Thank you for inquiring about employment with A Wanderlust Adventure. One of Northern Colorado’s oldest outfitters, our company has offered whitewater rafting trips on the Cache La Poudre River since 1982. If you are seeking employment with a professional and fun company who places safety and respect above all things, then you are in the right place. Our staff of professional guides is unmatched on the Poudre River. Our guides average 9 years of experience and return year after year because they love working for this company. We instill a family atmosphere and care about each and every staff member that works here. We demand a high level of professionalism and place safety as our number one priority. We ensure that all staff comply with state requirements and encourage them to go above and beyond state requirements for river and medical training. After safety, we demand the highest level of respect towards each other and towards the guests we provide service to. We want each and every guest to experience an exceptional whitewater trip that they will remember for the rest of their lives. A Wanderlust Adventure is an equal opportunity provider authorized to use Roosevelt National Forest and BLM Lands by special use permit. We are also members of America Outdoors and the Colorado River Outfitters Association Listed below we have requirements, qualifications and job descriptions for positions with our company for the 2024 Season. For more information, please contact us.
A Wanderlust Adventure Employment Positions
Experienced River Guide – River Guide Trainee – Bus Driver – Reservationist – Photographer
| Position Available: No | Hours per Week: 40 | Specific Hours: 9 A.M. – 6 P.M. |
| Period of Employment: May 15 – September 2 |
Pay Rate: $120 – $180 per day plus tips. | Contact Person: Bob Klein |
| How to Apply: E-mail resume and cover letter or mail to office address. | E-Mail: [email protected] |
Office Mailing Address: A Wanderlust Adventure 6021 Poplar Ct. Bellvue, CO 80512 |
| Requirements/Qualifications for Experienced River Guide: Candidate must be 18 years of age and have completed a certified Guide Training Course with a minimum of 50 hours logged. Current certification in CPR & First Aid required. Minimum of 2 years experience and 1000 miles logged guiding Class III & IV Level rapids on technical whitewater. Swiftwater Rescue certification preferred. Wilderness First Responder or EMT certification preferred. Candidates must possess excellent communication skills, be professional and mature, hard working, reliable, punctual, respectful and place safety above all things. |
| Job Description for Experienced River Guide: Report to work at 9:00 am, assist Trip Leader in preparing gear, load rafts on trailer, view the plan for the day, assist Trip Leader with wetsuit rentals, fit life jackets and hand out helmets. All guides are responsible for collecting and cleaning gear at the end of every trip. Main responsibility will be guiding guests on Class II, III and IV level, half and full day whitewater trips on the Cache La Poudre River. Experienced guides with 500 or more river miles logged with be given the opportunity to become Trip Leaders after fully learning and understanding what we require to be a Trip Leader. Trip Leaders are responsible for supervising all daily operations including but not limited to: preparing trips, renting equipment, checking in and screening guests, giving safety speech, guiding sweep raft with major first aid kit, overlooking entire trip, collecting gear and debriefing guests at end of the trip. We only hire experienced guides with excellent communication skills who love talking to guests and entertaining them throughout their time with us. We require that our staff participate in our interpretation program where they will learn about the history, ecology, geology, flora and fauna of the Poudre Canyon and the surrounding area. We also encourage our guides to educate our guests on this information to make their time with us a more enriching experience. Back to Employment Positions |
| Position Available: No | Hours per Week: 30 – 40 | Specific Hours: 9 A.M. – 6 P.M. |
| Period of Employment: Early June – September 2 |
Pay Rate: $116 per day plus tips. | Contact Person: Bob Klein |
| How to Apply: E-mail resume and cover letter or mail to office address. | E-Mail: [email protected] | Office Mailing Address: A Wanderlust Adventure 6021 Poplar Ct. Bellvue, CO 80512 |
