Become a Mountain Steward at Mount St Helens!

Are you looking for the chance for adventures at the only active volcano in the contiguous United States?  Then volunteer as a Mountain Steward with the Mount St Helens Institute!

The Mount St Helens Institute, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, is looking for volunteers to serve as Mountain Stewards to provide safety, interpretive, and resource protection information to climbers, dispersed campers, and the visiting public.  As a Mountain Steward, you will be involved with activities such as: providing Monument and safety information, natural history interpretation, and Leave No Trace education to visitors in remote and sensitive places such as on the Monitor Ridge climbing route and in the Mount Margaret Backcountry.  Other duties include: checking permit compliance, providing search and rescue and injury assistance, minor trail maintenance along climbing route and trail condition reporting, trail signage updates and replacements, campsite maintenance at Climbers Bivouac and Mount Margaret Backcountry, and assisting with permitting process.  You can also help with this program but never climb the mountain, ask us how!  

Mountain Steward volunteer positions may be physically demanding.  Applicants must have strong communication skills, a desire and ability to work with the public, and excellent outdoor recreational skills and navigation skills.  Trail maintenance skills, advanced first aid knowledge, an understanding of geologic and biologic concepts, knowledge of self-arrest/ice axe techniques, and avalanche assessment skills are a plus!

Mountain Stewards will be trained by knowledgeable professionals in the following subjects: the Mount St. Helens Safety Program, Climbing Permit System, First Aid/CPR, Mount St. Helens history and recreation opportunities in and around the Monument.

Although the Mount St Helens climbing season is year round, we ask that volunteer applicants for the Mountain Stewards can commit to full or part time position during the 4 month peak climbing season (June 1 through Sept. 30.)

Learn more about the Mountain Steward Program.

Interested in working with the Mountain Stewards Program?

Apply using our Mountain Stewards 

Online Volunteer Application

or

or send us a completed Mountain Stewards 

 PDF Volunteer Application!

For more details and please contact us at info@mshinstitute.org or 360-449-7883, or Gary Walker, Lead Climbing Ranger for the Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument at gwalker@fs.fed.us or 360-449-7855.