Waterfalls, Bike Trails, Cold Beers, Good Friends
Wilderness Voyageurs is a family-operated, multi-sport adventure company with over 50 years of experience. We lead Class I - V river trips, teach kayaking, fly fishing, climbing and mountain biking, and guide multi-day bicycle tours all over the country. Join the Wilderness Voyageurs family and make memories that will last a lifetime!
Wilderness Voyageurs is located in the quaint town of Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, in the center of Ohiopyle State Park. Our headquarters is on the banks of the Youghiogheny River, a stone's throw from the Great Allegheny Passage trail and the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail. We're just over an hour from Pittsburgh, 30 minutes from Morgantown and three hours from Washington, D.C.
About Wilderness Voyageurs
We are the oldest and most experienced outfitter on the East Coast (established 1964). Expert guides, proven instructional programs, and thousands of happy guests for over 50 years tell our story! Make it your story, too! Between our award-winning small group bike tours, our world-class whitewater rivers, and the delicious and refreshing Falls City Pub and Restaurant, we have opportunities for everyone.
The Employee Experience
At Wilderness Voyageurs, we're more than an adventure company -- we're a family of friends. We may not take ourselves too seriously, but we do take our jobs seriously. We work to give our customers awesome experiences in the outdoors so they'll want to come back year after year. We love what we do, and we're always trying to be better -- whether it's rafting, kayaking, biking, fly fishing, or making the best damn reuben in the Laurel Highlands. So if you're willing to work hard, learn new things (and have fun while doing it) then you'll be a perfect fit at Wilderness Voyageurs!
Ideal Candidate
Attitude is everything around here! We're looking for honest, creative, adventurous people with a good sense of humor and a strong work ethic to join our team. Experience is nice, but enthusiasm is better! We train our guides and staff to be the best, and you'll go far if you can embrace some constructive criticism at the beginning. Finally, we believe in mutual respect -- to earn respect, you first have to give respect to your managers, trip leaders and co-workers.
Room and Board
We have three places in town and one place out of town for our staff. The venerable "White House" sits in a prime location, and is reserved for senior staff. First- and second-year staff usually end up either camping up on "River View Terrace" or "The Heights." They are located on the edge of the woods, just above our main campus in Ohiopyle. The Terrace is a little village of tent platforms and tiny houses that have emerged over the years. Its younger cousin, The Heights, has two roofed platforms that can easily provide shelter for at least 2 staff per unit. For everyday essentials, there's a shared kitchen area and the company bath house, with restrooms and hot showers. If guides are staying in campers or their own vehicles, they can take a quick drive out of town to the "Last Resort." Usually referred to as the LR, staff can plug into our 50 amp outlets and find bathroom and shower facilities. To live on the Terrace or the Heights, we ask for a one-time non-refundable security deposit of $75. To live at the LR there is a non-refundable security deposit of $75 and monthly rent of $35 to cover electricity costs.
Employee Perks
We like to spread the love around here.
The Outfitter Store offers 40% off apparel and 30% off of technical gear and hardware. You can also try any whitewater boat from our fleet of demo boats for free, with a couple of strings attached. Basically, you are only allowed to use them for free during off-peak hours and you are only allowed 10 free demos. After that, we only ask for a $5.00 fee.
You will receive a 15% discount off of regular menu items at Falls City Pub. Just remind your server before they ring up your check.
You may use any of our bikes, rafts, or duckies as long as they are not already spoken for. Just sign them out, and go have a rip!
You will receive six river trip passes to be used any day but Saturday.
You will receive a staff gift, as well as a couple staff t-shirts to wear while you're working. If you're a river guide, you will receive a PFD, river knife, whistle, pair of guide shorts and two guide shirts. Bike tour guides receive a staff bike jersey.
There are various staff parties and get-togethers throughout the season. It all culminates with our annual staff trip down the Gauley River in West Virginia!
Getting Here and Getting Around
Getting here is easiest by car. There is a bike trail, but that might take a while. We have picked up employees at the Pittsburgh Airport, and there's also an Amtrak station nearby in Connellsville, PA.
There's no public transportation in Ohiopyle, so it's handy to have your own car. If you don't have a car, try to bring a bike! There are usually some staff bikes floating around that you can use for daily cruising. If you want to do some carbon-neutral grocery shopping, you can ride about an hour on the Great Allegheny Passage trail to Connellsville or Confluence.
For Fun
Ohiopyle, PA is a small community in the Laurel Highland mountains of Fayette County. If you love the outdoors, this is the place to be. Our headquarters is at the terminus of the 70-mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail and on the banks of the Youghiogheny River. Ohiopyle State Park has about every outdoor activity you can think of. There are rock climbing and bouldering areas sprinkled throughout the forest, as well as about 30 miles of quality mountain bike trails. The Great Allegheny Passage, a flat bike path along the Youghiogheny River, runs 150 miles from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD. The Yough River is always running, and promises year-round kayaking and rafting, with rapids from Class I to Class V. When it rains, keen creek boaters can run the Class III-V creek Meadow Run, which runs directly into the first rapid on the Lower Yough. These clean, cool waterways are also perfect for learning the art of fly fishing. And all that's just steps away from our outfitter store.
There are world-class whitewater rivers all around you -- the Class IV-V Upper Yough is a half-hour away in Maryland. The Big Sandy and the Cheat River are just to our south in West Virginia. More mountain biking and climbing opportunities are scattered all around us. For a chill day, visit the nearby Yough Lake, or have a spa day at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. For culture seekers, there are also two Frank Lloyd Wright homes within a few miles of Ohiopyle -- Kentuck Knob and the iconic Fallingwater house. And if you're craving the city life, Pittsburgh is just over an hour away! Pick up a Pirates game, see a concert or just hang out at a trendy coffee shop for an afternoon.
How to Apply
Go to our online application and fill it out to start your next step to a wonderful new world.