Ways To Get Involved
Volunteer With Us
A community of volunteers have been the driving force behind the Bruce Trail for over 60 years. Today, more than 1,400 volunteers donate their time and talents to the Bruce Trail Conservancy and its nine Bruce Trail Clubs. Without this remarkable year-round support, the Bruce Trail Conservancy and the Bruce Trail would not be what it is today. They strive to keep it going today, and they’re looking for you to join them as the next generation of volunteers.
Why Become a Volunteer with the Bruce Trail Conservancy and its Bruce Trail Clubs?
Volunteering with the Bruce Trail Conservancy and its Bruce Trail Clubs is a way to give back to the community helping to conserve and care for the Niagara Escarpment – home of the Bruce Trail. You’ll help secure the Bruce Trail, share and learn skills, be a part of a team, and develop lasting friendships.
There’s roles for people outdoors and inside, for people who love manual labor and those who are excellent organizers. Whether you’ve had years of experience or you’re brand new to volunteering, we look forward to helping you have the experience of a lifetime on the Trail of a lifetime.
Volunteer Spotlight
Alina Lin
I enjoy being able to hike or work with like-minded people. I get to connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds, learn new skills and knowledge, and share my experiences. I moved to Canada in 2009 and more than half of my friend circle and some best friends were made through volunteering! I also feel a sense of accomplishment seeing my volunteering efforts make a difference.
Volunteer Spotlight
Alina Lin
“I enjoy being able to hike or work with like-minded people. I get to connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds, learn new skills and knowledge, and share my experiences. I moved to Canada in 2009 and more than half of my friend circle and some best friends were made through volunteering! I also feel a sense of accomplishment seeing my volunteering efforts make a difference.“
Bruce Trail Clubs
Volunteer Roles and Descriptions
Bruce Trail Clubs
Bruce Trail Conservancy
Current Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers are the heart and soul of the BruceTrail, and there are many opportunities for you to give back to the Trail you love so much. Thank you for your interest in giving back to the Bruce Trail Conservancy and the Bruce Trail through volunteering.
If you are interested in any of these positions
Volunteer Recognition
Volunteers are the soul of the Bruce Trail, and we appreciate all of their efforts! These extraordinary people put in thousands of hours of volunteer work every year to manage and promote the Bruce Trail in an effort to keep it open and in good repair.
Annual Meeting Hiking Awards:
To nominate a volunteer, follow the button to complete the form. We appreciate all submissions, but we cannot guarantee that all volunteers will be profiled.
Volunteer Resources
Whether you’re experienced or new to volunteering with the Bruce Trail Conservancy or one of its Bruce Trail Clubs, we have resources to inspire and inform you about your role.
Bruce Trail Conservancy Youth Council
Join a network of conservation-minded youth and be the voice of the next generation for the Bruce Trail Conservancy!
We are seeking passionate individuals, ages 18-25, who are interested in trails and conservation, to join our first Bruce Trail Conservancy Youth Council and share their skills and voice in support of preserving a ribbon of wilderness.
Why Join the Bruce Trail Conservancy Youth Council?
- Connect with other youth to discuss relevant environmental issues
- Provide advice to the Bruce Trail Conservancy on ways to further engage youth in meaningful ways
- Participate in online and in-person events centered around environmental education, hiking, and professional development
- Learn about and help develop opportunities for youth volunteering along the Bruce Trail
- Get relevant, timely volunteer experience in an environmental, non-profit setting
- Support the Bruce Trail Conservancy’s mission to preserve a ribbon of wilderness, for everyone, forever
Two Ways to be Involved
Join as a general member at any point to be involved in monthly Zoom meetings, attend virtual and in-person events, and share your voice. If you are interested in taking on more of a leadership role, applications to join the Executive Committee will open again in Fall 2022.
Under 18?
If you are under 18 years of age, please review our Minors Volunteering Policy with your parent or guardian.
For more information about the volunteer program
iNaturalist Bruce Trail Conservancy Volunteer Project
Collect important biodiversity data as you hike the Bruce Trail
We’re looking for volunteer citizen scientists to help us better understand the biodiversity along the Bruce Trail. Whether you are a trained botanist, mycologist or ornithologist, or just interested in learning more about the different species calling the Bruce Trail home, the Bruce Trail Conservancy can use your help. Using the free powerful online tool iNaturalist, you can collect much needed data while you are out hiking the Bruce Trail.
Corporate Volunteering
The Corporate Volunteering Program will be relaunching in 2022.
Is your company looking for a unique volunteer opportunity? Look no further than the Bruce Trail.
