Canoe Creek State Park [Blair County] is fortunate to have a small, dedicated group of volunteers who faithfully meet weekly to maintain the trails.

This group of retirees, called the “Trail Crew,” work with the staff in planning and completing trail maintenance projects for the park. The Trail Crew regularly contribute to Canoe Creek State Park’s trail system by building bridges, water diversion structures, and signage for the trails.

They go above and beyond their volunteer duties to ensure the best possible experience for park visitors.

This crew meets on a weekly basis to tackle the trail maintenance on the parks 12 miles of trails, including blazing trails, mowing trails that are difficult to get a mower into, clearing blow down trees, and servicing equipment used.

Projects that enhance visitor experiences include trail remediation projects, foot bridge rehabilitations, implementing trail intersection numbers, and assisting park staff with leading large groups of students for community service days.

The Trail Crew took it upon themselves to correct the surface issue of the foot bridges on the trails. Wooden foot bridges can be very slick, so they used chicken wire and wrapped the walking surface with the fencing to increase foot traction.

While working on mud remediation of very wet areas of the trail, the group noticed particularly muddy spots and completed larger scale projects to help eliminate this issue in the future. The crew laid large stone down for a solid base and filled in the area with smaller stone, topped with soil.

Working with park staff, the Trail Crew also made and installed trail intersection numbers. This allows staff to quickly locate hikers that are lost or in need of medical attention, providing a more rapid response during these types of emergencies.

This group’s influence has reached out of the park and into the community as well.

The Trail Crew assisted park staff with the annual Hollidaysburg Area High School Community Service Days, where about 80 high school seniors come out to the park to work on service projects.

With the help of the crew, this large group was able to break into smaller groups and work on multiple projects simultaneously. They completed multiple trail improvements, ADA cabin improvements, installation of playground mat, and many landscaping projects around the park.

Without this group of dedicated volunteers, Canoe Creek State Park’s trail system would not be what it is today. These volunteers stepped up to assist a limited staff, and to ensure a positive experience for state park visitors.

A big thanks to the trail volunteers of Canoe Creek State Park!

Know of a good natured Pennsylvanian who is passionate about outdoor recreation and/or conservation that we should feature? Contact DCNR by sending an email to  ra-resource@pa.gov to nominate someone.

For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website, Click Here to sign up for the Resource newsletter, Visit the Good Natured DCNR Blog,  Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

(Photo: Partial trail, recreation map for Canoe Creek.  Click Here to download the full guide.)

(Reprinted from the November 10 DCNR Resource newsletter.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

Related Article - Canoe Creek Trail Crew:

DCNR Honors Exemplary Volunteer Service At State Parks in Blair, Venango Counties [James J. Fitch from Trail Crew]

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[Posted: November 11, 2020]

11/16/2020