Dakota County Parks

General Description

As a Dakota County Volunteer Trail Patrol member, we invite you to lead community members on guided hikes through a new volunteer hiking club initiative - Trail Treks. Trail Trek hikes will take place every Wednesday and Saturday through December 21^st.

As a Trail Trek Leader, you will choose a route of your choice, and have an opportunity to show members of the public your favorite trails in the park! This is a great way to get additional hours and time out in our parks apart from regular patrolling. We are going to try these out and if they are a success, we will continue them into next year.   

Date/Time

Various dates will be available, pick up as many shifts as you would like. For now, please start out with one so that we can get a number of people to try this out!

 

Location

For now, all events will take place in Lebanon Hills Regional Park with future plans to expand them into other parks. 

 

Duties & Responsibilities

• Pick a favorite hiking/walking trail and plan out the trek (pick the route the group should take! Typical hikes will generally 1-5 miles for 1-2 hours in length).
• Meet the public at a designated meeting area before going out on your hike. Wait at the meeting area until all the group arrives.
• Assist the public as needed during the hike.
• Be a friendly and welcoming presence in the park.

 

Minimum Qualifications

Must be a current volunteer patrol member

 

Minimum Time Commitment

1.5 - 2.5 hours per shift

 

 

Trail Treks Volunteer Leader Guidelines 

Below is a run through to better understand the program and what will be expected of you. Feel free to come back to this page to review these guidelines whenever you need.  

 

Thank you for volunteering as a Trail Treks Leader with Dakota County Parks. These Leader Guidelines will assist you in preparing and conducting safe hikes, as well as responding to emergency situations. HAVE FUN HIKING! 

 

PLANNING THE HIKE 

As a leader you need to consider hikes that meet the needs of participants. This includes taking into consideration not only the actual hiking trail, but also the type of weather to expect at different times of year.  

• Meet your Trail Trek Co-Leaders! Each scheduled hike will be open for 1-3 volunteers to sign up for. Your Trail Trek Coordinator, Angie Tomlinson, will reach out directly to those who are scheduled 3-5 days in advance to introduce the group, and allow you to ask questions and plan the route for the scheduled hike.  

• Obtain and study a map of the park. Determine mileage, trailhead passes, etc. Check our website resources Lebanon Hills for all season maps, trails, trail conditions, and attractions, for help in gathering information about your planned hike. 

• As of now, we are keeping the hikes limited to Lebanon Hills Park with the group meeting at the Visitor Center. This will allow an indoor meeting location for folks to use the restroom and grab water or a snack before the hike starts. We will look at the possibility of expanding to additional trailheads (ie. Jensen Lake), and additional parks early next year.  

• Hikes will start at 3pm on Wednesdays, and 10am on Saturdays. There is no time limit, but generally hikes should be 1-5 miles long and 1-3 hours in length. You may determine the specifics of your hike based on forecasted weather and daylight hours.  

• All hikes will be open to the public and should be inclusive of all skill levels. We may look at offering some pop-up hikes for specific skill levels in the future.  

• Hiking participants may bring babies in carriers (strollers are not suggested), as well as friendly dogs. Dog must be kept on leash at all times.  

• The number for emergency services at Lebanon Hills is 911. Know where the nearest telephone, or office is. Make sure you have current contact phone numbers with you on the hike, such as the Lebanon Hills Front Desk, and others listed at the end of this document.  

• For last minute changes due to icy trails, negative temps, lightening, wildfires, smoke, excessive heat, etc. try to choose a substitute location where conditions will be better. You may want to shorten the hike distance. PLEASE DO NOT CANCEL THE HIKE UNLESS THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION. MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO MODIFY YOUR PLAN OR FIND A SUBSITITUTE FOR THE PLANNED HIKE AND/OR HIKE LEADER. Make a call to discuss this with Trail Treks Coordinator, Angie Tomlinson. It is important to keep the same hike date as published, since there are limited options to ensure all hikers can be made aware of change especially if it is last minute. 

• If you are unable to lead due to illness, please let Angie know as soon as possible. We will try to schedule 1-3 volunteers per hike. If your replacement is unfamiliar with your planned hike, they may lead a hike of their choice.  

 

BEFORE THE HIKE  

• Check the weather and adjust your planned hike with Angie as needed.  

