Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is currently recruiting trail work and restoration professionals for our upcoming 2025 field season. We are looking for enthusiastic, hard-working seasonal staff crew leaders & crew members to complete these projects over the summer and early fall, 2024.  

Applicants must be available to work from May 19th through September 28th, 2025  

Applications must be submitted no later than Tuesday, December 31st, 2024

3-5 years minimum trail work experience preferred for Crew Leader positions 

1-2 years minimum trail work experience preferred for Crew Member positions

 Mount Democrat (near Alma, CO):

2025 will be the first of two seasons on Mount Democrat. Work will focus on improving the existing trail with extensive heavy reconstruction. Work will include installing both stone and timber structures to stabilize the trail and prevent further soil loss and resource damage. The work in 2025 will focus on priority sections identified by CFI, and include the installation of walls, steps, and staircases to improve trail conditions. Worksite locations will change throughout the season, but all sites will require a hike from the trailhead (12,000ft.) with significant elevation gains of up to 2,000 feet each day. The work will be highly technical in nature, using dry stone masonry techniques, native timber, and dimensional lumber to construct a variety of structures. Griphoists and rigging equipment will be utilized to quarry material from long distances over steep and loose terrain.

Blue-Bierd (near Idaho Springs & Georgetown, CO)

New for the 2025 field season, The Blue-Bierd crew will be splitting their season evenly between two different projects. Project number one will be reconstructing the boardwalk on Mount Bierstadt. And project number 2 will consist of heavy reconstruction through the landslide on Blue Sky. The crew’s objective this season is to focus on priority sections of existing trail, coming in hot and hitting them hard. Each peak will have approximately four 8-day work hitches throughout the duration of the season.

Mount Shavano (near Salida, CO):

2025 will mark the fourth year of the two separate major trail re-route projects on Shavano. One will continue to focus on full bench construction below tree line initially, and then trail restoration work up high for the second half of the season. The other project will focus on building a new trail in the alpine, at an elevation of around 14,000 ft with intermittent full bench construction and a variety of different stone structures. Both re-routes will be completed by two separate CFI crews. Both crews will be backcountry camping for the duration of the season while on hitch. Each crew will function completely independent of each other for the full duration of the season. This is two different projects happening simultaneously on the same peak.

Nomads (statewide):

Nomads Crew Members assist with project planning and logistics, project prep and implementation, and provide education, training, and supervision to volunteers. When not leading volunteer groups, the Nomads crews will work on trail maintenance projects as part of a four-person crew. Roughly 70% of the total field days throughout the season will be spent with volunteers and 30% without and working with their CFI crew only. Each Nomads crew will work on 5 different peaks all over Colorado throughout the season. Crew Members are expected to work together with their Crew Leader and the Apprentice to implement volunteer trail maintenance projects. The Nomads crews will camp during all work hitches (sometimes front country (car) camping and sometimes backcountry camping (backpacking).

For FULL position descriptions please visit www.14ers.org/employment/