2015 JOBS ARE NOW OPEN!!!!

Summer seasonal jobs with Denali National Park and Preserve Trail Crew are now open!!

Apply for Denali Trails Crew positions; closing date is 1/14/2015

 

 

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/390613400

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/390826800

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/390783200

WG-3 Positions Open. Close date January 11, 2014. Apply now!

2014 JOBS ARE NOW OPEN!!!!

Summer seasonal jobs with Denali National Park and Preserve Trail Crew are now open!!

Positions for WG-7 and WG-5 close 1/11/2014

Click here - USA Jobs

Hiking Opportunities in Denali - Expanded and Improved courtesy of the 2013 Crew

Pulaskis, Trail Dogs, a mini-excavator, NPS professional crews, shovels, SCA youth crews & interns, rock bars, pick-up trucks, volunteers from near and far, grip-hoists, GIS programs, a helicopter, creative thoughts, dirty uniforms...

These are just a few ingredients of the 2013 Trail Crew's recipe for;

Performing significant improvements to the Mt. Healy Overlook Trail.  Come hike the Healy Trail again for a new, improved, and drier experience!

Improving the Bike Trail, the Winter Spring Trail, the Roadside Trail, the Triple Lakes Trail with bits of TLC; brushing, drainage, tread hardening, etc.

Burying the "Golden Spike," on the Savage Alpine Trail, which is to say, while there is work yet to be done, one can hike from one end of the trail to the other on uninterrupted tread.  What a view!

The 2013 season has been one of meeting objectives and goals for the summer.  Now that's something!  Thanks to the 2013 crew for another great year, with terrific folks, and the drive to learn new things, complete projects, and improve hiker experiences in Denali Park!

Trails Crew positions for the 2013 season have been filled. 

Our Maintenance crew has a busy workload for this upcoming season.  We’re hoping to continue work on the Bike Trail, and harden another section of the trail using a natural polymer.  We’ve also got some maintenance work to do on ATV trails for subsistence hunting near Cantwell.  Maintenance work on the frontcountry trails is sorely needed, and there may be time for this crew to help out other projects!

The Savage Alpine Trail crew will be connecting the dots and finishing off the remaining 1 mile of trail to connect the Savage River Rest Stop with the Savage River Campground and Mountain Vista Rest Area.  The crew will finish the tread work started last year on the east side of the trail, and use a combination of rock work and turnpike to cross a high alpine meadow with solifluction.  See – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solifluction

 

 

The Healy Overlook Trail crew will be rebuilding many different parts of the popular frountcountry hike.  Lots of water runs down the lower parts of the trail, so we plan to take care of that.  The upper part of the trail offers beautiful views, but has deteriorated into a hand-over-fist scramble to get to the top.  The lower part of the road was put in to access a ski hill that operated around the 1940's.  Check out this cool website! http://www.alsap.org/McKinley/McKinley.htn

 

 

 

The 2012 Trails Season Re-cap

INTRODUCING:

A new and improved hike around the 2-mile Savage Canyon Loop!

A growing Savage Alpine Trail!

A bike-able bike trail after all!

Blueberry Hill – no longer guaranteeing wet feet!

Rock Creek runners meet fewer tripping hazards!

Have you seen the Horseshoe Lake Trail face-life?

And significant maintenance and improvements for many park trails, including Thorofare Ridge above Eielson, the Triple Lakes Trail, and the McKinley Bar Trail.

……

NPS and volunteer crews spent the entire season working on the Savage Canyon Loop (aka Savage River Loop Trail) in a successful effort to persuade the trail to continue providing a hiking opportunity rather than diving right into the Savage River.  Significant re-routing and tread and drainage improvements have significantly enhanced the sustainability and enjoyment on this popular 2-mile path.


Savage Canyon Loop Trail
Spring 2012





Savage Canyon Loop Trail
September 2012































The Savage Alpine Trail showed up on this year’s official park map, bringing many more hikers to this 4+ mile hiking experience.  The trail remains under construction, but at the close of the 2012 season, hikers will find that NPS and volunteer crews have built a breathtaking leg along the ridge above Savage Rock on the west end of the trail.  On the trail’s east end, originating at the Mountain Vista Rest Stop, hikers can now access the alpine setting complete with tundra wildflowers, dall sheep onlookers, and views of Denali.  2013 construction will bring the trail up high, into an alpine bowl and meadow, where construction efforts will continue to diminish the gap between the trail’s east and west legs.
 



Savage Alpine Trail - before

 



Savage Alpine Trail - after
























The bike trail, found in Denali’s front country, has proven a bit too bumpy for most bikers.  To make the bike trail bike-able after all, larger material was removed from the tread and Eco-pave was applied, making for a much smoother ride.
 





