Volunteer with the Conservancy: Put Your Passion to Work!
Volunteer days in RMNP are back! What better way to show your love for Rocky Mountain National Park than by investing your time and energy toward a meaningful cause? Check out the Rocky Mountain Conservancy volunteer opportunities below and find out how you can help with Conservancy efforts to lend a helping hand to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Please contact the Conservancy at Education@RMConservancy.org if you have any questions.
2025 Volunteer Events:
In partnership with Rocky Mountain National Park, we’re excited to host a variety of public volunteer events in the coming months. Information on upcoming events is listed below. Keep an eye on this page for additional volunteer activities as they are confirmed.
Willow Up-Potting Volunteer Days, May 6, 7, and 14, 2025:
Spend the day preparing for future wetland restoration work by replanting young willows into larger containers in Rocky’s greenhouse!
Work alongside Rocky Mountain National Park greenhouse staff to transplant young nursery plants into larger containers for use in native plant restoration projects. Transplant various species of grasses, forbs, shrubs, and trees that will help restore disturbances in meadows, wetlands, forests, and the alpine tundra! Nursery transplants were propagated in Rocky’s greenhouse and sourced by seed collected within the park to preserve specific adaptations that allow plants to persist in Rocky’s climate. Get your hands dirty and be a part of preserving Rocky’s diverse landscape!
What to Expect:
Transplanting will occur at Rocky’s native plant nursery located at an elevation of around 8,000 ft. Work is sedentary and repetitive as transplanting is done while sitting. Light to moderate lifting of plant trays and pots will be required as well as moving wheelbarrows of soil over short distances (10-20 ft.) Shade structures are provided to work under, but be prepared for variable weather conditions (sun, wind, heat, cold, light rain).
Minimum age: 18 years
Time: 8:00am – 4:00pm each day
Advance registration is required, and additional details will be provided following registration. Click the links below to sign up!
Questions? Contact the park volunteer office at 970-586-1330 or romo_volunteers_in_parks@nps.gov
National Trails Day Volunteer Event, June 7, 2025:
The Conservancy is partnering with Rocky Mountain National Park to host a single-day trash clean up event on National Trails Day, Saturday, June 7, 2025. Participants are welcome to drop in to Hidden Valley trailhead any time between 8:00am and 11:00am. The park will provide
safety vests, gloves (but you’re welcome to bring your own!), buckets, trash bags, and trash-grabbers. Volunteer paperwork will be completed at check-in. Please note that volunteers under age 18 will be required to complete additional forms with a parent or guardian.
Hidden Valley is the only area of the park that allows winter sledding, and it is also a popular area for backcountry skiers. As a result, trash builds up over the winter and is revealed by melting snow in the spring. It is common to find microtrash, such as pieces of wrappers, scraps of broken sleds, bottle caps, etc. Come help the park and RMC maintain this beautiful area and keep it free of trash!
Please come ready to hike around Hidden Valley, including in muddy areas.
Advance registration is NOT required for this drop in event.
Please note that Timed Entry for the park starts at 9am. Fee waivers and timed entry permit waivers are NOT provided for this event.
Questions? Contact the park volunteer office at 970-586-1330 or romo_volunteers_in_parks@nps.gov
More events coming soon!
Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2024 Volunteer Events!
National Public Lands Day, September 2024:
To mark National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 28th, you’re invited to join Rocky Mountain Conservancy and Rocky Mountain National Park in the battle against invasive plant species threatening the park! We’ll spend the day tackling invasives in an accessible and visible area of the park where your work will have a big impact. This is a great way to care for Rocky Mountain National Park, and help ensure its beauty will be enjoyed for generations to come. As an added thank you, volunteers who spend the full day with us will also receive a coupon for 1 day of fee-free entry at a participating public land site for use in the coming year.
Volunteer for Limber Pine! October 2024:
Ready for a challenge? Join us on this intense volunteer opportunity to plant Limber Pine saplings inside the 2020 wildfire burn areas. The East Troublesome wildfire burned several populations of limber pines within Rocky Mountain National Park so intensely that natural regeneration will likely take several decades to begin again. This is your chance to participate in the recovery process and give limber pine saplings a helping hand. Limber pine is a species of management concern in the park due to its decline throughout the North American West under pressure from climate change, white pine blister rust (an introduced fungal disease), beetle outbreaks, and wildfire. In Canada, limber pine is already listed as an endangered species. RMNP has an unusually high percentage of limber pines displaying genetic resistance to white pine blister, so the key to the future of the species may lie within these local genetics. By spending a day hard at work in the park, you’re helping to give this iconic species a fighting chance in the future. Participants will need to be able to complete a strenuous 3-mile round-trip hike, with 0.25 mile off-trail, to the planting site on steep terrain. Be prepared to carry a pack with your personal gear and work materials over tough terrain. Volunteers will be planting 3″-tall seedlings within a wildfire burn scar in exposed conditions (sun, wind, rain, snow). Planting will involve carrying seedlings to work site, kneeling, digging with hand tools, and attention to careful planting techniques.
Click the images below to some of our fantastic 2024 volunteers!
During certain volunteer opportunities, park entry fees and timed entry permit requirements are waived. However, this is not the case for all events. Please check the specific event’s details for more information on entry fees and timed entry permit requirements.
2023 Volunteer Stewardship Program Report
2022 Volunteer Stewardship Program Report
2022 Thumb Open Space Trail Report
2019 Volunteer Stewardship Program Report
2018 Volunteer Stewardship Program Report
Youth and Corporate Group Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer stewardship is a great way to foster team building, civic engagement, and personal development! By supporting Rocky Mountain National Park and the Conservancy, your team can have meaningful impact on public lands, while enjoying these beautiful landscapes alongside friends, teammates and coworkers.
The Rocky Mountain Conservancy provides volunteer stewardship opportunities for organized youth and corporate groups in partnership with Rocky Mountain National Park Staff. The Conservancy works with groups to create volunteer experiences alongside National Park Service staff in Rocky Mountain National Park. Projects are tailored specifically to the group size, interests and ages. Projects may range from 1 hour to multi-day (with camping).
Click Here to complete the Volunteer Group Interest Form to get started!
To help us match your group with volunteer projects, please complete the Volunteer Group Interest Form through this link.