Volunteers Needed for Tubbs Hill Trail Repair Day on April 3

Twenty volunteers armed with pulaskis and pick mattocks just logged 60 hours of trail work on Tubbs Hill. Now the Friends of Tubbs Hill want to build on that momentum before summer hikers hit the 165-acre park in force, and they need your help to do it.

Volunteers are invited to roll up their sleeves Friday, April 3, for a day of trail work on Tubbs Hill, gathering at 8:30 a.m. at East Tubbs Hill Park. The event will mark the second Trail Day of the season, following a burst of early-spring work that reshaped several problem sections of the hill.

"Here's your second opportunity of the spring to help us do some important work before summer begins," said volunteer coordinator Mary Duff.

Tasks will include moving rocks and soil, raking and compacting trail surfaces, and light pruning. Some experienced volunteers and parks staff will operate a jackhammer, while others may help reposition downed logs to discourage trail shortcuts. Other medium- to light-duty projects will be available for volunteers of all levels of experience, and a variety of tools will be provided, including rakes, shovels, Pulaskis, pick mattocks and McLeods.

The April 3 workday builds directly on what the group accomplished earlier this month. Twenty Friends of Tubbs Hill volunteers joined Coeur d'Alene Trails Coordinator Shane O'Shea to complete 60 hours of trail work that included closing a steep, user-created trail near the Mountain Avenue/10th Street connector, addressing erosion by placing moss over exposed rock, and clearing encroaching brush. At the Halfway Summit Trail and Fire Road intersection, volunteers also built a bypass around a heavily eroded section and removed a large fallen tree blocking the trail.

In 2024, 135-plus Friends of Tubbs Hill members participated in 25 trail-related projects with a documented 423 hours of volunteer time. The April workday continues that tradition of community-driven stewardship on one of Coeur d'Alene's most-used natural areas.

No trail experience is required. Medium- to light-duty projects will be available for volunteers of all levels of experience. Plan on two to three hours, though participants are welcome to stay as long as they can. Wear sturdy footwear and appropriate clothing, and bring gloves along with eye and ear protection for anyone working near the jackhammer operation.

East Tubbs Hill Park offers a parking lot, restrooms, and trail access to Tubbs Hill, making it a practical staging point for the morning's work. Those interested are asked to RSVP by March 30 by emailing [email protected].