Bike Trail

Work on Denali Bike Trail

The Blueberry Hill Trail, located near Wonder Lake, has long begged hikers to wear their rubber boots to combat mucky conditions.   This summer, an NPS crew graveled the trail and worked on poor drainage and ailing boardwalk sections to enhance the walking experience for hikers clad solely in regular hiking boots.  The views of Denali remain… unchanged.

Denali as seen from Blueberry Hill

 



Volunteers on Rock Creek Trail

Impressive efforts by volunteer crews, a couple of helicopter sling-load operations, and technical work by NPS crews culminated in a facelift for the Rock Creek Trail, a front country trail popular with local runners as well as park visitors.  These trail users will now find fewer puddles and a more forgiving tread for their outings.

Horseshoe Lake Trail

 

The Horseshoe Lake Trail sees approximately 200 hikers a day during the busy summer season and beginning with work done by Denali Crews this summer, these hikers will find a much improved tread where check steps and new tread material have replaced a gullied, puddled trail.  As host to guided ranger hikes and high visitation, Denali Trails is proud to present a more sustainable and “professional” trail at Horseshoe Lake!

 

Crews also spent significant time and effort maintaining and improving tread and drainage on the Thorofare Ridge Trail (above Eielson Visitor Center), the McKinley Bar Trail (near Wonder Lake), and the Triple Lakes Trail (front country).  Additionally, many other trails received touches of care as needed to keep trails open, safe, and enjoyable. 

2013 will bring another fun and busy season of expanding and improving opportunities for hikers in Denali Park to experience the park in an inspiring and tangible way at Savage Alpine, Horseshoe Lake, and Mt. Healy Overlook (and who knows where else!?!).

Thanks to all of the 2012 Crew for a terrific season!

 

Denali Trails Crew 2012

2012 jobs are now open!!

Summer seasonal jobs with Denali National Park and Preserve trail crew are now open!!
Positions for WG-3 and WG-5 close 1/20/2012

http://www.usajobs.gov/

Look for 2012 job postings in January!
http://www.usajobs.gov/





2011 Trail Crew



2011 was a productive season! With the hard work of 32 employees, 8 SCA crews and multiple volunteer individuals and groups, many goals were accomplished. Among the many trails projects, a few season highlights included:

The grand opening of the Triple Lakes Trail! As of 14 September 2011, the Triple Lakes Trail is officially open. After 6 years of construction, complete with zip-lining, gravel hauling, bench-cutting, structure building, helicopter ops, cross-cut use, and the energies of hundreds of trail builders, the trail is ready for hikers to travel from McKinley Village to Denali Visitor Center while taking in the Triple Lakes themselves, autumn blueberries, and ridge-top vistas. 



SCA volunteers stump pulling on Triple Lakes Trail



Building Riley Creek Bridge


 


Bound Log Crib Triple Lakes Trail





Work on Triple Lakes Trail

 




Bench Lake Construction Triple Lakes Trail

  

Triple Lakes Trail Dedication



Ribbon Cutting Triple Lakes Trail

New trail construction on both the east and west ends of the Savage Alpine Trail – The “growing” Savage Alpine Trail will eventually allow hikers to venture to the high tundra between the Savage Campground at mile 13 and the Savage River Parking Area at mile 15 on the park road.  This summer, the NPS crew worked above the Savage Rock, heading up-up-up to the “ridge” above Savage Rock.  The trail is now open to the ridge and offers a breath-taking hike with views of Denali and the Alaska Range in all its glory.   

Rock Drill use Savage Alpine Trail





Working in the shadow of Denali



Rock Work Savage Alpine Trail

On the east end of the Savage Alpine Trail, the NPS equipment crew constructed a ½ mile of ADA trail, ending at a creek-side stop with benches and a cottonwood canopy.  Beyond this spot, SCA and other volunteer crews performed most of the construction that now allows hikers to begin the climb toward the alpine along a bench-cut trail amidst dwarf birch and willow.  The 2012 season promises to build on this year’s progress with lots of building on both ends of the trail, resulting in an eventual 4-mile trail. 

 

SCA Savage Alpine Trail east end

 


Brain Buckets



No small number of other projects kept crews busy throughout the park with maintenance on the McKinley Bar Trail out by Wonder Lake, ramp construction at the Riley Creek Bridge site, walking and skiing access to the newly built parking at headquarters, and survey work for future projects.



Riley Creek Mushing

 


National Trails Day volunteers



Lazy Trail Crew Worker

Autumn in Denali

Crew Leader and Assistant Crew Leader Positions Now Open

Crew Leader and Assistant Crew Leader Positions are now open on USAJobs.gov, both positions close on January 22, so apply now if interested.

WG-3 Trail Laborer positions will be announced within the next few weeks.  The application process will be slightly different than in the past.  The announcement will be for multiple Alaska Parks with the option of choosing which specific parks to apply to.



