Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Volunteering

Become a

Mount St. Helens Volunteer

Help us protect and provide safe access to one of nature's most accessible, active volcanoes and dynamic natural landscapes.

Join employees and volunteers of the Mount St. Helens Institute and the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument for a:

    One- Day or Weekend-Long Work Party

or as a part or full-time volunteer or student intern for the season with our:

    Conservation Corps Program

    (Trail and Facility Maintenance)

    Volcano Volunteer Program

    (Visitor Information)

    Mountain Stewards Program

    (Climbing & Backcountry Management)   

View from Boundary Trail near Norway Pass

USFS Photo

Crater and growing lava dome from the North

USGS Photo

Volunteers are needed to help with recreation operations, visitor information, and resource management.  Projects include helping to maintain trails and recreation facilities, managing the climbing route and backcountry areas, and sharing the wonder of Mount St. Helens with volcano visitors.

For further information: 

Please contact the Mount St. Helens Institute concerning our upcoming weekend work parties and season long internships and volunteer opportunities. 

Email: info@mshinstitute.org    

(360) 449-7887

Mount St. Helens Institute

42218 NE Yale Bridge Road

Amboy, WA 98601

Conservation Corps Youth Crew on the Hummocks Trail

Photo by Jessica Kimmick, MSHI

Aerial view of the south side of Mount St. Helens

Photo by Peter Frenzen, USFS

Trail Scouting Bonanza

Help us scout Mount St. Helens trails to find sites that require our maintenance efforts.

This project is a gathering of volunteer organizations and user groups to scout the trails of Mount St. Helens with an eye towards trail maintenance and improvement. Volunteers should bring lunch, water and good hiking boots. Be prepared for high mountain weather and rain or shine conditions. After returning to Monument Headquarters,the work party will be followed by a volunteer-appreciation potluck and barbecue.

View from Silver Star

Photo by Peter Frenzen, USFS

Tenacious Trail Team-Up

Help maintain Indian Pits and Ed’s Trails in the beautiful Silver Star region.

Our work will revitalize trails in the Silver Star area, relying on heavy brushing, tread work, and blowdown removal. After work is finished, the Tenacious Trail Team will reconvene to relate grand tales of their adventures and celebrate with an awesome Barbecue/Potluck! Volunteers should bring work gloves, water bottle, lunch, and wear sturdy leather boots and long pants. Come prepared for rain or shine weather!

For details, please see attached announcement (122 KB, .pdf)

Heading to the Trail

Photo by David Anderson, PUMP

Butte Camp Trail Repair and Backpacking with Northwest Trail Alliance (NWTA formerly PUMP)

Help maintain the Toutle Trail just south of the Volcano. 

This is a volunteer project to improve hiking and mountain biking in the Loowit Area, focusing on tread rebuilding and drainage improvement on the Toutle trail. Volunteers should bring work gloves, water bottle, lunch, and wear sturdy leather boots and long pants. Come prepared for high mountain weather and rain or shine conditions! We will finish around 3 p.m. on both days, with optional camping (4 miles from trail head) on Saturday evening.

For details, please see attached announcement (149 KB, .pdf). 

Clear Day, Starry Night

Help Clear the Boundary Trail by Day, learn to read the Stars by Night.

Volunteers are needed to help trim trailside vegetation and repair storm damaged trail tread and facilities near Coldwater Lake and Johnston Ridge. Volunteers should come prepared for extended hiking (with sturdy leather boots), clearing trailside vegetation, repairing trail tread, and other maintenance activities. Bring work gloves, lunch, a water bottle, long pants and come prepared for rain or shine weather. Interested in working both days? There will be an optional Saturday night potluck dinner and camp out. Work party volunteers are invited to attend our Saturday night Mount St. Helens Stargazing Spectacular Field Seminar with Vancouver Sidewalk Astronomers at no cost.

Debris avalanche deposit NW of   the volcano.

  Photo by Peter Frenzen, USFS

For details, please see the attached annoucement (119 KB, .pdf)

View photos of Conservation Corps' 2006 volunteer trail projects (101 KB, .jpeg)

Sat & Sun, August 29 & 30, 2009:

For details, please see attached announcement (94 KB, .pdf)

Saturday, September 12, 2009:

For details, please see attached announcement (158 KB, .pdf)

View a group photo of NPL Day volunteers in 2008 (225 KB, .jpeg)

Make a Difference Day

at Mount St. Helens

Saturday, October 24th , 2009

Join us as we help repair an important experimental plot north of the crater of Mount St. Helens.

The “Elk Exclosure” is a 1.25 acre fenced experimental plot where elk and deer are being“ excluded” so scientists can measure plant recovery in the absence of browsing and compare it to adjacent unfenced areas. The aging elk exclosure fence was damaged by the weight of heavy snowfall last winter, and may not survive another winter without help from our volunteers! We will pack in tools and materials approximately ¾ mile to the exclosure, replace weathered posts, wire and brace the posts to strengthen the fence before winter.  After work is finished around 4 p.m., volunteers will enjoy donated snacks and sandwiches and a rare guided tour of the Johnston Ridge Observatory led by Monument Scientist Peter Frenzen.

For details, please see attached announcement (97 KB, .pdf)

Replacing fence wire at the

Elk Exclosure above Coldwater Lake

Mount St. Helens Conservation Corps

Trail Maintenance, Recreation Site Restoration, and Resource Stewardship Projects

Join staff and volunteers from the Mount St. Helens Institute and monument for a variety of challenging and fun weekend trail repair and resource stewardship projects.  Trail maintenance often involves hiking and working in steep terrain and can be physically demanding.  This season's program will include projects both within the 1980 volcanic blast zone and in nearby forests. 

For details and application form, please see attached announcement.

View photos of 2006 Conservation Corps projects  (100 KB, .jpeg)

For further information contact:

Mount St. Helens Institute  

Email: info@mshinstitute.org       (360) 449-7887. 

Volcano Volunteers

Help Share the Wonder of

Mount St. Helens with Volcano

Visitors and Students of All Ages

Volunteers are needed to help provide visitor information on area geology, ecology and stewardship of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

Work will include helping to staff facilities and interpretive programs (Johnston Ridge Observatory, Ape Cave and Windy Ridge) and to provide visitor information and services at a variety of remote sites around the volcano. 

For details and application form, please see attached announcement.

View photos of interpretive programs offered by monument staff and volunteers (90 KB, .jpeg)

For further information contact:

Mount St. Helens Institute

Email: info@mshinstitute.org         (360) 449-7887

Mountain Stewards

Help Patrol the

Mount St. Helens

Climbing Route

and Backcountry

Volunteers are needed to help provide visitor information and patrol the climbing route and backcountry areas around Mount St. Helens. 

For details and application form, please see attached announcement.

For further information contact:

Mount St. Helens Institute

Email: info@mshinstitute.org         (360) 449-7887.