Volunteer

The Copper Harbor Trails Club thrives thanks to our incredible volunteers who make it all happen. Whether you're clocking an hour at a registration table or dedicating a weekend to trail work, every bit of your time is gold to us. We have a small staff who keeps the high-level pieces moving where they need to go. Everyone else? Some of the best dang volunteers we could ever ask for.

Our volunteer needs are as varied as the people who answer the cause. Check out some descriptions of the types of tasks we regularly need help for below!

Spring Trail Clean Ups

50+ miles of singletrack trail can't clear itself! Every winter the Keweenaw sees countless storms, hundreds of inches of snow, and more downed branches than you can shake a stick at. Before our trails can open, we must remove the downed trees and leaf blow the ENTIRE system. That's a lot of chainsawing. We rely on dozens of volutneers to help out with this extremely important task. After all, we can't ride without getting dirty first!

Spring trail work days take place once the majority of the snow has melted, typically in late-April or early-May. We'll post trail workday announcements on the Events page as well as send notices out by email and on our Facebook. No prior experience is required, and we have tools to lend out as well. If you're not comfortable with heavy power tools, there are plenty of other tasks that could use help at this time of year too.

Become a Bike Patroller

CHTC is among the first mountain bike trail networks in the nation to begin the process of setting up a volunteer Bike Patrol program. Similar to how ski patrol programs work, we would send trained patrollers out on busy days to respond quickly to incidents on our trails. If you have a background in ski patrol or have emergency medical training and mountain bike too, you could be a great candidate!

Bike patrollers and other medical professionals are also in need at our races in case of injuries. We have a robust system in place to respond to these types of emergencies but the biggest piece that is needed is manpower. If you've got the skills, let us know and we'll assign you a role that fits the bill!

Event Support

We host several events throughout the summer months, including races, clinics, and group rides. Our biggest event, the Copper Harbor Trails Fest, requires a huge number of volunteers to pull off – over 100 different tasks need filled! No one person can do it all, which is why we need your help to make these events happen. An hour or two dedicated to the cause goes a long way towards ensuring the event is a success. Event jobs can be as easy as helping out with registration or checking IDs in the beer tent, or as complicated as setting up course markings for our 30+ mile XC race. Every job is fulfilling though, and volunteers get free food, beer, swag, and more for their efforts.

We typically post volunteer signups a couple months ahead of each big event that is in need. Looking to help with a big task and not sure where to turn? Feel free to contact us if you want to get involved on a deeper level with our events!

Join a Committee

We've got some cool committees you can join! There's Events, where you get to plan and execute all the fun stuff we do, like the Copper Harbor Trails Fest and Ride the Keweenaw. Or you can join Membership & Outreach, where you'll help us connect with the community and spread the word about our events. if you're into trails and stuff, you can join the Trails & Land Access committee, where you'll help us maintain the trails and plan for the future. Sound interesting? Let us know you're interested!

Looking for more ways to get involved and make a difference? Contact us today to learn more about how you make a positive impact your community.