Corporate volunteering provides an opportunity to support your local community, do some team building, and boost morale amongst your staff. Come join us for some fresh air, hiking and some hard work giving back to the Bruce Trail Conservancy!
Sign up to be notified when we are ready to start booking by completing the form here.
A typical corporate volunteering event includes:
- A staff guide from the Bruce Trail Conservancy to lead the day and the activity
- An interpretive hike along the local section of Bruce Trail
- An opportunity to give back through a rehabilitation activity that may include a trail clean-up, invasive species removal, planting, or another activity as per the needs of the land
For more information or to get started planning your corporate event with the Bruce Trail Conservancy, please get in touch.
Badges
Celebrate your achievements with these fun badges!
Bruce Trail Club Badges
Each Bruce Trail Club offers badges for completing its section of the Trail and for other challenges. Visit the Club websites for the latest offerings:
To obtain a Bruce Trail Club’s End-to-End badge, submit your trail logs for that Club’s section directly to the Club. Contact details are included in the links above.
End-to-End Badges
Keep a hiking log and by the end of your journey, let us know so that we may officially recognize you as an End-to-Ender and present you with your badge!
We’ve issued over 4000 official End-to-End numbers in our 50+ year history. That is a wonderful record and we know that there are many more who have completed the Trail without letting us know.
Each year the names of those who have reported End-to-End completions in the previous 12 months are published in the spring issue of Bruce Trail Conservancy Magazine.
To be recognized as an official End-to-Ender with the Bruce Trail Conservancy, we ask you to:
- Send us your hiking logs*
- Provide us with the date you completed your End-to-End
- Be a BTC member at the time you complete your End-to-End
- Send us $15 to cover the costs of your badge, certificate, and processing your End-to-End.
*The hiking logs can be as simple as a list of the dates of your hikes and where you started and ended each day. It might be worth having a separate page for each club section (especially as these will help you request Club Badges from the individual Bruce Trail Clubs).
Payment and logs can be sent to our mailing address at P.O. Box 857, Hamilton, ON L8N 3N9
Or
The colourful version of the Bruce Trail End-to-End Badge is available for $5.00 those who have already received their official End-to-End number and badge above. Sometimes it’s nice to have options!
Please note:
We operate on the honour system.
We give equal recognition to all End-to-End hikers regardless of sequence, direction, speed, or whether the End-to-End was completed as a thru-hike or in sections. The BTC does not maintain records of End-to-End completion time or of End-to-Enders gender, age or other characteristics.
We issue and End-to-End badge, a certificate, and a unique official End-to-End number.
Badges Just For Kids!
Some of our Bruce Trail Clubs have designed special badges just for junior hikers. Visit the links below for more details on how your your nature enthusiast can earn them:
Young Trail Blazers and Young Nature Blazers Badges (from the Niagara Bruce Trail Club)
Junior Hiker Badges – one for each season (from the Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club)
Youth Badge (from the Toronto Bruce Trail Club)
Nature Hunter Badge (from the Caledon Hills Club)
Young Hiker Badge and Explorer’s and Adventurer’s Badges (from the Dufferin Hi-Land Club)
Bruce Trail Junior Birder (from the Peninsula Bruce Trail Club)
Other badges
Hike-a-thon Badge – given to particpants of the annual Hike-a-thon (since 2017)
Membership Badge – given to all new members
Volunteering Badge – given to all new volunteers
International Friendship Trail Badge Series
As a founding member of the World Trails Network, the Bruce Trail Conservancy is working with international trail organizations to raise awareness of and support for public footpaths through the creation of Friendship Trails. The Bruce Trail Conservancy currently has 9 Friendship Trails. In each case, a route on the Bruce Trail (main and side trails) and a corresponding route on the international trail have been designated as a Friendship Trail, displaying special signs to mark the partnership.
Earn your badge by hiking the Friendship Trail route on the Bruce Trail and on the corresponding twinned portion on the international trail.
From there you will be sent the main Friendship Trail badge and corresponding trail badge, at no cost.
The Rim of Africa Trail Friendship Trail – Niagara Club
A section of the Bruce Trail in the Niagara Club is twinned with a section of the Rim of Africa Trail. Below is a map of the Rim of Africa Friendship Trail on the Bruce Trail. You’ll also find it on our Bruce Trail Reference Map 3.
The Rim of Africa is a unique mountain passage trail and conservation initiative at the southern edge of Africa in the Cape mountains. These mountains form the core of the Cape Floristic Region, the smallest of the six recognised floral kingdoms of the world, an area of extraordinarily high diversity and endemism, and home to more than 9 000 plant species, the greatest non-tropical concentration of higher plant species in the world.
