2025 marked the 10th year for Gunnison Trails’ Professional Trail Crew, and we couldn’t be more proud of the thousands of hours of stewardship work they’ve contributed since 2016. What began as a part-time, rag-tag crew using borrowed Western Colorado University vans and working predominantly on trails at Hartman Rocks has evolved into a 5-person crew working from April through October on trails across Gunnison BLM lands, three National Forests and four Wilderness areas. Our crew has spearheaded trail development in Signal Peak, they maintain two sections of the iconic Colorado Trail and lead volunteer dig days on a variety of local trail projects. From humble beginnings, our trail crew has allowed Gunnison Trails to expand our stewardship efforts throughout Gunnison County and beyond, helping to maintain trails both local and deep in the backcountry.

Our Trail Crew is made possible thanks to generous contributions from these partners:

• National Forest Foundation
• Gunnison County Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee
• Colorado Parks and Wildlife Non-Motorized State Trails Grant
• Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism and Prosperity Partnership (TAPP)
• Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District (MetRec)
• City of Gunnison Public Service Grant Program
• Western Colorado University
• Eleven Experience

Interested in working for the Professional Trail Crew?

The trail work season runs from April through mid-October, and we reserve one 10-week position on the crew, June – mid-August, to better accommodate student schedules. Work weeks consist of 4×10-hour days, Monday through Thursday. The days are long and the job physically demanding, but oh so rewarding. From local trails at Hartman Rocks and Signal Peak, to trails deep in the West Elk, Fossil Ridge and Uncompahgre Wilderness areas, our trail crew sees it all. Work includes (but is by no means limited to) maintaining existing trails, new trail construction, clearing Wilderness trails of downed trees, building drainage features like rolling grade dips and rock water bars, installing roll-overs and repairing gates, constructing elevated turnpikes and bridges and repairing damage from erosion and large-scale rain events. Our crew partners with the US Forest Service and BLM recreation staff, they lead trailhead education days and manage groups of volunteers on a variety of stewardship projects throughout the season. Occasionally, our work requires multi-day backcountry hitches, where we backpack into a remote site and camp for several nights to more easily access the work. Some of the trails we help to maintain each season include Mill-Castle, Little Mill, Lowline, South Lottis, Canyon Creek, Doctor Park, Camp, sections 17.2 and 22.1 of the Colorado Trail, in addition to the trails at Hartman Rocks and Signal Peak.

Sound like your cup of tea? If you are a hardworking individual, with or without trail work experience, interested in becoming a part of the crew, please send a resume and cover letter indicating why you are interested to [email protected]. Please also indicate in your cover letter which position(s) you are applying for (10-week or full-season crew member). Pay is competitive and dependent on experience, and we begin hiring on a rolling basis in early March.

Past Crews:

• 2025 Crew – Matt Steinwand, Michael Salat, Bobby Efird, Jefe Branham, Jenna Hallock
• 2024 Crew – Matt Steinwand, Michael Salat, Bobby Efird, Hope Barry, Judson Metcalf
• 2023 Crew – Matt Steinwand, Michael Salat, Bobby Efird, Daniel Viegra, Hannah Pendleton, Avery Galson
• 2022 Crew – Matt Steinwand, Michael Salat, James Bivens, Avery Galson, Quinton Gonzalez
• 2021 Crew – Matt Steinwand, Rae Anglen, Aaron Drake, Gibson Kenney, Avery Galson, Alan Henke, Nate Gore and Cosmo Langsfeld
• 2020 Crew – Cosmo Langsfeld, Matt Steinwand, Gordon Gianniny, Maria Skarzinsky, Abigail Westling, Logan Ramsey, Sully Marshall, James Bivens and Nate Mount
• 2019 Crew – Cosmo Langsfeld, Matt Steinwand, James Ruggiero
• 2018 Crew – Cosmo Langsfeld, Teo Bradbury, Sully Marshall
• 2017 Crew – Teo Bradbury, Caleb Mueller, Sully Marshall
• 2016 Crew – Tim Kugler, Tristan Spezze, Ian Turner, Sebastian Infantes, Camille Sjoquist