It is said that the 31 Trail clubs represent the "vigilant citizenry" of the Appalachian Trail. In this sense, the Trail clubs allow for people to have more of a substantial role in conserving a national and natural entity. Volunteering for the Appalachian Trail, can be traced back to 1925 when Benton MacKaye and his supporters came together to form the Appalachian Trail Conference, later known as the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), with the sole purpose of managing the trail. These members were the start of people volunteering for the development of the A.T.

In collaboration with the ATC, other land management agencies and the Trail clubs, volunteers assist in daily maintenance actions of specific A.T. sections. These tasks include monitoring and protecting the trail corridor, monitoring and managing rare plants and invasive species, contributing to plan developments, building and repairing shelters, and more.

In addition, volunteers are able to fill prominent positions that contribute to each Trail club's progress, such as hike leader, trail supervisor, volunteer hours coordinator, rare plant monitor and more.  

Volunteers are known as the "soul of the trail." Since the creation of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the roles of volunteers have expanded. For instance, volunteers used to only be able to help at low levels of service such as workers on fixing shelters or assisting in moving equipment. Now, volunteers are able to have leadership roles and receive training for roles that involve specific skills such as becoming a Regional Partnership Committee representative or obtaining a sawyer certification. The classes and training given to volunteers, allow for anyone without experience, of any age or background, to assist in preserving the A.T. On the ATC's website, there is even a quiz that a volunteer can take, in order to determine what area of participation their current skills would fit them in.

While trail crews and individual actions help the Trail clubs, due to the need of authority, volunteers are not able to be involved in law enforcement or property acquisition concerning the trail. Without volunteers, the Trail clubs would not only have difficulty in thoroughly executing their tasks, but in the performances of their clubs. Volunteers contribute approximately 200,000 hours of volunteer work every year. It is important for the Trail clubs to note this, because the ATC requires an annual report of the number of volunteers, the work they have done, and their hours. 

Overtime, the roles of volunteers have not only become more beneficial, but essential for the Trail clubs.