San Juan Mountains Association

STEWARDSHIP: Wilderness Solitude Monitoring Volunteer

Protect & explore the Weminuche Wilderness this summer!

Love exploring the San Juan Mountains? Looking for a way to give back to the places you love?

Join SJMA & the San Juan National Forest as a Wilderness Solitude Monitoring volunteer to do both at the same time! As a volunteer, you'll collect data on wilderness use & solitude experience across the Columbine Ranger District. Volunteers will monitor, collect, and report data for 4 hours at a time on specific randomized dates at selected locations in designated Wilderness this summer. 

Once you've completed a training, you can pick as many as 3 monitoring shifts (this may change later on). You can complete your shift any time during the day, as long as it is on the selected day and you are able to monitor in the Wilderness area for at least 4 hours. There is only one spot per shift, but you are more than welcome to bring a friend with you if you'd like!

Monitoring on the SJNF for 2025 will be entirely on the Columbine Ranger District (think west Weminuche). Some dates will require an overnight backpacking trip (unless you're an ultra-runner). These include Elk Creek Trail (train ticket included) and the Pine River Trail from Lake Fork to Moon Lake. We'll include a free backpacking meal for your effort.

Day trip areas include Burnt Timber, Lake Eileen, and Pine River Trail from the Wilderness Boundary to Lake Fork.

Recommended training: Wilderness First Aid or CPR/First Aid