Project overview: Improve 60+ miles of trails in the Merced River watershed while providing 15+ young adults from the California Conservation Corps with hands-on learning experience, employment, and education.

How your support helps: Yosemite’s 800-mile trail network offers endless opportunities for day hikers and backpackers to experience the wonders of the Sierra Nevada. Keeping these trails in good condition requires regular maintenance, and Yosemite has partnered with the California Conservation Corps (CCC) for more than four decades to ensure safe trails and positive visitor experiences.  

Together, we engage and employ young adults (ages 18–25) in much-needed trail projects — all while building teamwork and deep connections to nature. The CCC crew spends a five-month season working with and learning from world-class National Park Service crews to improve dozens of miles of hiking terrain. The team begins the season in developed frontcountry areas of the park — namely, Yosemite Valley — and finishes the season in the wilderness.   

CCC crews play a key role in ensuring Yosemite’s trails can provide safe, enjoyable hiking experiences. They clear brush and fallen logs; repair damage, such as rain-carved ruts and failing tread; and construct rock walls, steps, and drainage features. Their work prevents erosion, protects trailside vegetation, and encourages people to stay on designated routes. Along the way, CCC members hone restoration skills; learn about environmental science, geology, and park history; and gain valuable experience that can help them in future careers.   

Yosemite Conservancy donors first funded CCC crews in 1995. Since then, many program alums have gone on to work for the National Park Service, either on trail crews or in other divisions.  

This year: In 2026, a crew of 15+ young adults will complete necessary trail restoration and maintenance projects in Yosemite, including 35+ miles of frontcountry and Valley trails and 30+ miles in the Merced River drainage that are experiencing increased wear from record visitation and past weather events. With your support, the CCC crew will improve trails in and around Yosemite, while also developing a sense of connection to public lands and essential trail-building skills that will live on well after their season in the park. 

Project partners: Yosemite National Park; California Conservation Corps

Dave Kari

Trails Supervisor, Yosemite National Park

Project Notes

"The time spent maintaining and building trails in the Yosemite backcountry fosters a sense of stewardship and provides knowledge and skills for these youth to succeed in the future."