Seasonal Maintenance Worker (Trails)

Initial Cut-off Date: This is an open continuous announcement, in which applications are collected over several months, and have multiple cut-off dates. Applications will be considered throughout the open period of the announcement. ** The first cut-off date for early referral is January 11, 2026.** Referral certificates will be issued when a hiring official exhausts current certificate and/or additional vacancies need to be filled. These positions perform routine and complex trail maintenance, rehabilitation and construction of graded foot, mountain bike, horse trails, and trail structures. Work includes: Building, repairing, and maintaining erosion control structures, retaining walls, tread surfaces, and re-blazing of trails. Park boundary line maintenance. Removal of vegetation growth and fallen rock and tree obstructions from trails. Maintain ADA accessible trails with special surfaces, trails in high visitor use areas, foot and horse use trails in remote backcountry areas and trails in designated Wilderness areas. Trail work is performed with a variety of hand tools including shovels, picks, fire rakes, swing blades (grass whip), McLeods, pulaskis, rock bars, cross-cut saws, wheelbarrows, grip hoist, etc. and small power equipment such as chainsaws, weed trimmers, rock drills and jack hammers. Operates vehicles in the performance of assigned duties for transportation of self and other employees to and from worksites. Typical vehicles include pickup trucks (including 4WD operation), utility body trucks, crew cab pickup/utility trucks, automobiles, panel vans, light mower and utility tractors, all-terrain vehicles, and small towed equipment or trailers. The position requires frequent strenuous activity. Selectees are required to hike up to 10 miles over steep, rough and uneven mountainous terrain into backcountry worksites while carrying work tools. At least ninety percent of work is performed in an outdoor setting. These positions will be duty stationed at either Park Headquarters Maintenance Area near Luray, VA or Big Meadows Maintenance Area near mile-marker 51 on Skyline Drive. These positions may be filled at either the WG-05 grade level or the WG-07 grade level. POSITION LOCATION: Shenandoah National Park preserves and protects more than 300 square miles of nationally significant natural and cultural resources, scenic beauty, and congressionally designated wilderness within Virginia's northern Blue Ridge Mountains; and provides a broad range of opportunities for public enjoyment, recreation, inspiration, and stewardship. Within just 90 miles of Washington D.C. the Park provides visitors the ability to explore mountain peaks, hidden hollows, cascading streams, accessible wilderness, and stunning natural beauty. Approximately 40% of the Park is designated wilderness with over 500 miles of hiking trails and the iconic Skyline Drive, SHEN was established as an eastern Park that provided a "western Park experience". Due to the Park's easy accessibility to D.C and other highly populated areas along the east coast, visitation exceeds 1.4 million visitors annually which results in significant resource protection and visitor management issues and incidents.