For some, an ideal spring break involves tropical getaways and parties on the beach, but some students are drawn to another type of experience. They trade in their flip-flops for hiking boots, their passports for working gloves and travel to beautiful locations across Idaho and Utah to participate in Boise State’s Alternative Break program.
Alternative Breaks are multi-day service trips students can take for academic credit, offered by the Student Involvement and Leadership Center. Students learn about “environmental conservation, animal advocacy and community support” while travelling and connecting with other students through service.
“The alternative breaks are really great service learning opportunities for students to get involved with communities [other] than Boise,” said Service Programming Lead for the Student Involvement and Leadership Center Zoe Mace.
In 2026, students can choose from three unique service opportunities in Hells Canyon, Idaho, Kanab, Utah and Boise.
In partnership with the Idaho Trails Association, student volunteers will be able to travel to Hells Canyon, where they will take a jet boat up the Snake River to a remote campsite. There, they will restore trails, preserve wildlife habitats and enjoy Idaho’s natural landscapes.
“The purpose is to keep the trail open and in good hiking conditions so other people who come and want to use this can go without having to find the trail or trip over anything,” explained Trail Projects Director for the Idaho Trails Association Alex Cravener.
Cravener noted many students do not understand the historical significance of Hells Canyon or the work that goes into maintaining its valuable natural resources.
“The work of volunteers here is really crucial, because the Forest Service doesn’t have a lot of staff to help open these,” Cravener said. “They rely on volunteers a lot to do this work.”
Students will stay in tents for the duration of the trip without access to cell service. According to Cravener, some students are nervous to completely unplug for a week, but it allows them to connect more with their peers and learn more through the experience.
“It helps foster deeper appreciation for the public land we have and the beautiful natural resources we have,” Cravener said.
Another trip option will take students to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, where they will assist animal care staff, preserve facilities and interact with animals at the sanctuary, one of the largest in the nation, which has made major advances in the no-kill animal shelter movement.
Volunteers will assist the sanctuary staff with a variety of tasks, such as painting pig houses, weeding animal areas and cleaning pet transport carriers.
“Groups do the type of projects that no one single volunteer could do by themselves,” said Sergio Holguin, who works in visitor experience and service group coordination. “It’s a huge help. We would not be able to do the things that we do without our volunteers.”
The sanctuary is committed to providing the highest quality of life possible for its nearly 1,600 dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, horses, pigs and other animals. Holguin noted while the sanctuary has a large staff of full-time employees, they always need more help.
“Animals will always outnumber us,” Holguin said. “In order to give them the attention and the quality of life we think they deserve, we heavily rely on our volunteers.”
For students who wish to stay closer to home, they can partner with St. Vincent de Paul by volunteering in their food pantries, thrift stores and service programs.
Through the Building Healthy Homes program, volunteers meet each day through the break to assist in the organization’s mission of providing food, clothing, housing and basic human necessities to those in need. They will also learn more about issues related to homelessness and food insecurity and how volunteering can make a difference.
Throughout the spring semester, students going on alternative breaks will take the LEAD 225 workshop course, which meets a handful of times throughout the semester to prepare for the trip and complete team-building activities.
Mace has gone on the Hells Canyon trip twice and said the experiences she had were some of the highlights of her college journey, inspiring her to get more involved in the program as a student trip lead and now Service Programming Lead.
“You do four or five hours of work a day, but you’re hiking and cutting leaves and everybody’s having fun,” Mace said. “It’s a big community thing.”
Mace explained that she once went on a traditional spring break vacation, but didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as her service trips.
“I came back and was like, ‘Okay, it was fun,’ but I don’t feel like it was fulfilling in any way,” Mace said. “It’s so rewarding to be able to have an experience that I can look back on and be really proud of.”
Applications for alternative breaks are now open and can be submitted through the Student Involvement and Leadership Center website. Students who want to learn more can also fill out the Alternative Break Interest Form via Campus Groups to receive more information.
