{"id":53462,"date":"2025-07-21T15:29:43","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T19:29:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/?p=53462"},"modified":"2025-07-21T17:17:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T21:17:06","slug":"sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Making It Our Trail: Hard Work on Sheep Mountain"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This summer, a group of volunteers gathered near Cody, Wyoming \u2014 gateway to Yellowstone National Park \u2014 to help improve the Sheep Mountain Trail, a path cherished by hikers and horseback riders alike. Framed by sweeping vistas, steep canyons, and distant peaks, the crew came ready to work hard \u2014 and they did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every day they tackled steep terrain, cutting a new one-mile section of trail into the hillside by hand. They carved durable tread, removed loose soil and berms, and carefully shaped grade reversals \u2014 subtle but critical design features that will allow water to drain properly, reducing erosion and protecting both trail and habitat for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The work was demanding \u2014 digging through rocky soil, swinging tools in the heat, and carefully shaping every stretch of tread to stand the test of time. But with each challenge, something deeper took root: a bond with the land and with one another. Blisters and sore muscles became marks of pride as a sense of purpose and ownership grew \u2014 a feeling that goes beyond what most trail users ever experience. When you help build a trail by hand, it\u2019s no longer just a path; it becomes your trail, connected to your effort and care. As one volunteer put it simply, \u201cThe Sheep Mountain Project has now become \u2018my trail.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their time off, volunteers explored the vibrant town of Cody, visiting the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, experiencing the excitement of the nightly rodeo, and even going horseback riding. Yet even as they enjoyed these moments, they knew their work on Sheep Mountain was leaving something enduring behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

One volunteer reflected, \u201cWhen you finish the week and walk up the new section of trail, it is wonderful to know that thousands will enjoy an easier route to a fabulous scenic vista \u2014 and hopefully be inspired to help protect places like this.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their collective effort didn\u2019t just improve a trail \u2014 it ensured that this public land will remain accessible, sustainable, and ready for others to experience and enjoy for years to come.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteer Vacations<\/em><\/strong> are a meaningful way to give back to public lands, connect with others, and have a great time doing it. Ready to make an impact?<\/em> Explore our upcoming trips and sign up today!<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This summer, a group of volunteers gathered near Cody, Wyoming \u2014 gateway to Yellowstone National Park \u2014 to help improve the Sheep Mountain Trail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":53465,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[650],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaking It Our Trail: Hard Work on Sheep Mountain - American Hiking Society<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A group of volunteers gathered near Cody, Wyoming \u2014 gateway to Yellowstone National Park \u2014 to help improve the Sheep Mountain Trail.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Making It Our Trail: Hard Work on Sheep Mountain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A group of volunteers gathered near Cody, Wyoming \u2014 gateway to Yellowstone National Park \u2014 to help improve the Sheep Mountain Trail.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Hiking Society\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanHiking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-21T19:29:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-21T21:17:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img-20250627-065106.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1546\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1160\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Maggie\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AmericanHiking\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AmericanHiking\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maggie\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Maggie\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fc7fbc6de5004ad547ae36906acf27b0\"},\"headline\":\"Making It Our Trail: Hard Work on Sheep Mountain\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-21T19:29:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-21T21:17:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\"},\"wordCount\":385,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img-20250627-065106.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\",\"name\":\"Making It Our Trail: Hard Work on Sheep Mountain - American Hiking Society\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img-20250627-065106.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-21T19:29:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-21T21:17:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"A group of volunteers gathered near Cody, Wyoming \u2014 gateway to Yellowstone National Park \u2014 to help improve the Sheep Mountain Trail.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img-20250627-065106.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img-20250627-065106.jpg\",\"width\":1546,\"height\":1160},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Making It Our Trail: Hard Work on Sheep Mountain\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Hiking Society\",\"description\":\"Protecting the places you love to hike.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"American Hiking Society\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/American-Hiking-Society-Green.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/American-Hiking-Society-Green.png\",\"width\":576,\"height\":576,\"caption\":\"American Hiking Society\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanHiking\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AmericanHiking\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fc7fbc6de5004ad547ae36906acf27b0\",\"name\":\"Maggie\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c678b541e64e20b358f864fb50e7a6c8ecc4c29b48ccddcb16ca05ad316a608f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c678b541e64e20b358f864fb50e7a6c8ecc4c29b48ccddcb16ca05ad316a608f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Maggie\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/author\/maggie-peikon\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Making It Our Trail: Hard Work on Sheep Mountain - American Hiking Society","description":"A group of volunteers gathered near Cody, Wyoming \u2014 gateway to Yellowstone National Park \u2014 to help improve the Sheep Mountain Trail.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Making It Our Trail: Hard Work on Sheep Mountain","og_description":"A group of volunteers gathered near Cody, Wyoming \u2014 gateway to Yellowstone National Park \u2014 to help improve the Sheep Mountain Trail.","og_url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/","og_site_name":"American Hiking Society","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanHiking","article_published_time":"2025-07-21T19:29:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-21T21:17:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1546,"height":1160,"url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img-20250627-065106.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Maggie","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AmericanHiking","twitter_site":"@AmericanHiking","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Maggie","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/"},"author":{"name":"Maggie","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fc7fbc6de5004ad547ae36906acf27b0"},"headline":"Making It Our Trail: Hard Work on Sheep Mountain","datePublished":"2025-07-21T19:29:43+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-21T21:17:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/"},"wordCount":385,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img-20250627-065106.jpg","articleSection":["Blog"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/","url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/","name":"Making It Our Trail: Hard Work on Sheep Mountain - American Hiking Society","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img-20250627-065106.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-21T19:29:43+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-21T21:17:06+00:00","description":"A group of volunteers gathered near Cody, Wyoming \u2014 gateway to Yellowstone National Park \u2014 to help improve the Sheep Mountain Trail.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img-20250627-065106.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img-20250627-065106.jpg","width":1546,"height":1160},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/sheep-mountain-volunteer-vacation-2025\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Making It Our Trail: Hard Work on Sheep Mountain"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/","name":"American Hiking Society","description":"Protecting the places you love to hike.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#organization","name":"American Hiking Society","url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/American-Hiking-Society-Green.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/American-Hiking-Society-Green.png","width":576,"height":576,"caption":"American Hiking Society"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanHiking","https:\/\/x.com\/AmericanHiking"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fc7fbc6de5004ad547ae36906acf27b0","name":"Maggie","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c678b541e64e20b358f864fb50e7a6c8ecc4c29b48ccddcb16ca05ad316a608f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c678b541e64e20b358f864fb50e7a6c8ecc4c29b48ccddcb16ca05ad316a608f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Maggie"},"url":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/author\/maggie-peikon\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53462"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53467,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53462\/revisions\/53467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}