(Note: This page is just being developed – If you have suggestions for this page, please contact us with your ideas)
If you are looking to start to become a trail angel for any trail, here are some tips to make that journey rewarding, efficient and safe. These are just suggestions and others may have different suggestions on how to become a trail angel.
Are you supporting a hiker on the trail this year? While you are already supporting 1 or 2 hikers, you can easily add providing some trail angeling for the whole PCT or other trail hikers while you are driving around and support your hikers. Please view the information below if that fits your purpose on the trail. It will greatly enhance your trail support experience if you expand your support to other hikers that you meet on the trail!
First, it should be clear that you can be a trail angel with any level of services you offer.
Trail Angels offerings are often broken up in these general types of offerings and services –
Trail Angel Magic – Offering on the trail food, water, services for hikers.
Transportation and logistics support – offering rides or other logistics
Hosting Hikers – Offering overnight stays and related resupply activities
Trail Maintenance – helping to maintain the trail by clearing blow downs and solving other trail issues
Water Angels – Providing water at water caches and road crossings for hikers
Networking and communications with hikers
There are few primary ways that hikers communicate with hikers besides just randomly showing at a trail head to offer angel services. The information below may reference the PCT hike, but all of the trails can and could follow similar Facebook and Far Out methods for those trails as well.
Method 1: Trail Angel Facebook Groups
At least for the PCT trail, there are many (over 20) unique facebook groups that hikers can read about angels and posts requests for hikers or angels offering services. We have attempted to organize these facebook group angel pages on a PCT Angels Groups Website page on this site. If you don’t fit into one of these existing facebook groups, we recommend you create a new group and include the words “PCT Trail Angel” as part of the name. This will enable hikers to find you with Google searches or Facebook searches.
Method 2: Posting your Angel services on the Far Out App
Almost every single PCT hiker is using PCT map navigation and information application called Far Out. This application runs on both iOS and Android. PCT hikers buy and down the 5 PCT trail guides that give navigational aid and up to date information on water, camping and our important hiker information.
Part of the application allows hikers or angels to post new dated comments about a particular location, town or trail /road crossing. In that comment one can post the information that you are offering rides, hosting hikers or some other service your are providing for hikers. This will be reviewed by almost every hiker. Post these comments at the road crossing or at the town where you will be angeling. You can post your comments at more than location in Far Out.
Steps to list your angel services on Far Out
To do this, download the Far Out App onto your smart phone for free. Then purchase the appropriate PCT guide map for the area where you will be located. These are typically around $6-$10. You only need the guide where you plan to offer services. Determine where is the best trail locations to add a public comment about your angel activities.
Method 3: Posting information about your angeling activities on PCT Hiker Facebook Groups
There are some larger subscribed PCT groups for each year.
In 2022, there was a Facebook group page called PCT Class of 2022. In 2023 there will be a PCT Class of 2023 page. We have attempted to list all of the PCT hiker facebook groups as well on the this PCT Hiker Facebook Group page. Trail Angel central hope to catalog these similar Angel and Hiker Facebook group pages for the other trails too. If you have access to the some of these other trail facebook group pages (Angels or hikers), please contact us and we will put those pages.
Method 4: Manually posting flyers on poles / signs at trail junctions
The good old fashioned sign in a water proof protector is a great way to let hikers know if you offer rides, hosting, etc. Provide information about your offering with contact information.
Other advice for new angels
If you are not a hiker or a distance thru hiker, you may not fully understand the needs of thru hikers. When you are initially starting your angel offerings, feel free to ask hikers what they need to determine where you can be most helpful. Maybe they need rides at a particular time of day and to specific stores or locations. Maybe hikers need wi-fi or water or food, resupply, lodging, etc. You can quickly understand their needs and adjust your offering to best suit their needs.
Help recruit other angels
In many towns, the needs of the hikers during peak bubbles of hikers may exceed a single angel offering rides or hosting hikers. Try to get others to join you in offering services so you are not overwhelmed with requests.
Trail Maintenance
There are often not enough resources to keep up with seasonal damage or wind damage to many of these trails. Hikers are often very focused on making miles and progress and do not have time to cut and clear downed trees or other trail issues. As an angel, you could have both the time and resources to go out and keep an area of the trail in better conditions. The various trail organizations have resources to build and maintain the trails, but often new blow down conditions are not handled in a timely manner.
Please review the whole Trail Angel Central Trail Maintenance page for more information how to be a tail maintenance angel.
Trail Angel Central 