Wilderness Service in the Wasatch Range, Utah
Sierra Club Outings Trip | Service/Volunteer
Highlights
- Explore spectacular high peaks, meadows, and lakes
- Help maintain the Mt. Naomi National Recreation Trail
- Learn about the challenges of managing public lands
Includes
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Work-project tools and training in their safe use
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Delicious backcountry meals by an experienced cook
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Easy access via Salt Lake City and Logan, Utah
Overview
If you’re 18 to 35, you may be able to go on this trip for $300 off the listed price, thanks to the Sharon Churchwell Fund. To sign up and get your discount, please call 415-977-5522. No application is necessary. For a full list of Sharon Churchwell trips and other opportunities for young travelers, visit our trips for young participants page.
The Trip
The Wasatch Range rises majestically from the broad Cache Valley in the northeastern corner of Utah, extending about 160 miles south from the Idaho border to central Utah. These mountains form the eastern edge of the Great Basin and serve as the western-most slope of the Rocky Mountains. With its tallest peaks at 12,000 feet and high meadows bursting with an astounding display of wildflowers, the range is well-loved by outdoor enthusiasts in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and beyond
If you’re 18 to 35, you may be able to go on this trip for $300 off the listed price, thanks to the Sharon Churchwell Fund. To sign up and get your discount, please call 415-977-5522. No application is necessary. For a full list of Sharon Churchwell trips and other opportunities for young travelers, visit our trips for young participants page.
The Trip
The Wasatch Range rises majestically from the broad Cache Valley in the northeastern corner of Utah, extending about 160 miles south from the Idaho border to central Utah. These mountains form the eastern edge of the Great Basin and serve as the western-most slope of the Rocky Mountains. With its tallest peaks at 12,000 feet and high meadows bursting with an astounding display of wildflowers, the range is well-loved by outdoor enthusiasts in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and beyond.
We’ll be spending the week in the popular and spectacular Mt. Naomi Wilderness, whose nearly 45,000 acres support healthy populations of elk, moose, deer, and beaver. We’ll backpack about five miles to establish our base camp at High Creek Lake at about 8,800 feet. Our trailhead near 8,000-foot Tony Grove Lake is about a 45-minute drive from Logan, Utah, in the heart of the Cache Valley. Logan is only about a 90-minute drive north from Salt Lake City, which is easy to reach by air and hosts many attractions of its own.
The Project
The Mt. Naomi Wilderness is one of the nation’s most visited wilderness areas, and we’ll help maintain public access by rerouting an overly steep stretch of the Mt. Naomi National Recreation Trail near our basecamp at High Creek Lake. In our free time we’ll have the opportunity to summit nearby Naomi Peak (at 9,979 feet), considered one of northern Utah’s top hikes.
Itinerary
We’ll meet on the morning of Day 1 at the Tony Grove Lake trailhead, about a 45-minute scenic drive from Logan, Utah. There we’ll meet one another, prepare our gear, and start our five-mile backpack up to High Creek Lake. (There’s room at the trailhead to leave cars.) At the lake we’ll set up our camp for the week, including the equipment and food that will be carried up by pack animals. We’ll each be carrying our own gear, making this a moderately strenuous hike at fairly high elevation (8,000 to 10,000 feet).
We’ll spend four days working on the trail, with one day set aside to relax and/or explore (most likely in the middle of the week). On the morning of Day 7 we’ll break down camp and pack our gear for the return trip to the Tony Grove trailhead
We’ll meet on the morning of Day 1 at the Tony Grove Lake trailhead, about a 45-minute scenic drive from Logan, Utah. There we’ll meet one another, prepare our gear, and start our five-mile backpack up to High Creek Lake. (There’s room at the trailhead to leave cars.) At the lake we’ll set up our camp for the week, including the equipment and food that will be carried up by pack animals. We’ll each be carrying our own gear, making this a moderately strenuous hike at fairly high elevation (8,000 to 10,000 feet).
We’ll spend four days working on the trail, with one day set aside to relax and/or explore (most likely in the middle of the week). On the morning of Day 7 we’ll break down camp and pack our gear for the return trip to the Tony Grove trailhead. From there we’ll head into Logan and meet up for a farewell lunch or early dinner before scattering our different ways…with many fond shared memories.
Logistics
Getting There
For those flying into the area, Salt Lake City is likely the most convenient and reasonably priced airport. From there it’s about a 90-minute drive to Logan, and then another 45 minutes up Logan Canyon to the trailhead.
We recommend coordinating with the trip leader before purchasing non-refundable tickets. The leader will also share information to facilitate carpooling and other coordination among trip participants.
Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader
Getting There
For those flying into the area, Salt Lake City is likely the most convenient and reasonably priced airport. From there it’s about a 90-minute drive to Logan, and then another 45 minutes up Logan Canyon to the trailhead.
We recommend coordinating with the trip leader before purchasing non-refundable tickets. The leader will also share information to facilitate carpooling and other coordination among trip participants.
Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.
Accommodations and Food
We'll be backpacking into a wilderness area, setting up a camp that will serve as our home base for the week. Participants will carry their own clothing, gear and tents, while most (if not all) of our tools, group equipment, and food will be brought up by pack animals.
Come with the attitude that food is part of the adventure. While we try to surprise our trip members with the variety and quality of our meals, trip menu planning considers that there will be no refrigeration and food must be protected from animals. We serve a delicious, nutritious, vegetarian-friendly menu with a variety of meat, nut, dairy, and soy products to provide ample protein. Before applying for the trip, people with food allergies and/or strong food preferences should contact the cook to see whether reasonable accommodation can be made.
We have a group commissary, with everyone taking turns assisting the cook in food preparation and cleanup. All meals are included in the trip price, beginning with lunch on the first day and ending with breakfast on the final day.
Trip Difficulty
This trip is considered moderately strenuous, yet amenable to beginning backpackers in good shape. The hike to our camp climbs about 2,000 feet and drops down 1,000 feet to our campsite over five miles, and you’ll be carrying all of your personal gear. Trail work can be demanding, but it’s highly satisfying and usually includes a range of tasks to fit varying abilities. Our U.S. Forest Service hosts will provide training in the safe and efficient use of tools on our work project.
As application materials are received, the leader will talk with each applicant about the trip to answer questions and help ensure that everyone is prepared for the rigors of the trip.
Health and safety are high priorities on our outings, and we find that self-awareness and preparation by everyone involved can go a long way toward ensuring a successful and enjoyable week for the entire group.
Weather conditions can vary significantly, but we’ll hope for mostly mild weather while still being prepared with rain gear and other ways of mitigating environmental factors. Temperatures in early August in the high country typically range from the 40s to the 80s, with little precipitation. But best to be ready for anything!
Equipment and Clothing
The Forest Service will provide the tools and training for the work project. In addition to your regular camping gear, come prepared to work with sturdy boots, long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and leather work gloves. If you’d like to save weight, your backpack can double as a day pack to carry your lunch, water, raingear, sunscreen, etc.
We will provide food and the equipment for cooking it. You will need personal eating utensils, such as bowl, cup, and spoon. A plastic food container with a tight-fitting lid is necessary for carrying your lunch to the work site each day.
We will also provide a first-aid kit for emergencies, but you should bring your own first-aid kit with any personal medications you require. A full list of needed equipment will be sent to you after you've been accepted onto the trip. If you have questions, please contact the trip leader.
References
- USDA Forest Service: Mt. Naomi Wilderness
- Wikipedia: Mount Naomi Wilderness
- SummitPost: Naomi Peak
Conservation
Since its founding in 1892, The Sierra Club has worked to preserve and restore the natural environment we all share on this planet. Thousands of grassroots-level volunteers spearhead our efforts to conserve and sustain resources, both in our own backyards and on a global scale. Through direct experience in the outdoors, Sierra Club outings enable participants to better understand, advocate, and participate in the environmental conservation goals of the Club.
Service outings, in particular, stand out as one of the Sierra Club’s most important “boots on the ground” conservation efforts. The work done by service trip participants in our nation’s public lands is a way of practicing conservation in the most direct way possible, whether it’s improving access while preserving wilderness values, restoring wildlife habitat, or repairing human-caused damage to a natural area. Service trips are a great way to pitch in and do something tangible to make the world a better place; they’re a way to go beyond just talking about conservation; a way to get out there and experience conservation with your whole being.
As with all our nation's wild areas, the Mt. Naomi Wilderness requires thoughtful stewardship to balance wildness and access. We’ll learn more about these land-management challenges and other issues from our local guides. Participants are also encouraged to share perspectives on their own local conservation issues for group discussion.
Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.
Staff
Important Notes
- Carbon Offsets
- Carpooling
- Electronic Billing and Forms
- Electronic Devices
- Equipment
- Essential Eligibility Criteria
- How to Apply for a Trip
- Leader Gratuities
- Medical Issues
- Non-discrimination Statement
- Participant Agreement
- Seller of Travel Disclosure
- Single Supplements
- Terms and Conditions
- Travel Insurance
- Trip Feedback
- Trip Price
- Wilderness Manners