Our 14th Dig Day season is officially here!
This season we're hosting six Dig Days across four of the most-loved parks in Santa Cruz County. We'll kick off at Wilder Ranch caring for Cowboy Loop, West Engelsman's, and Enchanted Loop, then shape berms and tune jumps on Flow Trail, Braille, and Sawpit at Demo. In January, students take the lead for MLK Day of Service at DeLaveaga, and in February we're back at Demo to help the trails recover from what's shaping up to be a stormy El Niño winter. Celebrate Women's History Month in March by digging with us in Wilder! We'll transform an old farm road into more sustainable singletrack. We'll wrap it all up in April at Pogonip, tuning up Emma McCrary and U-Con, two of the busiest trails in the county.
Huge thanks to our title sponsors Sandbar Solar & Electric, Trail Head Cyclery, and Girls Rock for making these events possible. And this year, our volunteers are eating better than ever thanks to an incredible lineup of hospitality sponsors: fresh pastries from Kelly's French Bakery to start every Dig Day, coffee from Lizzy Long Legs Coffee Roasting and Lookout Coffee, trail lunches from Togo's Scotts Valley, Watsonville, and Capitola, and Bookie's Pizza, post-dig barbecues from Summit Store, and refreshments from Living Swell Kombucha and 805 Beer. Come for the trail work, stay for the snacks!
Sign Up for a Dig Day:
• Sat. November 14, 2026: Wilder Ranch State Park w/ Sandbar Solar & Electric
> SIGN UP
• Sat. December 12, 2026: Soquel Demonstration State Forest w/ Trail Head Cyclery
> SIGN UP
• Mon. January 18, 2027: DeLaveaga Park (Students' Dig Day)
> SIGN UP
• Sat. February 13, 2027: Soquel Demonstration State Forest
> SIGN UP
• Sat. March 13, 2027: Wilder Ranch State Park (Womens' Dig Day) w/ Girls Rock MTB
> SIGN UP
• Sat. April 10, 2027: Emma McCrary & U-Con Trails
> SIGN UP
What's a Dig Day?
Since 2013, we’ve hosted over a dozen Dig Days each year to tune up our local trails right here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Volunteers are provided breakfast and coffee in the morning, lunch and post-work refreshments, plus a raffle funded by generous sponsors. Dig Days are led by our professional SCMTS Trail Crew and program staff, and all experience levels are welcome.
Typical Dig Day schedule looks a little something like this:
— 8:50am: arrive & get yourself some coffee and a breakfast treat
— 9am: circle up and get the 411 on the day
— 9:15am: break into crews for safety & project talk
— 9:30am: hit the trails and start work
— 12pm: lunch break
— 12:30pm: start wrapping up trail projects
— 1:30pm: head back to meeting point & clean tools
— 2pm: afterparty! cold beverages, snacks, raffle, hang
— 3pm: say goodbye
Read our blog post here to learn more about what to expect when you attend an SCMTS Dig Day.
Can’t wait for the next Dig Day? Check out these resources for new and returning volunteers:
— Ultimate Trail Work Guide: Hand Tools
— Ultimate Trail Work Guide: Apparel
— Land Acknowledgements by UCSC
— Naturalist Segment: Five Wildflowers You’ll See Today
— How to Go to the Bathroom in the Woods by REI
— Trail Academy: Intro to Trails - Recording
Questions? We're here to help. Email emma@santacruztrails.org. Until then, happy trails!