Lead Guide

• Season: May 2--October 14, 2022
• Location: Sandy, Oregon (30 miles from Portland) with travel to Oregon Parks & Wildernesses 
• Compensation: $120/day, with ~20 days worked per month/Basic housing provided in Sandy, Oregon (optional)/Food provided while leading Opal Creek Expeditions/5 sick days
• Programs: Opal Creek Expeditions/Opal Creek Outdoor School

The Lead Guide Opportunity

This summer, you’ll lead educational, fun and safe backpacking trips via our Opal Creek Expeditions program. Small groups traverse miles of backcountry trail, summit ridgelines and peaks, and visit subalpine lakes and streams, with you and one other guide as their leaders. As you teach the ins and outs of backpacking you’ll see each person’s confidence grow—in their skills and in themselves.

In the spring and fall, you teach Outdoor School in local Oregon parks using student- and nature-centered curricula developed with the guidance of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and our team’s equity consultants. Throughout the course of a multi-day program, you’ll guide students in building their relationship with the natural world.

You will take a leadership role in our small staff: you prepare participants for their upcoming trips, pack gear & food for the following week, facilitate weekly staff meetings, mentor guides-in-training, and enhance Opal Creek Expeditions and Outdoor School curricula.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

A successful candidate will possess these minimum qualifications. We are less interested in the titles you’ve held and more interested in what you’ve actually done and who you are.

• 1+ seasons outdoor guiding experience, or equivalent experience
• 1+ seasons working with youth in a camp setting, or equivalent experience
• Teaching experience, formal or informal
• Backpacking experience, personal or professional
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion 
• Strong group leadership skills
• Strong navigation and backcountry cooking skills
• WFR, WFA or equivalent certification (by time of employment)
• COVID-19 vaccine (by time of employment)
• Able to lead groups on hikes up to 10 miles with heavy packs 
• Able to pass a criminal background check
• Valid driver’s license and able to drive a 15 passenger van

About Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center

Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center was formed in 1988 to advocate for the protection of the Opal Creek area. In 1996, legislation passed that established the Opal Creek Wilderness Area and instituted our unique role and responsibility as stewards, educators, and in-holders within the protected wilderness area. Our base of operations has been in the historic mining town of Jawbone Flats, situated in the stunning temperate rainforest of the Opal Creek Wilderness and surrounded by 5,000-foot peaks. This land was traditionally inhabited by the Molalla and Kalapuya Tribes, who are now part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.

In September 2020, a wildfire swept down the Opal Creek watershed, burned much of the old growth forest in the Wilderness Area, and destroyed almost all of the historic buildings of Jawbone Flats. Our post-fire strategy for Jawbone Flats is focused tightly on recovery and cleanup. We are designing a new site plan that is in harmony with the land and will support the amazing education programs we continue to offer.

Our mission is to provide transformative wilderness experiences that grow a community of environmental advocates. All of our work is based around one simple idea: people will protect what they care about, and they will care about what they know. Through our outdoor school and backpacking expedition programs, we bring youth and adults face-to-face with the outdoor places that make Oregon great—pristine mountain streams, uncut vistas, and old-growth forests.

How to apply:

Please submit an application by visiting the employment page of our website. The application includes a series of questions, and asks you to upload a detailed resume in PDF format. Be sure to include any relevant experience and certifications, both professional and personal experience.

These positions will remain open until filled. We screen applications and conduct interviews on a rolling basis and if you are seeing this posting, this position is available and we encourage you to apply. There are two rounds of interviews in total. We anticipate hiring 2 Lead Guides, and the start date is May 2nd, 2022.

Please contact hiring@opalcreek.org with any questions and to request any accommodations you would like made during this hiring process. We’ll do our best to respond to all queries and to keep all applicants up to date on how the process unfolds.