Backcountry Trails Camp Supervisor
Learn more about what it takes to spend five-plus months in the remote wilderness of California building trails and community.
What is a Backcountry Trails Camp Supervisor?
A Backcountry Trails Camp Supervisor leads CCC Backcountry Trails Program crews in remote wilderness areas for up to six months while being responsible for round-the-clock supervision of the crew.
The Supervisor position is unique in state service and the CCC. Supervisors have little to no direct supervision from superiors an dmust make critical decisions independently. Supervisors motivate, counsel, and evaluate Corpsmembers while facilittating curriculum, work with sponsor represetnatives, and complete varied trail related project goals.
Backcountry Trails crews work in remote wilderness building and maintaining trails, restoring meadows and other habitat. Supervisors must ensure the safety of all Corpsmembers, develop and implement curriculum, lead by example, and help develop Corpsmembers’ character, work ethic, skills, environmental awareness, wilderness ethics, and cooperative living skills.
How to qualify
The Backcountry Trails Camp Supervisor classification does not require completion of an exam.
If you answer yes to the questions below you could qualify for this position:
- Do you have one year of experience as a Conservationist 1 with the CCC?
- Do you have two years of experience supervising and instructing young adults?
Candidates must also possess a valid Commercial Class C driver license with a Passenger Transport Vehicle special endorsement or equivalent. You may be eligible to apply prior to securing the license, but must obtain one before appointment to the position.
Position Benefits
The Supervisor position is a great opportunity for those looking for meaningful work that positively impacts our communities and helps make California a better place for all.
In this role you will be able to grow your career in outdoor education and community building. and develop young adults into workers with character.
Successful candidates set an example for program participants by displaying a positive attitutde and work ethnic and showing leadership skills to help develop Corpsmembers’ character, skills, environmental awareness, wilderness ethics, and cooperative living skills.
Salary Range
$5,931 to $7,366 per month
View Our Locations
Backcountry Trails Crew Supervisors spend up to six months working in remote wilderness guiding crews of Corpsmembers in trail building and maintenance and building a community.
Each Backcountry season, staff develop partnerships with California State Parks, U.S. Forest Service, and National Parks Service to host crews. These locations change year-to-year and crews may move locations and regions within the same season as project work and access allows.
Displayed here are the project partner locations for the 2025 Backcountry Trails Program season. These locations serve as an example of where Supervisors may be assigned in 2026.
Klamath National Forest
The Klamath National Forest & Butte Valley National Grassland cover 1,700,000 acres in Northern California and Southern Oregon.
Klamath-based Backcountry Trails Program crews primarily work in western Siskiyou County during the season.
This map pin is a rough approximation of where the crews work. Crews change camp sites throughout the Backcountry Trails season.
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
The Shasta-Trinity National Forest is the largest National Forest in California with a diverse landscape ranging from 1,000 to 14,162 feet. The 2.1 million acre forest encompasses five wilderness areas, hundreds of mountain lakes and 6,278 miles of streams and rivers.
The Shasta-Trinity crew typically completes work in and around the Trinity Alps area of the forest.
This map pin is a rough approximation of where the crews work. Crews change camp sites throughout the Backcountry Trails season.
Inyo National Forest
The Inyo National Forest is home to some of the world’s oldest trees, features the tallest mountains in California, and the dramatic terrain of the Eastern Sierra.
The Inyo crew typically works west and south of Bishop in the forest not far from the John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park.
This map pin is a rough approximation of where the crews work. Crews change camp sites throughout the Backcountry Trails season.
Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park is managed in partnership with nearby Sequoia National Park. Kings Canyon, for which the park is named, is a rugged glacier-created valley more than a mile deep.
The Kings Canyon crew typically works in the rocky features of the park doing an assortment of trails rock work during the Backcountry Season.
This map pin is a rough approximation of where the crews work. Crews change camp sites throughout the Backcountry Trails season.
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is managed in partnership with nearby Kings Canyon National Park. It boasts 404,064 acres of forested mountainous terrain.
The Sequioa crew completes a variety of trails projects deep within the park’s backcountry.
This map pin is a rough approximation of where the crews work. Crews change camp sites throughout the Backcountry Trails season.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park likely needs little, to any, introduction. First protected in 1864, the park is best known for its waterfalls and 1,200 square miles of protected lands, trails, valleys, meadows, and ancient giant sequoias.
The Yosemite crew completes trail projects across the park and in some seasons multiple crews may be assigned to the Yosemite backcountry.
This map pin is a rough approximation of where the crews may work. Crews may start in Yosemite Valley or other front country locations before moving into more remote areas of the park as the weather allows. Crews change camp sites throughout the Backcountry Trails season.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is the oldest State Park in California. It was acquired in 1902. The park has miles of trails, which serves hikers and equestrians, links Big Basin to Castle Rock State Park and the eastern reach of the Santa Cruz range.
A crews in Big Basin typically spends the first part of their six month season in the park, assisting State Parks trail crews complete necessary upgrades and rehab projects.
This map pin is a rough approximation of where the crews work. Crews change camp sites throughout the Backcountry Trails season.
Mount Tamalpais State Park
Just north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate is Mount Tamalpais, 6,300 acres of redwood groves and oak woodlands with a spectacular view from the 2,571-foot peak. On a clear day, visitors can see the Farallon Islands 25 miles out to sea, the Marin County Hills, San Francisco and the Bay, hills and cities of the East Bay, and Mount Diablo.
A crew assigned to Mount Tam, as its affectionately called, may spend the start of its season in the park.
This map pin is a rough approximation of where the crews work. Crews change camp sites throughout the Backcountry Trails season.
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park stretches from the Big Sur coastline into nearby 3,000-foot ridges. The park features redwood, tan oak, madrone, chaparral, and an 80-foot waterfall that drops from granite cliffs into the The park also has a 1,680-acre underwater reserve which protects a spectacular assortment of marine life.
A crew assigned to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, located in Big Sur, may only spend the first half of its season in the park.
This map pin is a rough approximation of where the crews work. Crews change camp sites throughout the Backcountry Trails season.
Connect with us
Do you have questions about the state application process, how to take an exam, or which position in the CCC may be right for you?
Our Human Resources Talent Acquisition Team is available for one-on-one consultations to help you through your journey into a fulfilling and meaningful CCC state career.
Let us know how we can help you build your legacy in the CCC!