Trail Guardian Program
Land use and
stewardship
Overland Bound and its members are grateful stewards of the public and private lands our community calls home. We work to keep them wild for the generations behind us.
A Source For Good
Grateful stewards of wild places
For future generations to experience the solitude, joy, and wildness of remote landscapes, we must work together now to ensure their survival. We strive to instill land-use ethics and good stewardship while encouraging people to traverse unpaved paths.
Leaving it better than you found it can be as simple as packing out more than you packed in, being equipped to travel with minimal impact to the terrain, or volunteering time to clean up an area you love.
Respect for wilderness and an unwavering commitment to Tread Lightly drive our members to work closely with the US National Park Service, National Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management to clean up trails, restore ecosystems, and repair outdoor recreation areas.
Trail Guardian Program
Leave it better than you found it
The Trail Guardian Program exists because governments around the world do not have the resources to keep all of our public lands clean and safe for everyone to enjoy. Our members close that gap, one trail at a time.
100 tons
of garbage removed from public lands by Trail Guardian events
Since 2018
with cleanup projects running multiple times a year
Anyone can create a Rally Point as a Trail Guardian event. We are proud of the members who volunteer their time to organize a truly communal gathering with one goal — improving our wild places.
Trail Guardian Event
Mojave National Preserve
- 50 Overland Bound member volunteers
- 80 yards of garbage removed
- 2.2 miles of cable barrier installed
- Several illegal tracks erased
Trail Guardian Event
BLM Land · Joshua Tree, CA
- 200 Overland Bound members and volunteers
- 10+ tons of garbage, debris, and old vehicles removed
- Volunteers from CA, NV, and AZ
Be a Trail Guardian
Cleanup is the last resort
Cleaning up neglected trails is critical, but it is a last resort for land use and stewardship. To keep wild places open for generations, we advocate for the land-stewardship principles of our friends and Official Partner, Tread Lightly!®
Tread Lightly! is a nonprofit leading a national initiative to protect and enhance recreation access by promoting outdoor ethics and a stronger sense of good stewardship.
Visit Tread Lightly!T
Travel
Travel responsibly on designated roads, trails, and areas.
R
Respect
Respect the rights of others, including private property owners and all recreational users, so everyone can enjoy the land.
E
Educate
Educate yourself before you go by obtaining travel maps and regulations from public agencies.
A
Avoid
Avoid sensitive areas such as meadows, lakeshores, wetlands, and streams unless on a designated route.
D
Do Your Part
Do your part by leaving the area better than you found it and properly disposing of waste.
Do Your Part
Take the Tread Lightly 101 course
We highly recommend every Overland Bound member take the free Tread Lightly! 101 course online. It is the fastest way to travel prepared and to lead by example on the trail.
Email a copy of your Tread Lightly! 101 completion certificate to support@overlandbound.com and we will add the Tread Lightly badge to your member profile.
Rally Point
Organize a cleanup in your community
Every Trail Guardian event starts as a Rally Point. Set the location, the date, and the work — then rally the members near you to make a place they love a little better.
- Create the Event Post a public Trail Guardian cleanup and set the difficulty, meeting point, and plan.
- Rally Volunteers Members RSVP, coordinate rigs, and show up ready to work the full day.
- Work the Land Haul out trash, restore ecosystems, and reopen trails alongside land-management partners.
Join Us
The trail is better together
Become an Overland Bound member to organize a Trail Guardian event in your community and to join trail cleanups around the globe.