You're invited to participate in the IPWA Reading Group and join us for a meet-up in Boulder, Colorado! The May selection is "Cast Out of Eden: The Untold Story of John Muir, Indigenous Peoples, and the American Wilderness" by Robert Aquinas McNally. This group is open to all (IPWA and the public). See our blog posts about previous reading selections. The upcoming meet-up will be on May 22nd, 2025, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - RSVP here

Volunteers and prospective volunteers, pencil in Saturday, June 7th, 2025 for the in-person training day (mandatory for new volunteers).​

IPWA Wilderness Volunteers are eligible to go on summer patrols as long as they have completed all annual paperwork and training requirements. Training will be held on Saturday, June 7th. The IPWA Summer Patrol season starts June 8th, 2025, and ends September 30th, 2025. To see current trail conditions, please visit the Public Trail Conditions page!

On the Independence Day Fourth of July holiday, IPWA volunteers will be hosting an informational booth at the East Portal/Moffat Tunnel trailhead for the James Peak Wilderness area. Stop by the trailhead booth between 7:30am - 12:30pm to talk to our volunteers about hiking routes, wilderness regulations, local wildlife, Leave No Trace best practices, and to learn about our organization. 

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IPWA volunteers will also host trailhead information booths at the Brainard Lake Recreation Area (BLRA) Long Lake and Mitchell Lake Trailheads most Saturdays and Sundays from July 5th through September 21st.

Join us to work on important trails and build community with other volunteers excited to help out! Sign up and work details will be available 2-3 weeks before each project. 

These projects are open to volunteers and members of the public who are at least 18 years old (or younger with parental consent) who meet the following criteria:

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• Can do light- to medium-level trail work and are in good physical condition

• Prior trail work experience a plus but not necessary

• Bring own gloves, food, water; other tools provided

• Not required to be a registered IPWA volunteer

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Reach out to ipwatrailcrew@gmail.com with any questions!

On July 13th, 2025, IPWA volunteers and the U.S. Forest Service will have a joint informational booth at the historic 19th century cabin close to the parking area and the junction of the Hessie and 4th of July roads (and near the trailheads to the Indian Peaks Wilderness). Stop by the cabin between 7:30am - 12:30pm to talk to the Forest Service staff and our IPWA volunteers about hiking routes, wilderness regulations, local wildlife, Leave No Trace best practices, etc.   

IPWA volunteers will also host trailhead information booths at the Brainard Lake Recreation Area (BLRA) Long Lake and Mitchell Lake Trailheads most Saturdays and Sundays from July 5th through September 21st.

You're invited to participate in the IPWA Reading Group and join us for a meet-up in Boulder, Colorado! The July selection is "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. This group is open to all (IPWA and the public). See our blog posts about previous reading selections. The upcoming meet-up will be on July 17th, 2025, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - RSVP here

Join us to work on important trails and build community with other volunteers excited to help out! Sign up and work details will be available 2-3 weeks before each project.

​

These projects are open to volunteers and members of the public who are at least 18 years old (or younger with parental consent) who meet the following criteria:

​

• Can do light- to medium-level trail work and are in good physical condition

• Prior trail work experience a plus but not necessary

• Bring own gloves, food, water; other tools provided

• Not required to be a registered IPWA volunteer

​

Reach out to ipwatrailcrew@gmail.com with any questions!

Join us to work on important trails and build community with other volunteers excited to help out! Sign up and work details will be available 2-3 weeks before each project.

​

These projects are open to volunteers and members of the public who are at least 18 years old (or younger with parental consent) who meet the following criteria:

​

• Can do light- to medium-level trail work and are in good physical condition

• Prior trail work experience a plus but not necessary

• Bring own gloves, food, water; other tools provided

• Not required to be a registered IPWA volunteer

​

Reach out to ipwatrailcrew@gmail.com with any questions!

Join us to work on important trails and build community with other volunteers excited to help out! Sign up and work details will be available 2-3 weeks before each project. 

​

These projects are open to volunteers and members of the public who are at least 18 years old (or younger with parental consent) who meet the following criteria:

​

• Can do light- to medium-level trail work and are in good physical condition

• Prior trail work experience a plus but not necessary

• Bring own gloves, food, water; other tools provided

• Not required to be a registered IPWA volunteer

​

Reach out to ipwatrailcrew@gmail.com with any questions!

You're invited to participate in the IPWA Reading Group and join us for a meet-up in Boulder, Colorado! The September selection is "Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet" by Ben Goldfarb. This group is open to all (IPWA and the public). See our blog posts about previous reading selections. The upcoming meet-up will be on September 25th, 2025, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - RSVP here

The IPWA Winter Patrol Program starts in mid-November and ends in late May. This is an exciting opportunity for our Summer Wilderness Volunteers who want to enjoy the wilderness and patrol in the late fall, winter, and spring months. For more information visit the Winter Patrol Program page. To see current trail conditions, please visit the Public Trail Conditions page!

We offer two types of volunteer opportunities:

1. IPWA Wilderness Volunteers commit to completing annual training, are outfitted with a uniform, and commit to completing a minimum of “four service activities” per calendar year.

2. If you do not have time to volunteer for a full season/year, you may join us for one or more volunteer trail projects this summer!

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If you're interested in volunteering, please email us at hikers@indianpeakswilderness.org to be added to our email list. Please indicate if you are interested in trail projects and/or in applying to become a full Wilderness Volunteer, starting next season (summer 2026). ​

To learn more, visit our Wilderness Volunteer Program page. To learn more about other ways to help, visit the Volunteer Opportunities page. 

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The IPWA is proud to offer four Paddon/Gellhorn Wilderness Grants, each up to $2,000. The Paddon/Gellhorn Wilderness Research Grants support graduate students pursuing Master’s or Ph.D. degrees, as well as undergraduate students, at recognized Colorado-based institutions conducting research on Colorado's mountain ecoregions - alpine, subalpine, and montane - and their constituent ecosystems. Projects should aim to advance the understanding, conservation, or management of these systems by investigating biotic interactions (e.g., flora an fauna dynamics) and/or abiotic factors (e.g., climate, hydrology, geology) that influence these ecoregions and their ecosystems. While priority is given to graduate and postgraduate research, outstanding undergraduate projects demonstrating similar scientific rigor and relevance will also be considered. 

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Applications must be submitted by March 30, 2026, and award announcements will be made by mid-April. Visit the Research Grants page for details and application instructions.