By Steuben Fish & Game Club | April 5, 2026
Category: New York Outdoors
If you’ve ever spent a day clearing brush at the club and thought, “I could do this for a living,” this might be your summer. Across New York State, the DEC, nonprofit organizations, and private trail companies are hiring seasonal workers to build, restore, and maintain trails in the Adirondacks, Catskills, and beyond. The positions range from entry-level grunt work to skilled stone masonry, and many come with housing, training, certifications, and a paycheck — all for spending your days in some of the most beautiful backcountry on the East Coast.
Here’s a rundown of who’s hiring, what the work looks like, and how to apply.
NYS DEC Seasonal Employment
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation hires hundreds of seasonal employees every year to work across the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves. DEC is responsible for managing more than four million acres of state land, and temporary workers are critical to keeping that land accessible and maintained.
The majority of seasonal openings are at DEC’s 51 public campgrounds and four day-use areas, but positions also include trail maintenance, grounds keeping, assistant forest ranger work, lifeguarding, and education camp staffing. Trail-related roles typically fall under maintenance assistant or maintenance helper titles, requiring the ability to perform moderate to heavy physical labor in remote areas and adverse weather. Some positions require a valid driver’s license, the ability to lift 50 pounds, and availability for weekends and holidays.
DEC also posts positions on the StateJobsNY website (statejobs.ny.gov), which is where specific trail builder and trail crew vacancies tend to show up. This spring, DEC announced hiring for a seasonal trail builder and trail crew positions in the High Peaks Wilderness — one of the most iconic and heavily trafficked backcountry areas in the Northeast. These positions are seasonal, hourly appointments typically funded through late October or November 2026.
To apply for DEC seasonal work, submit an employment application and resume to the DEC Regional Office covering the geographic area where you want to work. For positions near Remsen and the Mohawk Valley, that’s DEC Region 6 in Watertown. Applications for summer positions are ideally received between January and February, but positions continue to be posted on StateJobsNY throughout the spring.
How to apply: Download the DEC Employment Application at dec.ny.gov/about/employment/seasonal and check StateJobsNY for current trail-specific openings.
Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) Professional Trail Crew
The Adirondack Mountain Club has been running its professional trail crew since 1979, and it remains one of the premier wilderness trail work programs in the state. ADK’s crew builds, rehabilitates, and maintains backcountry trails in both the Adirondack and Catskill Parks using only non-motorized hand tools and native or dimensional materials.
The work is physically demanding and deeply rewarding. Crew members camp four nights at a time in the backcountry near work sites, building everything from turnpikes in mountain passes to stone staircases and cairns on high peaks summits. The position is based out of ADK’s Heart Lake Program Center in Lake Placid.
The perks go beyond the scenery. ADK provides free membership, a Leave No Trace Level 1 Instructor workshop, Wilderness First Aid certification, OSHA-10 training, free workshops, and discounts on gear. Shared on-site housing with three meals a day is available at the Heart Lake Program Center, with backcountry accommodations — tents, lodges, and cabins — provided during the work week.
No prior professional trail experience is required, as training is provided before the field season begins. But you need to be comfortable with hard physical labor in rugged terrain, unpredictable weather, and backcountry living.
How to apply: Visit adk.org/employment for the full job listing and application instructions.
Tahawus Trails — Private Contractor Hiring for 2026
For those with more experience or looking to build a career in trail construction, Tahawus Trails is a full-service trail design, construction, and consulting company based in New York State that’s actively hiring trail crew members for the 2026 season, with a start date as early as April.
Tahawus works primarily in the Catskill and Adirondack regions but takes on projects as far as Vermont, Connecticut, and elsewhere in New York. The work covers the full spectrum of trail construction: sidehill benching, corridor clearing, drainage structures, retaining walls, stone staircases, and bridge building. Crew members use a mix of hand tools, power tools, and mechanized equipment.
The qualifications are more specific than the entry-level state positions. Tahawus looks for experience in trail building, dry stone masonry, carpentry, landscaping, or related construction fields. You’ll need to be comfortable with backcountry camping, areas with limited or no cell service, and carrying heavy loads over rugged terrain. A valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle are required.
The compensation reflects the skill level: starting pay ranges from $20 to $30 per hour, with NYS Public Works projects paying $40 to $75 per hour depending on location and work classification. Benefits include paid travel and mileage reimbursement, paid time off, a wellness stipend, 401(k), profit-sharing, and safety and skills training.
How to apply: Email a resume with references and a portfolio of previous work (if available) to tom@tahawustrails.com.
