The California Conservation Corps (CCC) is the country’s oldest and largest state conservation-corps program. Throughout the years, support from Conservancy donors has helped hundreds of CCC participants (ages 18–25) gain valuable skills and experience through hands-on trail restoration projects in Yosemite.

Through on-the-job training with park professionals, CCC members learn to fill ruts, repair steps, build rock walls and more, using restoration practices that minimize environmental impacts of trails and hikers, protect natural resources and create safe access to wilderness areas.

In 2017, the Merced River Watershed CCC crew improved hiking terrain on more than 50 miles of trails. They started out on classic trails in and around Yosemite Valley, such as the Four Mile Trail and John Muir Trail, and then moved into the backcountry, working in the Illilouette Basin and Lost Valley.

Your gift helped young adults gain experience in an iconic wilderness setting while completing important restoration work on Yosemite’s trails. Read our blog post about the 2017 CCC crews to meet some of the young people who participated in the program!

Completed in partnership with Yosemite National Park and California Conservation Corps.