| Requirements/Qualifications for River Guide Trainee: Candidate must be age 18 or older and have current certification in CPR and First Aid. Candidate must complete our certified Guide Training Course. Our course usually lasts two weeks during the month of May and consists of 50 hours of on river training and 12 hours of classroom instruction. Cost of course is $500. Course Outline: State Boating Regulations, River Dynamics, Safety, Emergency Procedures, Guiding paddle rafts through rapids Class I-IV, Raft Rigging, Trip Planning, Camp Procedures, River Ecology, Raft Repair, Swiftwater Rescue and Group Dynamics. Wilderness First Responder or EMT certification preferred but not required. After completion of our Guide Training Course those candidates who are hired will continue to train on the Poudre River for an additional two weeks, or until they are checked off by a professional instructor. Candidates must possess excellent communication skills, be professional and mature, hard working, reliable, punctual, respectful and place safety above all things. |
| Job Description for River Guide Trainee: Report to work at 9:00 am, assist Trip Leader in preparing gear, load rafts on trailer, view the plan for the day, assist Trip Leader with wetsuit rentals, fit life jackets and hand out helmets. All guides are responsible for collecting and cleaning gear at the end of every trip. Main responsibility will be guiding guests on Class II & III level, half day whitewater trips on the Cache La Poudre River. Trainees must possess excellent communication skills who love talking to guests and entertaining them throughout their time with us. We only hire trainees who pass our Certified Guide Training Course and successfully check off with one of our professional instructors. We require that our trainees participate in our interpretation program where they will learn about the history, ecology, geology, flora and fauna of the Poudre Canyon and the surrounding area. We also encourage our guides to educate our guests on this information to make their time with us a more enriching experience. Back to Employment Positions |
| Position Available: No | Hours per Week: 40 | Specific Hours: 9 A.M. – 6 P.M. |
| Period of Employment: May 15 – September 2 |
Pay Rate: $20/hour weekdays$22/hour weekends | Contact Person: Bob Klein |
| How to Apply: E-mail resume or mail to office address. Applications at office. | E-Mail: [email protected] | Office Mailing Address: A Wanderlust Adventure 6021 Poplar Ct. Bellvue, CO 80512 |
| Requirements/Qualifications for Bus Driver: Candidate must be age 18 or older, have a current Class B Commercial Driver’s License with Passenger Endorsement and a current medical card. Candidate must have experience driving busses or larger vehicles and be qualified to perform daily pre and post trip vehicle inspections. Drivers will be required to turn bus around (with trailer), in designated areas. Candidates must have a clean MVR and be willing to participate in a pre employment and random drug screening program. Drivers must be willing to work some weekends throughout the summer. Bus Drivers are required to learn some river safety and provide safety below major rapids during high water. Candidates must possess excellent communication skills, be professional and mature, hard working, reliable, punctual, respectful and place safety above all things. |
| Job Description for Bus Driver: Bus Drivers can arrive to work at 9:15 A.M., do pre trip inspection, sweep bus and make sure trailer is properly secured to vehicle. If necessary, Driver must report any mechanical problems to management. Drivers main responsibility is to provide transportation of guests, staff and river equipment from Vern’s Restaurant up to various launch points in the Poudre Canyon. At launch points drivers will park in designated areas, keep guests off of the highway and hand out paddles to guests. Drivers are then required to follow trips and provide river safety. Drivers will not be allowed to recreate in the Poudre Canyon while on the job. There will be no smoking or use of tobacco products on the job. After trip drivers will collect gear, help guides load rafts if needed and drive guests back to our meeting area. Drivers must do a vehicle post trip inspection after the trip. Bus Drivers will make sure there is nothing on the floor of the bus at the end of the day and that trash can on bus is emptied out. The windows of the bus need to be shut every night. It is the responsibility of the driver to make sure busses are fueled when needed. Drivers must have their Drivers License and Medical Card with them at all times when driving. All paperwork must be filled out for daily inspections. We encourage our drivers to communicate with our staff and guests and to make each day a fun experience. Above all things we want our drivers to drive safely and follow all regulations while driving our vehicles. Back to Employment Positions |
| Position Available: Yes | Hours per Week: 40 | Specific Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM |
| Period of Employment: May 15- August 15 |
Pay Rate: $14.50 per hour | Contact Person: Bob Klein |
