• Home
• Who We Are
  • Volunteers Caring for the Trail
  • Trail History
  • 2010 Accomplishments
  • 2009 Accomplishments
  • 2008 Accomplishments
  • 2007 Accomplishments
  • 2006 Accomplishments
• Contribute
• Volunteer
• Contributors Top Level
• The Foundation
  • Foundation Overview
  • CTF on Forest Planning
  • Gudy Gaskill
  • Contributions
• Leave a Legacy Program
• Trip Planning
  • Trip Planning Overview & Trail Map
  • The Colorado Trail on Google Earth
  • Reroutes
  • Waterton Closure
  • Trail Use Overview
  • Hike/Backpack
  • Mountain Bike
  • Equestrian
  • Pack Animals
  • Dogs
  • Trail Resources by Segment
  • Waypoints
  • U S Forest Service
  • Wilderness Areas
  • Snow and Weather
  • Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue (CORSAR) Card
  • Additional Resources & Links
• Trail Crews
  • CT Volunteer Trail Crews
  • 2011 Trail Crew Schedule
  • 2011 Trail Crew Reports & Photos
  • 2010 Trail Crew Reports & Photos
  • 2009 Trail Crew Reports & Photos
  • 2008 Trail Crew Reports & Photos
  • 2007 Trail Crew Reports & Photos
  • 2006 Trail Crew Reports & Photos
• Adopt-A-Trail (AAT)
  • AAT Program Overview
  • AAT Sections
  • Instructions for Current Adopters
  • 2011 Adopt-A-Trail
  • 2010 Adopt-A-Trail
  • 2009 Adopt-A-Trail
  • 2008 Adopt-A-Trail
  • 2007 Adopt-A-Trail
  • Announcements for Adopters
• Education Initiatives
• Trekking
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Tread Lines Newsletters
• Photos/Videos of The Colorado Trail
• Events & Media Center
• CT Store
• Contact Us

Home > Adopt-A-Trail > AAT Program Overview

Colorado Trail Foundation Adopt-A-Trail Program Overview

Join Us - Become a CTF Adopter or join an Adopter Group!

CTF Adopters are the Trail's front line volunteers, keeping the Trail passable and reporting trail conditions to the Colorado Trail Foundation.

Interested? Contact:

Janet Farrar, Adopt-A-Trail Coordinator
Email: wildjc@juno.com

Current CTF Adopters: please click here for Instructions and forms and click here for announcements.

The Colorado Trail Foundation's Adopt-A-Trail (AAT) Program and Volunteers accomplish annual maintenance on The Colorado Trail. There are 58 maintenance sections and volunteer Adopters. Along with their volunteer helpers, Adopters remove fallen trees and do Trail maintenance each spring to protect the Trail and make it passable and enjoyable for users. Adopters and their helpers enable the CTF to continue preserving The Colorado Trail.

Volunteer Adopters take responsibility for their maintenance section; the AAT sections vary in length from 3 to 20 miles. Adopters agree to work on their section early each Trail season. They are supported by the CTF, receive handbooks and other information, can involve themselves in orientation and training activities, and have access to CTF tools. They communicate with fellow volunteers, the AAT Coordinator as well as their AAT Area Coordinator, and submit reports to the CTF and the US Forest Service about trail conditions, accomplishments, and helpers.

The Adopter of each maintenance section is a responsible individual, often representing a family group, Scout Troop, hiking club, mountain bike group, hose club or simply a group of friends. Adopters often stick with the task for many years, finding outdoor fun and a sense of accomplishment.

New Adopters are sometimes needed. If you are interested in adopting a section of The Colorado Trail, or might like to assist an adopter, please contact the Adopt-A-Trail Volunteer Coordinator listed above.

Adopters take on these responsibilities:

Visiting their section at the beginning and the end of the Trail use season and recording trail conditions.

Removing fallen trees and other obstructions early each Trail season.

Maintaining water diversions and correcting minor erosion problems to preserve the tread.

Communicating trail maintenance needs beyond the adopter's resources and/or capabilities.

Reporting to the CTF by designated dates; submitting Trail Condition/End of Season Reports and liability waivers.

Adopters also help with maintaining the signs (signs are furnished by the CTF or USFS) and controlling vegetation, pruning, etc.

Adopters can ask for help. The CTF and the US Forest Service provide assistance, tools, and materials.

Become part of the volunteer tradition that built this 500 mile trail - become a CTF Adopter!

From new CT volunteer Adopters: "We're totally psyched about our adopted section of the CT, which of course is the prettiest of them all…anxious to spend a week backpacking & maintaining up there."