Seasonal Laborer (Trails)

Summary This is an open continuous announcement. Applicants will be referred throughout the announcement period. Final application disposition will be completed once all positions have been filled or the announcement reaches the end of the open period stated in the announcement. The last cut-off date is 11:59 pm (est), February 12, 2026. Please see the "Next Steps" section for additional cut off dates. Duties The Pacific West Region is recruiting for TEMPORARY Summer seasonal positions not to exceed 1039 hours work in a service year. Dates of Summer employment will vary depending on funding, weather conditions, projects and visitation. Within regulatory limitations, the length of initial appointment may be shortened or extended depending on work availability and funding. The typical season can be variable due to weather conditions, project needs, visitors or funding. See below for specific 2026 summer season timeframes. Duty Locations/Parks, Seasonal timeframes & Government Housing: Seqouia National Park - CA; Season May-Nov; Government housing may be available. Kings Canyon National Park - CA; Season May-Nov; Government housing may be available. Point Reyes National Seashore - Point Reyes Station, CA; Season Apr-Oct; Government housing may be available. Yosemite National Park - CA; Season Apr-Oct; Government housing may be available. Pinnacle National Park - Paicines CA; Season May-Nov; Government housing is available. Redwood National Park - Crescent City & Orick CA; Season Mar-Sept; Government housing may be available. Great Basin National Park - Baker NV; Season May-Nov; Government housing may be available. Crater Lake National Park - Crater Lake, OR;Season May-Nov; Government housing is available. Olympic National Park - Port Angeles, WA; Season Apr-Oct; Government housing may be available. MAJOR DUTIES: Live and work out of remote wilderness camps for up to 8 days or up to several weeks/months at a time. Load and unload supplies and materials from trucks, trailers, dollies, and pack animals etc. Maintain hiking trails, i.e., cutting back vegetation, cleaning drainage structures, clearing rockfall, and repairing trail and stock fences. Perform, strenuous manual labor such as digging ditches and trenches with pick and shovel where soil is hard and compact and must be graded or sloped, shoveling snow requiring significant endurance for sustained periods of time. Mix and pour concrete, asphalt and hot/cold mix and fills and levels holes in damages roads/trails. Construct and maintain trail structures such as retainer checks, bridges, turnpikes, retaining walls, waterbars, and swales. Moves heavily loaded wheelbarrows and hand trucks. Cuts heavy trees with axe or chainsaw, stacks heavy logs, lumber and sacks of cement or performs other duties. Physical Demands: The work performed requires very heavy physical effort. The incumbent routinely lifts, pushes, pulls, and carries items weighing 50 pounds, and up to 150 pounds (or more) with assistance. Grade 3 laborers exert very heavy physical effort in doing such tasks as frequently lifting and moving objects weighing over 50 pounds. Working Conditions: Almost all of the incumbent's work will be outside in all kinds of weather conditions, and involve the possibility of bruises, muscle strains, cuts and scrapes, and other injuries. Work requires the employee to follow proper safety procedures and use standard safety equipment to avoid serious injuries. At the grade 3 level the tasks involved may result in more serious injuries than at lower grade levels. The incumbent works the majority of time outdoors in temperatures ranging from 0 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter to excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. Poor air quality afflicts Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, especially during summer months - generally May to October. High ozone levels may be the most harmful pollutant here. In summer months, concentrations often exceed the federal ozone health standards. For more information: http://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/airqualityinfo.htm. Requirements Conditions of employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. Travel, transportation & relocation expenses will not be paid. Relocation expenses will be the employee's responsibility. You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license. You may be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. You may be required to travel and live in backcountry camps for up to 6 months. Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program. Qualifications Have the ability to do the work of a Laborer (Trails) without more than normal supervision (Screen out). Work experience includes the following tasks: Perform work tasks on a crew or work group responsible for carrying out tasks in remote areas. Use shovels, picks, rakes and saws to perform landscape or construction type work. Digging trenches, clearing water drainages and cutting & bucking timber. Must have experience in backpacking and camping Must have ability lift and carry objects weighing more than 50 pounds. Certain locations/parks (Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite) require regular and recurring work and camping in rugged mountainous backcountry at high elevations as described. It is a Selective Factor (Screen Out). To be considered for this position, you must provide the detailed description as required above. Be sure your resume and application reflect high elevation work if you apply to these specific locations/parks. Additional information on the specific qualification requirements for this position are found in the Job Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupations. It is available for review on OPM's web site at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/federal-wage-system-qualifications/#url=WG-3500 If your knowledge and ability in the SCREEN OUT factor above is not sufficient, you will receive no further consideration. In preparing your application, describe in detail the experience and training which you have had that specifically prepared you for this job and to perform the duties described for this job. Experience should be clearly described and documented in your resume. The qualifications reviewer will not assume performance of such duties by Job Titles alone. Address your knowledge, skills and/or abilities in the areas shown in the job-related factors. Ability to handle heavy loads. Ability to hike long distances at a minimum average of 3 miles per hour (MPH) Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special prior­ity selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Education There is no substitution of education for experience for Wage Grade (WG) positions. Additional information For additional information: Seqouia National Park, CA: [email protected], Trails Supervisor Kings Canyon National Park, CA: [email protected], Trails Supervisor Point Reyes National Seashore, CA: [email protected], Facilities Manager Yosemite National Park, CA: [email protected], Supervisory Facilities Operations Specialist Roads and Trails Pinnacle National Park, CA: [email protected], Trails Supervisor Redwood National Park, CA: [email protected], Trails Supervisor Great Basin National Park, NV: [email protected], Maintenance Supervisor Crater Lake National Park, OR: [email protected], Trails Maintenance Supervisor Olympic National Park, WA: [email protected], Trails Program Manager This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected the display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS). If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility. The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM. Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.