At its core the Rim of Africa initiative offers a hiking experience through a series of linked high mountain traverses, some involve easy path-hiking, while others are off-path and require confident mountain and hiking skills. The entire route is 52 days in duration and can be walked in a variety of ways.
The Rim of Africa mission is to help preserve and protect the natural beauty of these mountains and the important ecosystem functions they offer communities living along the route.
Rim of Africa is a mountain initiative with community, conservation and hiking at its heart.
The Offa’s Dyke Path Friendship Trail – Iroquoia Club
In September 2013, a section of the Bruce Trail at between Waterdown’s Grindstone Creek and Burlington’s City View Park was twinned with the section of the Offa’s Dyke Path from the Welsh town of Knighton (Tref-y-clawdd in Welsh, a town on the dyke) to Ditchyeld Bridge on the Herefordshire/Powys County boundary. Below is a map of the Offa’s Dyke Path Friendship Trail, located in the Iroquoia Club section.
You’ll also find it on our Bruce Trail Reference Map 9
The Offa’s Dyke Path was opened in the summer of 1971, linking Sedbury Cliffs near Chepstow on the banks of the Severn estuary with the coastal town of Prestatyn on the shores of the Irish sea.
It is named after, and often follows, the spectacular Dyke which King Offa ordered to be constructed in the 8th century, probably to divide his Kingdom of Mercia from rival kingdoms in what is now Wales.
In its 177 miles / 285 kilometres it passes through no less than eight different counties and crosses the border between England and Wales over 20 times. The Trail explores the tranquil Marches (as the border region is known) and passes through the Brecon Beacons National Park on the spectacular Hatterall Ridge. In addition it links no less than three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty – the Wye Valley, the Shropshire Hills and the Clwydian Hills.
Click on the following links for Map 1, Map 2 and Map 3 showing the Friendship Trail route on the Offa’s Dyke Path
Offa’s Dyke Path FT Map 1 (.pdf, 586.9 KB)
Offa’s Dyke Path FT Map 2 (.pdf, 562.4 KB)
Offa’s Dyke Path FT Map 3 (.pdf, 544.8 KB)
Kythera Hiking Friendship Trail – Toronto Club
In May 2017, a section of the Bruce Trail in the Toronto Club was twinned with Kythera Hiking in Greece. Below is a map of the Kythera Hiking Friendship Trail located in the Toronto Club.
You’ll also find it on our Bruce Trail Reference Map 11 and Map 12.
Kythera lies between Greece and Crete, and is an island jewel in the Greek seas. A rough diamond spared from mass tourism, Kythera’s rugged terrain boasts immense ecological diversity. There is no better way to explore Kythera than by walking. Kythera Hiking is currently comprised of twelve hiking routes that guide visitors through age-old paths, scenic spots, waterfalls, ravines, medieval villages and secluded shores.
The Jeju Olle Friendship Trail – Caledon Hills Club
In September 2011, a section of the Bruce Trail in the Hockley Valley was twinned with Route 2 on the Jeju Olle. Below is a map of the Jeju Olle Friendship Trail on the Bruce Trail, located in the Caledon Hills Club, Map 18.
The Jeju Olle walking trail is located on the beautiful island of Jeju, South Korea. Jeju Island is located 130 kilometers south of the Korean Peninsula. It is a large volcanic island, almost sub-tropical in climate, with incredible scenery from the coastline through orange groves crisscrossed by distinctive stone walls and up to the peak of an inactive volcano. The Jeju Olle is the most popular walking trail in Korea, and provides over 200km of pathways, and plans are underway to extend the trail to encircle the entire island in the coming years.
Bibbulmun Track Friendship Trail – Dufferin Hi-Land
In May 2016, a section of the Bruce Trail in the Dufferin Hi-Land was twinned with the Bibbulmun Track in Australia. Below is a map of the Bibbulmun Track Friendship Trail on the Bruce Trail.
You’ll also find it on our Bruce Trail Reference Map 20.
The Bibbulmun Track opened its section of our Friendship Trail, from Balingup to Donnelly River Village, on November 1, 2015. If you are interested in more information or trip planning, please follow this link https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/contact/ or https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/walk-the-track/guided-tours/ or
https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/walk-the-track/guided-tours/town-to-town-tours/
The Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia stretches 1000 kilometres from Kalamunda in the Perth Hills to the historic town of Albany on the south coast.