Crew Leader
http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=95177292&JobTitle=TRAILS+WORKER+(LEAD)&q=trails&where=&brd=3876&vw=b&FedEmp=N&FedPub=Y&x=0&y=0&AVSDM=2011-01-02+00%3a03%3a00

Assistant Crew Leader
http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=95177346&JobTitle=TRAILS+WORKER&q=trails&where=&brd=3876&vw=b&FedEmp=N&FedPub=Y&x=0&y=0&AVSDM=2011-01-02+00%3a03%3a00

2011 Seasonal Job Info

A few things to keep in mind if you are interested in working on the Denali Trail Crew this coming summer:

We will be filling many positions this year, laborers, assistant crew leaders, and crew leaders.  All positions will be posted on USA Jobs, likely in January.  We recommend setting up an account with USAJobs that will notify you when the Denali jobs open.

Pay ranges from $17-$28 an hour.  We usually work Monday through Thursday, 10 hours per day.  Our season typically runs from mid-May to mid or late September.


Seasonal housing may be available for new employees, and some trail workers will be living at the Savage River campground in our temporary Trails Camp (see 2010 post below for details). 

Students are encouraged to apply through the Student Educational Employment Program.  Look here and here for more info.

2011 Project Preview

We are going to be working on many of the same projects that made the 2010 season at Denali a great one.



View from Triple Lakes Trail



One crew will be working on rerouting sections of the 8-mile Triple Lakes Trail.

 



Riley Creek Bridge on Triple Lakes Trail





Crew working on the Savage Alpine Trail



Two crews will be working on the Savage Alpine Trail, a 4.5 mile trail connecting the Savage River to the Savage Campground.



Building rock steps on the Savage Alpine Trail



Raising the Riley Creek Footbridge Towers

On Thursday 22 April we stood the towers for the Riley Creek footbridge.  Many, many people have worked on this project, and we appreciate all of their efforts!

JOBS OPEN NOW!

I think these links will work...if not then search http://www.usajobs.gov/ for the posting, don't delay, they close soon!

Crewleader announcement:  http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=85663917&aid=84442941-17110&WT.mc_n=125

Assistant crewleader announcement: http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=85718318&aid=84442941-17110&WT.mc_n=125

WG-03 Laber positions to be posted in the next week or two...stay tuned!

2010 Seasonal Trails Leader and Assistant Leader Jobs to be Posted

In the next few days the 2010 Seasonal Trails Leader and Assistant Leader jobs will be posted on http://www.usajobs.gov/  Watch close as they will not be posted for long.  We're hiring for many new positions this year (see previous posts) and it is going to be a great season.

Projects include construction of:
130' cable suspension bridge
2 miles of rerouted trail to finish the Triple Lakes Trail rehabilitation project (8 miles total)
2 miles of new trail for the Savage Alpine Trail project (2 more miles in 2011)
1 mile of new interpretive trail near a new rest stop

Come to Denali, work hard, play in the most wild wilderness in the country, make a difference in a 6 million acre National Park and Have Fun!

Are You A Student?

Do you want a job with Denali or the NPS?  Look here:

http://www.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/internships/upload/Student_Educational_Employment_Program.pdf

http://www.nps.gov/dena/parkmgmt/step.htm

Work on the Savage Alpine Trail!

The Savage Alpine Trail is to be a newly constructed trail in the summer of 2010. The trail will be approximately 4 miles in length and will connect the Savage River Campground (mile 12) with the Savage Rock Trail (mile 15) on the Denali Park Road. The National Park Service crew working on this trail will be doing lots of rock work. This job isn’t for the meek, but for those who want to embrace the art of building rock steps and the like, this job will come with a million dollar view!

This crew will work 10 hour days, sometimes 4 days at a time (i.e. 3 day weekends), perhaps 8 days (6 day weekends) at a time. We start early around here and stretching at 7:00 AM will be followed by a short commute to the worksite and hard work until 5:30 PM. The park service crew working on this trail will consist of 10 members who will live at Savage River Campground.

Life at a Campground?
That’s right… there will be no red carpet rolled out at the Savage River Campground. You’ll have to let go of daily Facebook updates, flushing toilets, cellular access, and a hard-sided roof, but on the other hand, life at the Savage River Campground will come with some enticing amenities. The camp will boast a shower house with hot running water, a weatherport with a cozy wood burning stove for hanging out, a view of Mt. McKinley, and easy access to 6 million acres of wilderness. Crew members will each have a canvas wall tent to live in, with shared kitchen and food storage facilities.

Transportation
Crew members will be responsible for their own transportation to Alaska. Once living at the campground, crews will have access to a free shuttle that services the entrance area of the park. Otherwise, parking for personal vehicles will be available.

Weather
Nearly guaranteed – snowflakes will fly during the course of the summer and days that make a dip in the glacial Savage River seem possible will come around as well – this might all happen in the same day.

Hope to see you here!

(Photos above: Savage River Campground from above - the campground is at the far edge of the forest on the right hand side; The second photo is taken looking up at the worksite. Below: a map of Denali National Park - look for the Savage River Campground. Home Sweet Home).