Outdoor School and Expeditions Guide

As an expeditions guide, you lead educational, fun, and safe backpacking trips via our Opal Creek Expeditions program. Small groups of youth ages 10-17 traverse miles of backcountry trail, summit ridgelines and peaks, and visit subalpine lakes and streams, all with you and one other guide as their leaders. As you teach the ins and outs of backpacking you’ll see each child’s confidence grow—in their skills and in themselves.

Position type: Full time, seasonal

Season: April 1–October 31, 2024

Location: Silver Falls State Park, Sublimity, Oregon (60 miles from Portland, Oregon)

Compensation: $155/day; 7 days PTO

Perks: Meals provided while working/Basic housing on site/Staff housing in Salem area for subsidized rate (optional)/business mileage

Programs: Opal Creek Outdoor School (spring/fall); Opal Creek Expeditions (summer/fall)

Work schedule: Outdoor School: Mondays-Fridays (no overnight), averaging 8 hrs/day; Expeditions: Sundays-Saturdays (includes overnight): 1 week on, 1 week off

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 working with youth

●  1+ seasons backcountry guiding experience

●  1+ seasons/school years experience as an educator, formal or informal

●  Backpacking experience, personal/professional

●  Strong group leadership and management skills

●  Strong communication skills

●  Navigation and backcountry cooking skills

●  Previous experience with equity, inclusion, and cultural relevance, and integrating into youth programming

●  Previous backcountry medical experience

●  Able to lead groups on hikes up to 10 miles with heavy packs

●  Able to pass a criminal background check

How to Apply & Timeline

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.

Positions open until filled. First applicant selection for interviews will happen on January 19th, followed by applicant review every two weeks. Two rounds of interviews will be conducted for each candidate, in January and/or February. We anticipate hiring five guides, and the start date is April 1, 2024.

Please contact hiring@opalcreek.org with any questions and to request any accommodations needed 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.