Working at Leavenworth Outdoor Center

Are you looking for a summer job that is fun, outdoors, and doing cool things with other cool people?  

Would you like to help people enjoy our beautiful river and town while you meet your summer financial goals before you head back to school or your winter adventures?

Our crew is made up of kayakers, rafters, climbers, bikers, ski bums, locals, school teachers, and students. Many of our crew are attracted to the area for the paddling, climbing, or skiing and stick around for a couple seasons before they head off to their next adventure. Others are locals that love to share all the beauty Leavenworth has to offer.  We have a passion for the outdoors and love to share it.

Many of our crew come back year after year but we do need some great new people to fill positions as van drivers, river safety, reservations, check in, and tube hustlers. (equipment handlers).

Our season is Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, with the busier part of the season mid June - August when kids are out of school.  Most new employees will attend orientation early June, do some training days, and then busy to the end of the season. 

Please read more about us below, assess yourself, and if it feels like a good fit please apply.

Leavenworth is a popular tourist destination, known for it's Bavarian style, shopping and food, and of course, awesome outdoor recreation.  Leavenworth Outdoor Center has been bringing joy to visitors for over 2 decades and is a responsible leader in providing safe, fun, and affordable river experiences.  We work closely with the City of Leavenworth, Fish Hatchery, County, Sheriff, River Rescue and neighbors to balance the  needs of recreation with preserving the environment and promoting responsible behavior.  Simply put, we want people to have fun on the river but in a safe, responsible way.  Our region has very loose regulations and little to no infrastructure to support the level of river users and over the years we have provided the safety, bathrooms, garbage, recycling, parking, and shuttle services for thousands of private users (other than our customers).  We are recognized as a leader in our area and in our industry and take great pride in strength of our relationships with local agencies, business, locals, customers, and other outfitters.  In 2024 the City of Leavenworth made us the exclusive tubing outfitter in the city parks.  It is important that your values fit with ours so we can continue to provide authentic top qualtiy service to all of our guests while meeting our social responsibilities.  

What about you? What is important to you for your summer job?  

• Working outside?  
• Not working in a restaurant?
• Meeting your financial goals?
• Having fun?
• Learning something new?

At LOC, we're looking for people who have put some thought into this question.  Our team is made up of friendly, happy, responsible, authentic outdoor enthusiasts.  Most live in Leavenworth and understand the importance of preserving the balance of tourism for our economy and stewardship of our environment.  Below is a list of some of the characteristics we're looking for.  Please think about what you're looking for in a summer job and how you will fit in with our crew and values and then complete the application if it feels like a good fit.

• You enjoy outdoor activities and want to share them with others.
• You know how to have fun and be mature and responsible at the same time.
• You anticipate and plan
• You can see the big picture and where you fit into it
• You can learn new skills and welcome feedback about your performance
• If something isn't going right you look for a solution instead of complaining
• You're thorough, even when nobody is checking
• You've got an idea or plan of where you're headed

These are some of the requirements of all employees of Leavenworth Outdoor Center:

• Able to work outside in the sun and weather
• Available on weekends
• You can lift and carry 40 pounds (kayaks and boards can be 30 pounds or more)
• You have no long summer vacation plans
• You can work through the end of August or later
• Van drivers must be 21 or older and have a clean driving record.  Driver applicants must submit a driver's abstract from the DOL.  (save your receipt, you will be reimbursed if you're hired)
• Need to have reliable transportation and make it to work on time.
• ​You know how to swim.
• Must be willing to float the river regularly
• Must have a valid US checking account for automatic deposit.
• Be eligible to work in the US and complete an I-9 form and W4 form.

• Regular, predictable schedule with lots of hours for the full timers
• Flexible but regular schedule for part timers
• Make people happy all day
• Very competitive wages for our industry.  Most of our positions are over $20 per hour.
• Access to all the rental equipment and guided trips and lessons.
• Seasonal, so it is a perfect fit with your school schedule or winter gig.
• Make great friends
• Opportunities for advancement
• Thorough training in several areas
• FUN!

To apply, complete the application below.  All fields are required.  If you have a resume you can send it to havefun@leavenworthoutdoorcenter.com after you complete this application form. If you don't hear back from us please follow up!  

As a river tubing company you might think the job is all about floating the river.  Part of it is floating the river, but that is mostly what the customers are doing.  We have some tasks to help with getting the people on the river such as inflating and loading tubes, driving people to the launch point, and putting the gear away when they're done, but our primary job is interacting with the customer.  

Parking attendants are out in the parking lot showing guests where to park.  Some shifts are 9-5ish, others are 10-6ish or noon-6ish. Tube wranglers load, stack, inflate, deflate, and clean the tubes and other gear.  Employees rotate through the positions throughout the day.  The more positions you can do, the more you can get paid.  Starting pay is $20 for these positions.

River Safety has the following positions:

Launcher, river ranger, director, catcher, and guide.

Some shifts are 10-5ish, most are noon-6ish.

The launcher helps people into the river at the launch point and the catcher helps people out of the river at the end.  The river ranger floats the route during the day checking on guests.  The director is a paddle boarding position near the end point showing our guests where the end is.   Employees rotate through the positions throughout the day.  You must be a strong paddler and swimmer to work in river safety.  The more positions you can do, the more you get paid.  The guide takes out new guests and shows them how to do it.  Starting pay is $20/hr.

The Do it all driver is the most versatile position in the company.  You're the one who will be picking up guests at the park or at hotels around town, checking them in and verifying items, providing safety and navigation information, loading, unloading and cleaning gear, floating the river, and other odd jobs as they pop up. Drivers must have a clean driving record and be 21 or older. Do it all drivers help with all the other jobs too:  Parking, washing, floating, checking guests in, and more.  Some shifts are 9-5ish, others are 10-6ish or noon-6ish.  Pay depends on how much you can do: If you drive safely and provide great customer service, you'll get $22 per hour.  If you park cars, launch, catch, and stack tubes, you'll be in the $23-$24 range.

The office people answer the phones and emails and help schedule the guests.  Check in is done in the park where our guests check in.  Key check is here as well as retail sales.  Many of our check in people also answer phones 1-2 shifts per week.  Shifts here are usually 9-5ish and noon-6ish.  Pay starts $20 for this position and increases as you learn and perform other jobs.  

Are you a leader?  Do you see the big picture?  Can you see the flow and anticipate when and where  people are needed?  This season we need a river safety supervisor, boat shed supervisor, driver supervisor, and downtown supervisor.  We also need check in lead staff and, bus stop lead staff.  Usually these lead and supervisor positions go to returning staff, but if you're new and coming to us with some experience you could end up here too!  $24-$28/hr.