Special Events

Season Opener - Wednesday, Mid-April

Sign up to be an Iron Goat Crew Leader! Returning and potential crew leaders are invited to an overview of the Iron Goat Trail Project Crew leaders and potential crew leaders will receive a Crew Leader's Handbook. Learn what we will be doing on the Iron Goat Trail this year. Contact the VOW office at 206-517-3019 for details.

Saturday, Early May - Crew Leader Refresher/Training

Join fellow crew leaders and trail workers for the official start of the work party season! New trail workers are also welcome - training and mentoring are provided on a variety of trail work projects. Learn how to put in drainage structures, clear, grub, and grade trail, see to your work party's safety and feeling of accomplishment. Trained crew leaders will be asked to serve as crew leaders on at least three work parties during the season. No prior experience is necessary, just general physical fitness and enthusiasm to help! Sign up by using the online sign-up or by calling the VOW office at 206-517-3019.  

First Saturday in June - National Trails Day - Mountaineers Event

You don't have to be a member of The Mountaineers to celebrate National Trails Day on the Iron Goat! Volunteers will be working on a variety of projects. We are hoping for a large, industrious work party, so additional carpooling may be necessary from the Skykomish Ranger Station. Mountaineer members should sign up with the Mountaineers sign-up line (206-284-8484) and non-members by using the online sign-up or by calling the VOW office at 206-517-3019.

Summer Brushing Extravaganzas

Several times throughout the summer, VOW conducts major brushing-only work parties on the Iron Goat Trail. Help give the Iron Goat the grooming it needs and deserves! We use gasoline powered weed whackers. Lots of people will be needed to rake aside the cut vegetation and to hand-prune woodier brush. Some people may want to help with the maintenance of the native plantings at the trailhead. There will be something for everybody to do. Sign up by using the online sign-up or by calling the VOW office at 206-517-3019.

Volunteer Vacation Week - Mid-July

Every summer VOW offers a week-long volunteer vacation in mid-July. This may be of particular interest to people from outside Washington State because it consists of working on the trail during the day, and staying at the Mountaineers' Stevens Pass Lodge at night. Activities may also include visiting the abandoned Wellington town site, hiking the whole Iron Goat Trail, viewing a slide show and materials on the history of the area, activities for a day off, and a special dinner at the lodge on the last night. The Mountaineers' lodge at Stevens Pass has a cozy lounge area by a fireplace, a dining area with plenty of room to spread out for games and puzzles, four dormitories for women, men, couples, and families; a drying room for jackets, gloves and boots; and restrooms with flush toilets and showers. All meals will be provided, with a cook helping prepare breakfast and dinner. Each volunteer will sign up for some duties at the lodge and pay a nominal fee for food and lodging for the week. Transportation will be provided between the airport and the lodge, and to the trailhead and back. The Volunteer Vacation work focuses on construction of new trail and working on restoring the whole trail to the original specifications. The trail work location may require up to a 6 mile round-trip walk. When you get tired of one activity or desire a change of pace, you can try working on a different project. For more information about the Volunteer Vacation or to view photos of previous Volunteer Vacations, click here. Once again, this opportunity will be offered through the American Hiking Society, although you don't have to be a member to sign up. Contact the American Hiking Society at P.O. Box 20160, Washington D.C., 20041 (phone: (301) 565-6704). Further information can also be obtained from VOW (e-mail: info@trailvolunteers.org). Please join us! You would be amazed at the amount of progress that can be made by a well-organized trail construction team concentrating on the trail for one week! Note: Since many past participants of Volunteer Vacation Week are expected to sign up again, the spaces available through the American Hiking Society may quickly fill. It may still be possible to sign up for all or part of the week by contacting VOW and providing your own transportation to the lodge. Local volunteers can also come up just for the day as we will be working on the trail every day except Wednesday.  

Saturday Maintenance Work Parties

Construction not your bag, but you still want to help out on the trail? We hold maintenance work parties on various Saturdays throughout the season. Work can consist of tread maintenance, culvert repair, brushing, ditch digging, general cleanup or other jobs as required. Some people may want to help remove invasive weeds, or help maintain the native plantings that have been transplanted on previous work parties. Others may want to help with the brushing of the trail itself to keep encroaching vegetation from narrowing the trail. There are always a variety of things to do to spruce up this heavily-used area, so you usually have lots of choices. Sign up by using the online sign-up or by calling the VOW office at 206-517-3019.

Last Saturday in September - National Public Lands Day

"Lend a hand to our public lands." Join VOW on the trail as we celebrate our nation's public lands. This event has always been a popular one, so we have always made a lot of progress on the trail. Sign up by visiting our work party calendar or by calling the VOW office at 206-517-3019.

NOTE: Please check the VOW event calendar for dates and locations of events. All dates and locations are subject to change, so be sure to check the calendar often.