Maintenance Worker (Trails)

National Park Service; Joshua Tree (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

National Park Service in Twentynine Palms, CA seeks a Maintenance Worker (Trails) to help maintain and repair trails, drainage, and guard rails in backcountry and developed areas. This role involves outdoor work in heat, cold, wind and dust, with on-call evenings, weekends, and holidays.

You will use park radios, GPS, compass and maps to locate features, assist in installing barriers and steppingstones, and support trail crews.

Qualifications

• Experience working outdoors in harsh and challenging conditions.
• Ability to read maps and use compass.
• Willing to travel up to 25% to assist with Channel Islands and nearby NPS areas.

Responsibilities

• Assist in installation, repair and replacement of water diversion bars, cribbing and retainer walls.
• Remove windfalls, rockslides, surface outcroppings and debris from trails.
• Build tread surfaces in eroded areas.
• Install steppingstones at creek crossings where bridges cannot be constructed.
• Work on graded and paved trails, trail drainage, trail bridges, and guard rails.
• Work outdoors in harsh and challenging conditions, including extreme heat, cold, sunshine, snow, rain, humidity, wind, pollen, dust, and dirt.

Skills

Reading topographic maps

Backcountry navigation

Safety equipment usage

GPS usage

Tools

Park radios

Satellite phones

GPS devices

SPOT devices

Job description

Open: September 9, 2026 — Closes: September 23, 2026

Summary

You will serve as a Maintenance Worker (Trails) within the Department of the Interior, Pacific West, Division of Maintenance, Twentynine Palms, California, National Park Service. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime work. Normally this is a Monday- Friday work schedule.

Major Duties

Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work for approximately from the July to mid June and you will be in a non-pay status for the remainder of the year at least 1 pay period (two weeks) in June. You may be required to travel 25% away from home to assist with Channel Islands and nearby NPS areas. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. Salary Range Information (Per Hour): $24.92-$29.07Federal Wage System Regular and Special Production Facilitating Wage Rate Schedules for the Los Angeles, California (LA) Wage Area AC-013R First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate. Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Assists in the installation, repair and replacement of water diversion bars, cribbing and retainer walls. Removes windfalls, rockslides, surface outcroppings and debris from trails. Builds up tread surfaces in eroded areas. Installs steppingstones at creek crossings where bridges cannot be constructed. Works under a trail's maintenance leader or other higher-graded position. The position is primarily engaged in assisting in the maintenance and construction of graded and paved trails, trail drainage, trailbridges, and guard rails. The incumbent works outdoors in harsh and challenging conditions, including extreme heat, cold, sunshine, snow, rain, humidity, wind, pollen, dust, and dirt. Work locations may reasonably involve exposure to environmental hazards such as poison oak, biting or stinging insects, and venomous reptiles. The position requires knowledge of backcountry communication and safety equipment-including park radios, satellite phones, GPS units, and SPOT devices-and the ability to use these tools accurately. The incumbent must also be proficient in reading topographic maps and using a compass to determine precise locations in remote backcountry environments.