Hikers descend on Sheep Mountain from across the country to build trail

POWELL — Hikers from across the country opted to use their vacations to assist Bureau of Land Management  employees build a new section of trail on Sheep Mountain. 

This summer’s goal was to give the popular trail a spectacular destination, yet the bushwhackers built more than just usable trails; they built lifelong friendships while they put their backs into the job. 

The Sheep Mountain Trail is a foot/horse trail that winds up an impressive box canyon to the top of Sheep Mountain, where visitors have the freedom to explore over 25,000 acres of BLM-administered public lands. The area provides abundant recreational activities such as hiking, horseback riding, hunting, wildlife viewing, sightseeing and shed hunting. 

The trail is a popular destination due to its desirable scenery and its close proximity to Buffalo Bill State Park and along the popular U.S. Highway 14/16/20W connecting Cody to Yellowstone National Park. 

But it was largely used by hunters; hikers are more attracted to trails that lead to a grand destination. The trail lacked that final destination. Instead, it led to a steep area that was thick with brush. 

However, just a little more than a mile away was a panoramic vista with a 360-degree view from above of Buffalo Bill Reservoir, nearby peaks and the North Fork of the Shoshone River. 

The area is known for its wildflowers as hikers walk through the meadows to prominent rocky climbs. 

BLM Cody headquarters Outdoor Recreation Planner Rick Tryder, who has been in the Cody region for the past decade, has been working on the planned extension for years. 

“It’s really a beautiful overlook,” Tryder said. “It provides a great destination for that trail.” 

To build the trail within federal requirements, the plan had to pass National Environmental Policy Act regulations, which normally takes months – if not years – to accomplish. 

According to the NEPA process, once a federal agency determines that a Categorical Exclusion does not apply to a proposed action, the agency may then prepare an Environmental Assessment. The EA determines whether or not a federal action has the potential to cause significant environmental effects. 

Each federal agency has adopted its own NEPA procedures for the preparation of EAs. When the demanding requirements are met, the only thing left to do is cut the trail — much easier said than done, Tryder said. 

“The volunteers worked on building the trail for the week. They work for two days, they get a day off, and then they work for another two days,” he said. 

They weren’t alone. About 10 BLM employees, including some of the big wigs, assisted, Tryder said. 

“We had a bunch of interns and seasonals from our field office. Even some of our managers came out and helped build. We had probably almost 20 of us building the trail,” he said. 

The 1-mile extension to the Sheep Mountain Trail makes the round trip hike approximately 3.4 miles — just under 7 miles round trip. 

There are some steep sections, but Tryder calls that normal for the North Fork peaks. 

That said, one of the American Hiking Society volunteers, Clay Grubb, is 76 years old and reported no issues laboring with pickaxes and shovels while working toward the summit. 

The group has been working to provide volunteers for projects with the BLM for the past five years. 

Folks from as far away as New Hampshire look for opportunities to build and maintain trails in the area, giving them an intimate experience in the Absaroka Range. The volunteers pay a registration fee to the society to cover camping at Buffalo Bill State Park and food costs. 

AHS volunteer crew leader Kelsey MacDonald, a 31-year-old from New Hampshire, returned to Wyoming as a volunteer for the second time in the past three years. 

On her first trip, she joined a BLM group working at the Five Springs campground to enlarge the individual camping sites. Although she lives in a beautiful state filled with mountains and amazing hiking destinations, MacDonald couldn’t forget Wyoming’s staggering beauty. 

“It called me back,” she said. “The mountains in Wyoming are special in a different way (than mountains in New Hampshire). They draw me in,” she said. “Being in the woods and camping with family and friends is like pushing a reset button. It’s like nature therapy. The hard work is worth it.”

It wasn’t just the mountains that excited her about returning. The camaraderie within the group of volunteers, as well as BLM employees, is special. Accomplishing projects is a bond that can last forever. 

“I like to be a part of my community, not only geographic, but within the hiking community,” she said. “Doing this allows me to travel and connect with others while giving back at the same time.” 

The American Hiking Society motto is “Work hard, get dirty, dig deep...and feel immensely rewarded.” 

But the group doesn’t just work on trail building and maintenance. 

Representatives of the society also work with Congress, federal agencies, and partners on policy issues and legislation to ensure funding for trails, preservation of public lands, and protection of the hiking experience. 

Since being founded in 1976, the group has mobilized almost 650,000 trail volunteers, facilitated almost 46,000 miles of trail maintenance and construction, and its volunteers have donated close to $100 million in volunteer labor. 

In 2024, AHS Volunteer Vacations celebrated its 50th anniversary and 282 volunteers joined one of 37 Volunteer Vacations to help create and maintain access to miles of new and existing trail. 

Volunteers contributed a total of 10,284 hours of labor at a value of $344,411. 

These volunteers joined forces to clear overgrown trails, repair storm damage, replace water bars, restore bridges, fix trail drainage, remove invasive species and reroute trails. 

“Thanks to the amazing work of our volunteers, these efforts resulted in the expansion of sustainable access to natural spaces that we all enjoy across the country,” said AHS Executive Director Heather Klein Olson in a recent letter to members. “We continued to build the case to advocate for and preserve public lands through AHS programs among our audience as well, deepening relationships with individual, corporate, foundation, and government supporters and building a donor-centered culture of philanthropy.”