Trail Builder - Apply Anytime

NWA Trailblazers; Bentonville (AR); On-site; USD 23,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

AD&D

Disability insurance

401(k) match

Outdoor discounts

Job summary

NWA Trailblazers is seeking dependable Trail Builders to support the construction, maintenance, and stewardship of soft-surface, multi-use trails across Northwest Arkansas. This field-based role requires physical fitness and a commitment to safety and teamwork.

Join a nonprofit dedicated to building world-class trails and improving active transportation. On-the-job training is provided, with opportunities to develop skills in trail construction, woodworking, welding, and heavy equipment

Qualifications

• Ability to perform physically demanding outdoor work in varying weather conditions.
• Willingness to learn trail construction techniques.
• Commitment to safety and teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Perform routine maintenance on soft-surface, multi-use trails.
• Maintain trail corridors by trimming trees and managing overgrowth.
• Assist with trail construction activities and feature installation.
• Remove sediment and debris to maintain water flow and trail sustainability.
• Operate and maintain hand tools and small motorized equipment.
• Mow and maintain Trailblazers-owned properties and trail access areas.
• Identify and report safety hazards or trail concerns to crew leadership.
• Follow safety protocols and maintain equipment.
• Support trail construction and maintenance projects as assigned.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills

Strong work ethic

Team player

Physically fit

Safety-conscious

Willing to learn

Tools

Hand tools

Small power tools

Job description

This application is considered for both seasonal and regular full-time positions, as they become available.

No prior trail experience is required — but applicants must be able to meet the physical demands of the role. On-the-job training is provided.
_________________
Department: Trail Construction and Maintenance
Reports to: Sr. Trail Crew Manager & Trail Crew Manager
Location: Northwest Arkansas (Field-Based)
Pay Range: $17–$35 per hour
Employment Type: Full-Time, Non-Exempt

Who We Are

Trailblazers is a nonprofit organization based in Northwest Arkansas dedicated to building world-class trails, advancing active transportation, and fostering healthier, more connected communities. We design, build, and maintain soft-surface trails, paved paths, and bike infrastructure that help make this region one of the best places in the country to ride and live.

Position Summary

Trailblazers is seeking dependable and hardworking Trail Builders to support the construction, maintenance, and stewardship of soft-surface, multi-use trails throughout Northwest Arkansas. This field-based role helps ensure trails remain safe, sustainable, and accessible for the community.

Trail Builders perform hands-on outdoor work using hand tools and small motorized equipment, including weed eaters, mowers, pruning shears, rakes, shovels, mattocks, McLeods, backpack blowers, and brush-hog equipment. Work takes place on varied terrain and in changing weather conditions and requires consistent attention to safety, quality workmanship, and teamwork.

This position serves as an entry-level pathway into professional trail building. Team members begin by learning trail maintenance and construction fundamentals and can increase their responsibilities and compensation over time by developing skills in areas such as trail construction techniques, woodworking for trail features, welding and metal fabrication, rock work, and heavy equipment operation.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform routine maintenance on soft-surface, multi-use trails, including weed-eating, raking, and clearing vegetation
• Maintain trail corridors by trimming trees, removing branches, and managing overgrowth
• Assist with trail construction activities such as hand-cutting tread, finishing trail surfaces, and supporting feature installation
• Remove sediment and debris from drainage features to maintain proper water flow and trail sustainability
• Operate and maintain hand tools and small motorized equipment, including weed eaters, mowers, backpack blowers, and brush-hog equipment
• Mow and maintain Trailblazers-owned properties and trail access areas
• Identify and report safety hazards, erosion issues, fallen trees, or other trail concerns to crew leadership
• Follow safety protocols and maintain tools and equipment according to established standards
• Support trail construction and maintenance projects as assigned by crew leadership
• Perform additional duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Strong work ethic and reliability
• Ability to follow directions and work effectively as part of a team
• Willingness to perform physically demanding outdoor work in varying weather conditions
• Ability to safely use, or willingness to learn to use, hand tools and small motorized equipment
• Interest in learning trail construction and maintenance techniques
• Commitment to safety and quality workmanship

Physical Requirements

• Independently lift, carry, lower, and move tools, materials, equipment, rock, stone, fuel containers, and other objects weighing up to 60 pounds.
• Safely participate in team lifting and movement of heavier materials and equipment.
• Carry approximately 35 to 40 pounds of personal gear and hand tools while walking or hiking up to approximately one half mile to access project locations.
• Walk, stand, and work on loose, steep, rugged, and uneven terrain, including slopes and surfaces where footing and elevation vary.
• Perform sustained and repetitive strenuous physical work throughout the workday, including lifting, carrying, digging, raking, trimming, pushing, pulling, and operating hand and motorized tools.
• Regularly bend, crouch, squat, kneel, work from one knee, twist, and reach uphill, downhill, and around obstacles while maintaining sufficient balance and control to work safely.
• Work in restricted or tight spaces, including underneath bridges and around natural or constructed obstacles.
• Carry and operate hand tools and motorized equipment used in trail construction, maintenance, and vegetation management, including equipment weighing approximately 10 to 25 pounds, for repeated periods throughout the workday.
• Safely reach, grip, manipulate, control, balance, and maneuver the controls, handles, brakes, and other mechanisms of assigned tools, machinery, and equipment through their normal range of operation.
• Safely load and unload tools, equipment, materials, and supplies from trucks, trailers, and other vehicles.
• Work outdoors throughout the workday in changing and potentially extreme environmental conditions, including heat, cold, rain, snow, sun exposure, mud, and other conditions commonly encountered in trail work.
• 33 days of paid time off annually
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 6% employer match
• Access to outdoor industry discounts

*for Full-Time Employees