CDTA Youth Corp

CDTA Youth Corps is supported by a generous grant from REI and with assistance from the U.S. Forest Service.

Make Your Summer One To Remember For The Rest Of Your Life.

Join the CDTA Youth Corps and take part in creating the most significant trail system in the world. Stretching 3,100 miles along the backbone of America from Canada to Mexico, the Continental Divide Trail accesses some of the most wild and scenic places left in the world while conserving the environment and the promoting well being of all who use it.

CDTA Youth Corps, a program of the Continental Divide Trail Alliance, is managed in partnership with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, the Southwest Conservation Corps, and the Montana Conservation Corps.

You will work alongside young people ages 17-25 to build new trail for the CDT and assist in the completion of the Trail. Participants include Crew Leaders, Conservation Corps Mentors, and Corps Members. The trail work is tough and challenging, but the rewards are immense and the experience is unforgettable.

CDTA Youth Corps is split into two distinct seasons – Spring in New Mexico and Summer in Colorado and Wyoming.

What Should You Expect?

You can expect to have a once in a lifetime opportunity. You will become an official member of the CDTA Youth Corps, a select group of young people committed to doing their best.

You will receive a living stipend and eligible participants who successfully complete the entire program will receive AmeriCorps Education Award.

Participants will receive necessary training to complete projects while living in primitive camping conditions. Training includes use of tools, trail building techniques, emergency procedures, independent and backcountry living skills, map and compass and Leave No Trace principles. You and your crew will be shuttled to specific trail projects on the CDT where you will spend anywhere from several days to several weeks. Extensive hiking and backpacking may be required to reach some projects. For at least nine of the ten weeks you will be swinging tools and building or repairing trail. Many of the project sites will be located high on the Continental Divide at elevations ranging from 7,000 to 13,000 feet above sea level (oxygen masks not provided!). Trail work can include cutting in tread, installing erosion control devices, constructing rock walls, erecting fences, building bridges and putting up signs.

While working on the CDT your crew will work side by side with Youth Corps Volunteers on the Trail and at your campsite. Your crew will work with these volunteers (typically ages 11-17) with adult supervisors, on the Trail and then provide them with an educational activity.

During the last week you and your crew will work together to prepare and give public presentations about your experiences on the CDT. The presentations will be made to a variety of groups, including Rotary Clubs, Scouts, retail stores and other special interest groups. These presentations promote the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and youth corps as a unique service opportunity.

If you can’t stand to get dirty and if you don’t like physical work, then this may not be for you. But, if you want to be a part of a historical undertaking, this might be just what you’re looking for.

“Our experiences along the Divide were wonderful, life changing experiences. We learned about trail work, wilderness, low impact camping and living in nature and a great deal more. We can only guess as to its significance to each individual.”—Rebecca Pike, youth corps crewmember

What Does the CDTA Expect?

You will be representing the CDTA, a highly respected national nonprofit organization that has worked hard to develop and maintain relations with all stakeholders along the Trail. We expect all participants to conduct themselves in a professional and presentable manner at all times.

Participants will be required to abide by CDTA, SYC and RMYC policies and procedures. Participants will remain with their crew for the duration of their term of service. Tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs are not permitted. We are promoting and modeling healthy lifestyles! The trail projects completed by CDTA Youth Corps Crews will conform to National Scenic Trail standards.

Where Will You Sleep and Eat?

“Few have ever had the opportunity to be a part of something as grand as the creation of a pristine trail across America’s most precious landscape. In creating the CDT we are providing the public an opportunity to taste history, and to teach our children the value of these wild lands. This is a great honor to be taken with serious intent.”—Steve Fausel, CDTA Honorary Board Chair

For ten glorious weeks, you will be living under the stars in a tent. No phones. No television. No video games. All you will have is what you absolutely need and what you can fit into your backpack.

Each corps member will have his or her own tent. Environmentally sensitive base camps will be setup in the forests where all cooking, sleeping and educational activities will occur. Corps members will share cooking and cleaning responsibilities.

This is backcountry living. For the most part, you will take sun showers and wash your clothes backcountry style.

On the weekends you and your crew will bond further through shared weekend activities such as swimming, hiking and visiting historic, cultural or scenic sites.

What Will You Learn?

CDTA Youth Corps participants will learn invaluable lifelong skills. The opportunity offers a variety of benefits. Participants will be able to sharpen their communication skills by working with a variety of people from around the country in a very unique (and sometimes trying) environment. You will play a role in educating the public about your experiences and the CDT through public presentations. While on the CDT, you will host and educate Youth Corps Volunteers about the CDT, project details, risk management, natural resources and backcountry ethics. The program will teach important life skills and allow tremendous growth in individual and team leadership development, as well as in environmental education

What If You Have Never Done Something Like This Before?

Although it is not required that you have trail building or camping and hiking experience, it does help. The CDTA is looking for committed individuals who will be able to handle the conditions and challenges inherent in building the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. Before you apply, it is essential that you are confident in your ability to live and work on the CDT for the duration of your term of service.

CDTA Youth Corps members could refer to themselves as pioneers. Just like the effort to build the transcontinental railroad, or settling the West, the CDT is a historical undertaking.

More About the CDTA Youth Corps

The Continental Divide Trail Alliance is partnering with Southwest Conservation Corps, the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps and the Montana Conservation Corps to continue the legacy of the CDTA Youth Corps program. The CDTA is the overall project manager of the program responsible for project identification, fundraising, program promotion, public education, and marketing.

The CDTA has contracted Southwest Youth Corps and Rocky Mountain Youth Corps as operators of the CDTA Youth Corps program responsible for crew hiring and training, field logistics, supervision, transportation, and food. Participants will represent CDTA during the summer through CDTA public presentations, logos, uniform shirts, and other public contacts. Please review our Program Overview for more information.

For the past five years the CDTA has been actively encouraging the involvement of youth in the construction and preservation of the “King of the Trails”. It is our belief that the long-term sustainability of one of our nation’s greatest backcountry trails lies in the investment we make in the intentional involvement of youth, through employment and volunteer opportunities, in the trail’s construction, maintenance and preservation.

If you’re interested in learning more about the CDTA or the CDTA Youth Corps Program, please contact us at 1-888-909-CDTA or email Teresa Martinez teresa@cdtrail.org