| How to Apply: E-mail resume and cover letter or mail to office address. | E-Mail: [email protected] | Office Mailing Address: A Wanderlust Adventure 6021 Poplar Ct. Bellvue, CO 80512 |
| Requirements/Qualifications for Reservationist: Candidate must be 18 years of age and required to provide excellent telephone answering services. Reservationist must be willing to provide rafting information in a friendly and cheerful manner, be able to accurately record reservations, record financial transactions, balance and prepare daily income reports. Candidate must have office experience, sales experience, knowledge of Microsoft Office, Windows Vista and Access computer programs and type a minimum of 40 words per minute. Qualifications also include having a clear telephone voice, excellent organization and communication skills and provide unrivalled service to our guests. |
| Job Description for Reservationist: Candidate will be the front line of our entire operation. This is an extremely important position with our company and requires individuals who are extremely accurate and personable. We typically have two office staff who work alternating schedules Monday – Friday. One person comes in at 8:00 A.M. and works until 4:30 P.M., the other person arrives at 10:00 A.M. and works until 7:00 P.M. Main duty will be answering the phones, providing detailed information on the services we provide, sales and booking reservations. This requires knowing our entire operation inside and out. Typical daily procedures include replying to guest emails, booking reservations within the limits of our trip guidelines on an Access database, collecting credit card information and running cards, emailing confirmations and directions to guests, depositing checks, confirming trips with guests a few days before the trip, recording daily financial transactions, some scheduling and logistics, preparing daily forest service logs and trip logs, balance and prepare daily income reports. Other duties include cleaning the office, shopping for various company items and distributing brochures in Fort Collins. Above all things we require a high level of professionalism and want to provide unrivalled service to our guests. Back to Employment Positions |
| Position Available: No | Hours per Week: 35 – 40 | Specific Hours: 9:30 A.M. – 6 P.M. |
| Period of Employment: May 15- September 2 |
Pay Rate: $14.50 per hour | Contact Person: Bob Klein |
| How to Apply: E-mail resume and cover letter or mail to office address. | E-Mail: [email protected] | Office Mailing Address: A Wanderlust Adventure 6021 Poplar Ct. Bellvue, CO 80512 |
| Requirements/Qualifications for Photographer: Candidate must be 18 years of age and possess a current Driver’s License with a clean MVR. Photographer will drive a company van while taking photos. Position requires excellent communication skills, accurate book keeping, cash register experience, experience with running credit cards, organizational skills, experience with balancing financial transactions, retail sales, must be computer literate, have sales experience, experience with outdoor/action photography and digital equipment. Candidate must have a cheerful and friendly attitude, possess a hard work ethic, speak well in front of large groups, be creative with entertaining guests and have a passion for photography and the outdoors. |
| Job Description for Photographer: The Photographer will be another front line employee at A Wanderlust Adventure. This is an extremely important position with our company and requires individuals who are fun, personable, accurate and creative. Typical day begins at 10:00 A.M. The photographer will pick up their camera, make sure batteries are charged and ensure that the memory SD card is empty. They will then follow the trip to the put in and photograph raft trip in specific locations in the canyon, return to our meeting area, download photos and set up a digital slide show for the returning customers. After guests view their photos and video the photographer will explain our photo package and help guests purchase their photos, videos and other retail items. In the afternoon the photographer will run the cash register for rental and retail items and follow the same procedure for taking morning photos. At the end of the day all financial transactions and logistics must be accurately recorded and reported to management. This is a position for a responsible, reliable and personable candidate who can work on their own at times and create a fun environment for our guests. We demand an individual who can boost our sales by taking awesome photos and informing the guest on the different packages we offer. Above all things we require a high level of professionalism and want to provide unrivalled service to our guests. Back to Employment Positions |