How To: Sign Up For A Work Party and FAQs
Find a work party
WTA offers hundreds of opportunities to get on trail all across Washington. With so many to choose from, we want to make it easy to find a work party that’s right for you.
Whether you like lists, love maps or never go anywhere without your calendar, use the tabs across the screen to see upcoming work parties in a way that makes sense for you.
Only available on weekends? Inspired to explore a particular region of the state? Search filters, displayed on the left side of your screen (at the top on a mobile device), allow you to find work parties by date, region and work party type. Advanced options let you search by keyword and more.
If you're having trouble finding one with room to sign up, try signing up for a work parties during the week. Or, you can clicking the "extra volunteers needed" box at the bottom of the Advanced Options.
- Search for a trail work party and use the filters to filter by region, type or dates.
Tools to plan and organize your work parties
With a My Backpack account, you get access to the new “My Work Parties” feature. First, log in to My Backpack. Then navigate to your Dashboard. From here, you can:
- See all your upcoming work parties in one place.
- Check the list of what to bring or find driving directions.
- If your plans change, you can cancel with a single click.
- See all the trails you’ve worked on with the list of completed work parties.
- From your My Backpack account, you can keep track of your upcoming work parties, your total days volunteered and more.
Don't have a My Backpack account yet?
A My Backpack account is not required for most work parties (except for Backcountry Response Teams and Volunteer Vacations) but creating a free account on wta.org allows you to register more quickly. It also gives you features to plan and organize your work parties, save and organize hikes and, if you’re a WTA member, update your magazine mailing address.
Follow these tips to set up a new My Backpack account.
Earn awards
We like to acknowledge your dedication to trail work with special milestones along the way.
The “My Work Parties” feature in your My Backpack account allows you to see what awards you’ve earned and which milestone is coming up next, whether it's your 5th, 25th or even 50th work party.
Learn more about milestone awards and other benefits of volunteering
Questions?
We're here to help! Contact us at volunteer@wta.org or 206.625.1367 to get your questions answered.
Have feedback or a suggestion for additional features? Email mybackpack@wta.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I can't log in to My Backpack?
If you have already have a My Backpack account and are getting an error when you try to log in, email us at mybackpack@wta.org. We'd glad to help you sort it out, but be aware it may take us a day or two to resolve the issue.
If you haven't created an account yet, follow these tips to set up a new My Backpack account.
I am an assistant crew leader. When I log in to My Backpack I can't see Crew Leader Corner.
Email us at mybackpack@wta.org so that we can check your My Backpack account information and make sure it recognizes your crew leader status. We will resolve this as quickly as we can, but it may take up to a day or so.
Do I need to have a My Backpack account to sign up for a work party?
While a My Backpack account is not needed for most work parties, having one allows you to sign up for work parties more quickly and use My Backpack features to plan and organize your work parties.
Do note that a My Backpack account is required for participation in backcountry trips. Those are backcountry response teams (BCRTS), volunteer vacations and youth volunteer vacations.
I want to go on a Backcountry Trip this year. What do I need to do?
To register, you need to make a My Backpack account, and to complete your Backcountry Experience and Medical History forms. We strongly recommend creating your account and completing your forms well before registration for these trips open (usually in early February).
Access forms from the Dashboard page of your My Backpack account. Go to My Work Parties and select Forms from the My Backpack menu on the right (on the top on a mobile device).
I am planning to go on a Backcountry Trip with a family member or friend. Can we register together?
Yes, you may register for yourself and one guest, but your guest must have their own My Backpack account and completed Backcountry and Medical forms.
What happens if I get put on the waitlist for a work party? How will I know if I get on the work party?
When you sign up for a waitlist, you will receive a confirmation email. Once a spot opens up on the work party, you will receive an email inviting you to complete your registration. You must reply by the date provided in the email, or the spot will be offered to the next person. For a day work party, you will typically need to respond within 48 hours.
I think I have more "Completed Days" than what My Backpack indicates.
If you volunteered on a work party in the last week, please be patient, those days may not be counted yet. Your crew leader should confirm your participation in any completed work parties soon. If it has been more than a week since your last work party, and your number of “Completed Days” still appears short, please contact us at volunteer@wta.org.
I think I have earned awards that aren’t appearing in My Backpack.
Rest assured, we should have a record of your awards behind the scenes. It can take a bit to update your My Backpack account with this information. If it has been more than a couple of weeks, you can contact us with questions at volunteer@wta.org.
What else do I need to know?
For general questions about volunteering on trail, visit our frequently asked questions about trail work parties. For questions specific to backcountry trips please visit the Volunteer Vacations FAQ, Backcountry Response Teams FAQ or Youth Volunteer Vacations FAQ.
If you have a question that we haven’t answered, please contact us at volunteer@wta.org or 206.625.1367.