Hiring for 2 roles! Outdoor School and Expeditions Guide AND Bilingual Outdoor School and Expeditions Guide

Position type: Full time reduced, Seasonal

Season: April 7–October 23, 2026

Location: Outdoor School: Silver Falls State Park, Sublimity, Oregon/Expeditions: Wilderness Areas across Oregon

Compensation: $168/day; 9 days PTO

Perks: Meals provided for trainings and when students are on-site/Basic housing on site and/or staff housing in Salem area/Required certifications sponsored (WFR, lifeguard)

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

Work schedule: Outdoor School: Tuesdays-Fridays (no overnight), averaging 8 hrs/day; Expeditions: alternating trip schedule with 4-Day & 7-Day trip lengths.

The Guide Opportunity:

As an outdoor school guide, your classroom will be the forests, creeks, and waterfalls of Silver Falls State Park, Oregon’s most beloved and largest state park and the ancestral home of the Kalapuya and Molalla Tribes. For bilingual guides only: Depending on the needs of your students, you may teach in English, Spanish, or both. Working with mainly 5th/6th graders over the course of 4-day, 3-night programs and day-only programs, you’ll teach inquiry-based lessons developed with guidance from Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and The BEETLES Project. By the end of their time with you, students will strengthen their relationships with nature, the land, and each other—understanding that these relationships exist within an interconnected system.

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.

What We’re Looking For:

We are less interested in the titles you’ve held and more interested in what you’ve actually done and who you are. A successful candidate will have experience with some combination of the following:

• 1+ seasons working with youth
• 1+ seasons backcountry guiding experience
• 1+ years experience as an educator
• For Bilingual guides: Bilingual in Spanish/English
• Strong group leadership and management
• Clear and adaptable communication skills
• Experience with a diversity of communities and cultural backgrounds
• Local ecological knowledge
• Backpacking experience, personal or professional
• Navigation skills (mapping systems/apps)
• Backcountry medical experience
• Backcountry cooking skills
• Able to lead groups on hikes up to 10 miles with heavy packs
• Able to pass a criminal background check
• Valid driver’s license

About Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center:

Our mission is to provide transformative wilderness experiences that grow a community of environmental advocates. All our work is based around one simple idea: people protect what they care about, and 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—because nature is the best classroom.

9 days PTO offered. Meals provided for trainings and when students are on-site. Basic housing on site and/or staff housing in Salem area. Required certifications sponsored (WFR, lifeguard).

For the Bilingual Outdoor School and Expeditions Guide: Bilingual in English and Spanish