Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance

Meet the Vail Club 50 Adopt a Trail team
 (57 volunteers + 208 hours on Stag Gulch Trail; winners of the "Most Volunteer Hours" award for 2026)

"I hike on these trails and when I do it, I think... whoever does that trail maintenance that's gotta be hard work. So I wanted to see, and I can confirm, it's hard work!" - Vail Club 50 Volunteer Joseph

Vail Club 50 is one of 61 VVMTA Adopt a Trail teams this past summer, who combined, brought more than 1,000 volunteers out for over 100 work days just this past summer! Your favorite trails in the valley are cared for by volunteers like Joseph - and your Colorado Gives Day donation helps VVMTA staff to run one of these 3 hour work days which includes project identification, tool maintenance, safety preparation, and crew leader training.

Spotlight: Robbie and the Eagle County Youth Corps

Robbie S., in his second year with the VVMTA's Eagle County Youth Corps program, grew into a leadership role.  Recruiting members, leading with hard work, and displaying positive attitude, Robbie won the VVMTA "Youth Trail Steward of the Year" award for 2026! Your Colorado Gives Day donation allows VVMTA to run 2 week sessions of the Eagle County Youth Corp for local high schoolers - and if we raise enough, could allow an expansion to 10 more students. More students apply than VVMTA can accept. Colorado Gives Day donations can help local kids like Robbie to have a great time working hard and learning while making some money for college, and may allow us to expand the program to 3 sessions for 2027 - allowing 10 more kids like Robbie to participate.

VVMTA Trail Stewardship Crew (TSC)

Bay, Sam, Annie, Jack, Jaime, Jeff, Zach; these are the trail heroes known as the VVMTA Trail Stewardship Crew this past summer! These hardworking locals spend 40 hours per week working on projects across the county - like building 3 new bridges on the popular Grouse Creek trail, a large retaining wall on Two Elk, or clearing hundreds of trees so that you can go for a hike or bike ride knowing you won't run into a massive pile of deadfall halfway through your day. 
Your Colorado Gives Day gift funds a day of work for this paid crew, who serve Eagle County residents and visitors like you, filling the gap left by declining US Forest Service and BLM budgets and staff. Keep these boots on the ground and gloves in the dirt with a donation that will keep them working on your favorite trails in the valley.

This Colorado Gives Day, join this VVMTA Community and Love Your Trails

When you donate now through the end of the year, your impact goes twice as far toward our $100,000 Colorado Gives Day goal. Every gift will be matched up to $50,000! Your $50 becomes $100, $500 becomes $1000, and donations of $1000 become $2000.

Make a donation today and secure the programs, stewardship, and access our community relies on for the next 15 years and beyond.

What Donations Make Possible:

This is the work is made possible each year by donors like you:

• Paid seasonal professional Trail Stewardship Crew team of 8 working all summer on projects across the county with land managers and partner organizations. We are incredibly lucky to have a paid staff in Eagle County - it's not common! Your donations keep the TSC going in 2027 and beyond.

• Manage the Eagle County VVMTA Adopt a Trail program in its 10th year with 60+ teams, 1,000 volunteers, and more than 125 events each summer. Your donations keep this program going for year 11 and beyond!

• Soul Dirt "Outdoors for All" program guides hiking, biking, and backpacking trips. Removing barriers for access and providing healthy, healing opportunities by getting 350+ participants outside this year, Soul Dirt builds a culture of stewardship across our entire community

• VVMTA's Eagle County Youth Corps, the outdoor leadership summer job program for 14 local high schoolers that introduces them to recreation management career paths - aiming for expansion in 2027!

• Staff popular trailheads with employees and volunteers promoting responsible recreation, wildlife respect, and Leave No Trace principles

• Allow core staff to apply for, plan, execute, and report on over $500,000/yr in grants and matching funds to ensure our trail systems are protected and cared for. Grants awarded are often "reimbursement" models - donations provide the financial capability to pay for hours, materials, and tools before reimbursement for work completed end of the season.

• Support and advocate for local efforts to improve trail systems (e.g. Eagle Phase II, Eagle-Vail Trail Extension, Tennessee Pass Rail To Trail, Arrowhead's Quiver and Mountain Trail). Many of these are multi-year projects requiring behind the scenes work long before approval and construction.

• Manage the VVMTA-built Eagle and Minturn Bike Parks in cooperation with local municipalities
  
  

On the fence? Watch this!