Work in an awe-inspiring place! Once again, this year's National Trails Day will be held at Steven's Camp, north of High Rock Canyon and the Black Rock Desert. The work will include maintaining the Upper High Rock Canyon Trail, and maintaining the public-use cabin. Trail maintenance helps keep a trail open and available to the public while minimizing damage to its fragile environment. The work involves cutting back overgrown brush, sawing fallen trees to remove them from the trail, and creating a safe durable surface to hike on. Friends of Nevada Wilderness will provide all the training, safety equipment, and trail maintenance tools needed to get the job done. We'd love to see you at National Trails Day to help maintain this beautiful area. 

About Steven's Camp and the Upper High Rock Canyon Area

Steven's Camp is located on the north side of High Rock Canyon Wilderness and High Rock Canyon Area of Critical Environmental Concern. Steven's Camp Recreation Area has a public-use cabin available for visitors on a first-come, first-serve basis. It is located in a unique area surrounded by desert rims and vistas with large meadows. Another cool feature of the area is The Applegate Lassen Emigrant Trail which goes through High Rock Canyon and was used by thousands of Emigrants and their wagons starting in 1848. The journey through was often slow and arduous, fraught with risks from infectious diseases, dehydration, malnutrition, injury, and harsh weather. 

Check out these photos from 2024 National Trails Day at Steven's Camp.

Read about the High Rock Canyon Wilderness here!

Information:

Difficulty: Easy - See our difficulty rating scale here.  This project is suitable for a wide range of physical abilities. It’s great for individuals new to volunteer conservation work. Appropriate for children over 12 years old with a parent or guardian.

Location: Steven's Camp, north of High Rock Canyon and the Black Rock Desert

Dates: Friday, June 6th - Sunday, June 8th

Travel: Leave Reno on Friday morning, returning Sunday afternoon. Most cars should be fine, higher Clearance and 4WD are recommended to reach the campsite (one small creek crossing near the campsite). A limited number of spots are available in Friends trucks to transport volunteers and carpooling is also an option. 

Food: Breakfast and coffee are provided on Saturday and Sunday, big group dinner (with dessert) on Saturday night. Volunteers must bring their own lunches and snacks.

Gear/Clothing: Long sleeves, long pants, sturdy work or hiking shoes. Camping equipment: tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad. Camping gear is available for loan. Check out our suggested Packing List.

More Details: In-depth information such as camping location, weather, and project specifics will be sent out about a week before to those who have RSVP'd.

Questions?: Check out our FAQ page here or email [email protected].

RSVP is required to participate.

Friends of Nevada Wilderness and our partners put a great deal of time and resources into organizing volunteer projects. When you RSVP you are committing to join us on that project. We understand circumstances may arise where you need to cancel. So, if you’re no longer able to attend, please cancel your RSVP as soon as possible so other volunteers can join the project. You can cancel your RSVP through the cancellation link in your project confirmation email or by emailing [email protected].