• Check your pack: The leader must carry a First Aid kit, the sign-up sheet, emergency contact information, and liability wavers for the hike.   

 

CHOOSE A SWEEP  

The sweep should be:  

• An established member of the Trail Patrol team and one of your Co-Leaders for the hike.  

• Familiar with the planned hike, and they should carry a trail map of the park.  

• Be trained on basic knowledge of first aid, hypothermia, dehydration, and medical emergencies.  

 

Responsibilities of the sweep:  

• Be at the end of the line of hikers.  

• Know the trail that will be hiked, paying attention to junctions.  

• Keep track of the number of hikers, alert for poles or pack left on the trail, denoting that someone has gone off-trail for any reason. Wait for them to return to the trail before continuing.  

• Ensure that all hikers are accounted for and back on the trail after any breaks.  

• Notice any issues/difficulties that a hiker may be having.  

• Communicate with the leader in the front of the group if there needs to be a break, or if a hiker is having difficulty.  

 

AT THE MEETING LOCATION  

• Turn on your cell phone.  

• Introduce yourself/each other as the Hike Leader(s) and give out appropriate information about clothing, footwear, the hike, trail hazards, what to expect, etc. 

• See that each hiker has signed the “Trail Treks Roster” including emergency #’s. Make sure that any new hiker has read and signed a County Liability Release form. 

• Review the essentials for this trip. Be particularly aware of hikers who may not have all the items when weather is marginal (i.e. wet, cold, and windy). Leader may refuse to take anyone not properly equipped. 

• Review the planned route on a trail map, showing where any restroom break option might be along the route. 

• Allow a 10-minute window for folks who may be running late. 

• Once folks have gathered, it is nice to set the stage and offer a small introduction. This could be anything you wish to share about yourself and the upcoming hike.  

• For example: Greeting: 

“Hi, my name is _____ and I’m from _____. I’ve been a trail patrol volunteer for _____ years. If anyone wants to chat about _____or _____ while we walk along, I’m all ears 😊. We’ll be stopping every 30 minutes or so take a break and take in the sights…if you hear a cool bird you’d like us to stop and listen to, please speak up…” 

 

AT THE TRAILHEAD  

• Review the trail/map. Specify lunch and restroom stops and how you will manage the group. Leader is generally in the front and the “sweep” is the last person. This is not intended to be a “mandate” but provides information to all hikers.  

• Count hikers prior to leaving the trailhead, verify with roster and take roster with you.  

• Remind hikers that no one should leave without notifying a leader.  

 

ON THE HIKE  

• As leader, you are in charge of insuring that the group hikes at a reasonable pace and that group members don’t take wrong turns or get lost. The leader should keep the group together as best as possible. Hiking paces vary considerably, especially within a large group. The following suggestions will help to manage the group more easily.  

• The leader sets the pace for the group as a whole. It is best to set a relatively uniform pace where possible, especially during uphill climbs or on variable terrain.  

• Look for signs of over exertion, fatigue, hypothermia, etc. along the trail and during rest stops. Check with sweep for any problems.  

• Plan regular rest stops. A rule of thumb is a five-minute stop approximately every 30 to 60 minutes, depending upon terrain and group dynamics. Recommend that people eat and drink fluids, especially during exceedingly warm or cold temperatures.  

• Account for all hikers at rest stops before resuming hike.  

• Establish a pleasant, friendly atmosphere and encourage interest in the surroundings.  

 

AT THE END OF THE HIKE  

• Establish that all hikers have returned.  

• Give a short closing to your group. 

• For example: Closing: 
  “Thank you for joining me! We covered _____ miles today! The next Trail Trek Hiking Club meets again on _____ at _____.” 

• Leader should be the last person to leave.  

• On the sign-up roster, please list any things to note and return both the roster and emergency #’s to the Front Desk staff at the Visitor Center.  

• The Dakota County Liability Release forms are turned in with the rosters to the Front Desk staff.  

 

 

DAKOTA COUNTY PARKS CONTACT INFORMATION  

Lebanon Hills Visitor Center- 651-554-6530 

Dakota County Parks- 952-891-7000 

Angie Tomlinson, Trail Treks Coordinator- 651-554-6533 

Eagan Police Department, Parks, Lakes & Trails- 911