Volunteer Opportunities
SWITMO is a group of dedicated volunteers who, under the direction of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association, maintain portions of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail that transverse Skagit, Whatcom and Island counties of Washington State. SWITMO Volunteers assist the PNTA in the establishment of new trail segments with the goal to enhance the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. Additionally, SWITMO maintains local community trails when requested by the trail custodian.
Regularly scheduled trail work parties are conducted on the first and third Saturdays in April, May, August and October. In June the first work party is on National Trails Day which is the first Saturday. The second work party is the Annual Plant Sale and is on the fourth Saturday of June. To accommodate for the Fourth Of July and Labor Day holidays the work parties are on the second and fourth Saturdays in July and September.
Work parties involve the maintenance of established portions of the PNWNST usually either at Blanchard Mountain or at Anderson Mountain. Volunteers will meet at the SWITMO storage facility located at 929 E. College Way in Mount Vernon WA. behind IDEAL RENTAL at 8:15 AM. The work parties go until approximately 3 PM. All volunteers need to bring a lunch, something to drink to stay hydrated, wear long pants, work boots and work gloves and be prepared to get dirty. Parking is available at the SWITMO storage site for those who would like to ride share.
Experience in trail work is not necessary. New volunteers will be assigned to a crew leader who will partner them with experienced people. All the tools and safety equipment, with the exception of personal work gloves, will be provided by SWITMO. Power equipment such as chainsaws and brush cutters require training and experience which can be acquired through work party participation.
Each June on the fourth Saturday of that month, commercial nurseries in the Skagit Valley area donate plants and flowers to the annual SWITMO plant sale that is conducted by our volunteers. Sale profits go toward the acquisition and maintenance of the equipment needed by SWITMO to continue hiking trail support.
2023 Saturday Work Party Schedule **:
April 01 April 15
May 06 May 20
June 03 (National Trails Day) June 17
July 08* July 22*
August 05 August 19
September 09* September 23*
October 07 October 21
*Adjusted to accommodate holiday weekends
**This schedule is subject to change due to weather or fire danger. It is advisable to check this site for changes or call (360) 672 2058