilderness Volunteers project trips are open to all genders, this project is only open to women and nonbinary people. Participants must be 18 years or older, or aged 16-18 and accompanied by an adult. To learn more about participating in Wilderness Volunteers projects, click here.
Itinerary:
- Sunday, October 5th. The Volunteer group meets in the afternoon at a time/place TBD. The group will go through check-in, introductions, an orientation, and will help set up camp and prepare for the work week ahead.
- Monday, October 6th. Workday.
- Tuesday, October 7th. Workday.
- Wednesday, October 8th. Day off.
- Thursday, October 9th. Workday.
- Friday, October 10th. Workday.
- Saturday, October 11th. Break down camp, goodbyes, and depart.
FAQ's & Other Event Information
What do I need to bring?: Personal camping equipment is required: tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad. Rentals are available from Roam'n Around located in Rapid City, SD. https://www.roamnaround.com/. Have more questions about what you'll need? Get in touch with our Event Coordinator or Wilderness Volunteers.
Parking and getting to the event: Plenty of parking will be available at the campsite and worksite.
Facility & accessibility information: Vault toilets will be available onsite. This is not an ADA accessible event.
Questions? Get in touch with our Event Coordinator, Andrea, at [email protected]
**This course is being offered in partnership between SheJumps, Black Hills Parks & Forests Association, and Wilderness Volunteers. Please visit to register. Registration MUST be completed through Wilderness Volunteers. This page is intended only to promote the event. This project is scholarship based.**
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All participants must sign the prior to participating in this event.
Spanish version of our waiver: Todos los participantes deben firmar la antes de participar en este evento.
To prioritize the health of our community, please do not attend a SheJumps event if you are experiencing any cold-like symptoms.
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Cancellation Policy
Since this is a partnership course, please reference the policies laid out from Wilderness Volunteers below.
If you have to withdraw from your project for any reason, please notify the office as soon as possible. It can be especially hard to find a replacement if you cancel within the last couple of weeks before the project start date and we will get less work done.
The office must be informed of cancellations directly via phone (928-255-1128) or email ([email protected]). The sooner you inform us of your need to cancel, the more opportunity we will have to find a replacement for you and get meaningful work done for our public land agencies.
If you cancel 60 days or greater from a project: – One-time transfer with no fee to another project in the current calendar year OR – Get a refund of your project fee minus a $150 cancellation fee.
If you cancel 30-59 days before a project: – One-time transfer with no fee to another project in the current calendar year OR – Get a refund of your project fee minus a $200 cancellation fee.
If you cancel 0-29 days before a project: – No transfers – No refunds
Reservations may be canceled within 14 days of acceptance with no cancellation fee. (This does not apply to reservations made within 30 days of a project start date.) As a small nonprofit on a tight budget, Wilderness Volunteers cannot make exceptions to this refund policy for any reason, including personal emergencies or weather. We make every effort to run each project as advertised but sometimes project details (leaders, campsites, work projects, etc.) must be changed to run the project. Wilderness Volunteers is not responsible for last-minute project cancellations due to natural disasters (fire, flooding, volcanic activity, etc.) If Wilderness Volunteers are forced to cancel a project due to low sign-up, etc. we will attempt to do so at least 30 days before the project start date. If a project is canceled by Wilderness Volunteers, registered participants will receive a full refund. Wilderness Volunteers is not responsible for airline tickets, other tickets or payments, or any similar fee penalties that you may incur as a result of any project cancellations or changes. Alaska, Hawaii, and noncontiguous projects. Volunteers on Alaska, Hawaii, and other noncontiguous projects must secure their airfare 50-59 days before the project and provide airfare information to the leaders. We have discovered that folks who do not have firm travel plans by this time often cancel from the project, and these projects are hard to fill at the last minute.
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SheJumps increases the participation of women and girls in outdoor activities to foster confidence, leadership, and connection to nature and community through free and low-cost outdoor education.
SheJumps is an inclusive organization. We welcome all women and girls—transgender and cisgender, as well as non-binary people.
SheJumps strives to fight against racism and acknowledges that our events and programs take place on traditional, unceded Indigenous lands.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Hill City - exact location TBD, -, Hill City, United States
USD 0.00