Adirondack Trail Improvement Society (ATIS)
The Adirondack Trail Improvement Society maintains 105 miles of public hiking trails and 15 miles of private trails in the High Peaks. Their professional trail crew of six to eight members works from mid-May through early August, starting with a full patrol of the trail system to clear winter blowdown and assess damage, then shifting to repair, hardening, and reroute projects for the rest of the season.
The crew is also responsible for maintaining and rebuilding 20 bridges and 24 ladders across the trail system. Crew members are typically college or post-college age, and preference is given to those who can commit to all or most of the 12-week season, though shorter employment periods are possible.
How to apply: Contact ATIS at info@atistrails.org or by phone at (518) 946-7322.
Student Conservation Association — Adirondack Corps
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) runs an Adirondack Corps program based in the Whitney Wilderness on the shores of Little Tupper Lake. This is more of a service-and-training program than a traditional job, but members receive a living stipend and an impressive package of certifications that can launch a career in conservation.
Corps members spend roughly 85% of their time on trail construction and maintenance — clearing blowdown, building bridges, constructing stone structures — with additional duties including invasive species management and historic preservation projects like fire tower restoration and lean-to construction. Members work from remote backcountry tent camps for up to 10 days at a time, then return to shared cabins at the basecamp.
The training alone is worth thousands of dollars and includes Wilderness First Responder and CPR certification, Game of Logging chainsaw certification, rigging and griphoist training, Leave No Trace outdoor ethics, ACA canoe training, and a Conservation Field Specialist certification. All training costs are covered by the program.
How to apply: Visit thesca.org for application information and program dates.
Volunteer Trail Crews — No Experience Needed
Not ready to commit to a full season? Volunteer trail crews offer a way to get your hands dirty, learn new skills, and give back to the trails you use — all without quitting your day job.
The Adirondack 46ers Trail Crew runs multiple weekend trail maintenance events throughout the 2026 season, with projects ranging from drainage work to bridge repair across the High Peaks. No experience is required — all tools and daily direction are provided by the Trail Masters. The 46ers are also offering two three-day events this season, and at least one outing includes accommodations at Elk Lake Lodge with meals. You don’t need to be a registered 46er to volunteer, though you’ll need to register for an ASP number through their website.
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference runs a Catskills Trail Crew that works across the 700,000-acre Catskill Park. Their crew tackles trail repair and maintenance on some of the most scenic and rugged terrain in the state. Contact Matt Smith at msmith@nynjtc.org or Charlie Gadol at cgadol@nynjtc.org for more information and to sign up for upcoming work trips.
Why This Matters
Trail work isn’t just about making hiking more pleasant — it’s conservation in its most hands-on form. Properly built trails control erosion, protect waterways, manage the impact of foot traffic on fragile ecosystems, and keep people on sustainable routes instead of widening social trails that damage vegetation and soil. Every stone staircase, drainage dip, and turnpike built by these crews is protecting the same land, water, and wildlife that sportsmen depend on.
For younger members of our club community — or anyone looking for a change of pace — these positions are worth serious consideration. The skills transfer directly to the kind of property management and stewardship work we do at Steuben Fish & Game Club on our own 268 acres. And there’s no better way to spend a summer than working in the Adirondack or Catskill backcountry.
Sources:
- NYS DEC: Seasonal Employment (https://dec.ny.gov/about/employment/seasonal)
- NYS DEC Facebook: “Join the 2026 High Peaks Trail Crew” (https://www.facebook.com/NYSDEC/posts/join-the-2026-high-peaks-trail-crew-dec-is-hiring-a-seasonal-trail-builder-and-t/1405816528240399/)
- NYS DEC: StateJobsNY Trail Builder/Crew Vacancies (https://statejobs.ny.gov)
- Adirondack Mountain Club: Professional Trail Crew Member (https://adk.org/employment/professional-trail-crew-member/)
- Adirondack Mountain Club: Trail Work (https://adk.org/trail-work/)
- Tahawus Trails: Trail Crew Member, Adirondack Region — 2026 (https://www.conservationjobboard.com/job-listing-trail-crew-member-adirondack-region-north-elba-new-york/8149679628)
- Adirondack Trail Improvement Society: Trail Crew Employment (https://www.atistrail.org/trail-crew-employment.html)
- Adirondack 46ers: Trail Crew 2026 (https://adk46er.org/trail-crew/)
- New York-New Jersey Trail Conference: Catskills Trail Crew (https://www.nynjtc.org/catskills-trail-crew/)
- Student Conservation Association: Adirondack Corps (https://corpsnetwork.org/job-openings/adirondack-corps-crew-member/)