From karri forest to coastal heathlands the Track traverses some of the most beautiful and wild areas of the south west of Australia which is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
Passing through nine rural towns and many popular scenic spots, walkers can enjoy day walks and the hospitality of local accommodation or embark on a six to eight week hike from end-to-end
The Track is for walkers only with 49 campsites spaced a day’s walk apart. Each campsite has a three-sided timber shelter, dunny (toilet), rainwater tank, picnic tables and tent sites.
Transcarioca Trail Friendship Trail – Blue Mountains Club
In October 2016, a section of the Bruce Trail in the Blue Mountains Club was twinned with the Transcarioca Trail in Brazil. Below is a map of the Transcarioca Trail Friendship Trail located in the Blue Mountains Club – Map 22
The 180 km Transcarioca Trail crosses Rio de Janeiro from Barra de Guaratiba to Morro da Urca, at the foot of the Sugar Loaf Mountain. The Transcarioca Trail strengthens the conservation and restoration of green corridors linking the main areas of Atlantic Forest in Rio de Janeiro. The trail offers hikers opportunities to enjoy little-known natural attractions and uncover wonderful views over Rio de Janeiro. Hundreds of volunteers believe and support the realization of this great project.
The Pacific Slope (Sendero Pacifico) Friendship Trail – Beaver Valley Club
In June 2015, a section of the Bruce Trail in the Beaver Valley is twinned with a piece of the Pacific Slope Trail in Costa Rica. The Pacific Slope Trail (Sendero Pacífico) Friendship Trail follows the Bruce Trail between Hoggs Falls (km 63.3, Map 26) to the BTC’s parking lot at km 70.1 (Map 26) taking in a portion of
the Beaver Valley’s beautiful Falling Waters landscape. Below is a map of the Pacific Slope Friendship Trail on the Bruce Trail.
The Pacific Slope Trail (Sendero Pacífico) section twinned with the Bruce Trail begins at San Luis in the famous Monteverde Cloud Forest conservation region, and the new Friendship Trail will lead into the Children’s Eternal Rain Forest by agreement with the Monteverde Conservation League.
The Pacific Slope Trail Network is a vision shared by an informal association of individuals, community groups, and some organizations who wish to link forests and rural communities along Costa Rica’s Pacific Slope via a freely accessible trail system.
Like the BTC, the Sendero Pacifico depends heavily on the participation and energy of many self-organized volunteers. The trail encompasses a network of trail systems, huts, conservation properties, ecological agriculture initiatives, alternative energy and wastewater treatment and water conservation projects.
The Lebanon Mountain Trail Friendship Trail – Sydenham Club
The Lebanon Mountain Trail Friendship Trail – Sydenham Club
In September 2012, a section of the Bruce Trail at the Bayview Escarpment Nature Reserve was twinned with section 5 of the Lebanon Mountain Trail. Below is a map of the Lebanon Mountain Trail Friendship Trail on the Bruce Trail, located in the Sydenham Club, Map 30.
The Lebanon Mountain Trail (LMT) is the first long-distance hiking trail in Lebanon. The LMT is 470 km (293 miles) in length and showcases the natural beauty and cultural wealth found among Lebanon’s mountains. It is home to 3 protected areas, 2 biosphere reserves and 1 World Heritage Site. The mandate of the LMT Association is to protect and promote the LMT for future generations.
The Cotswold Way Friendship Trail – Peninsula Club
In September 2012, a section of the Bruce Trail at the Lion’s Head Nature Reserve was twinned with a section of the Cotswold Way, located in England. Below is a map of the Friendship Trail on the Bruce Trail located in the Peninsula Club, Map 38.
The Cotswold Way is a 102 mile National Trail in the west of England stretching between the beautiful market town of Chipping Campden in the north and the World Heritage Site of Bath in the south. This iconic walk leads you along the Cotswold Escarpment, giving you a taste of all that makes this area special. From stunning bluebell woods to open grassland with breathtaking views, through sleepy villages to thriving market towns, the Cotswold Way touches on unique variety of experience and earns its reputation of one of the world’s finest walks.
Click on the following link for the Cotswold Way Friendship Trail map in England. Cotswold Way Friendship Trail Map (.pdf, 256.2 KB)
Bruce Trail Conservancy Events
Hike It! Love It! Keep It Clean! Litter Project
Hike It! Love It! Keep It Clean! Litter Project In response to an increase in litter along the…
End-to-End and Challenge Hikes
End-to-End and Challenge Hikes A convenient, fun and safe way to challenge yourself and hike large sections of…
Annual Meeting 2022
Annual Meeting 2022 Online via Zoom October 15, 2022 from 10:00 AM until 12:00 PM The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) Annual Meeting…
