Naturalist

Join our great team that manages Georgia’s only backcountry inn!

We are now accepting applications for a staff naturalist to start June 2025.

This is for a full time, year round, live onsite position.

Enjoy this unique opportunity to live and work in a wilderness setting in the lovely Blue Ridge mountains of North Georgia on the doorstep of the Appalachian Trail.

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The Hike Inn is a sustainably designed, LEED certified, Georgia State Park facility nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains of Chattahoochee National Forest near the Appalachian Trail. Located five miles by trail above Amicalola Falls State Park, all guests hike in traversing rolling forested ridges, clear streams, and open mountain vistas. Open year-round, the Hike Inn offers distinctive guest experiences in a beautiful backcountry wilderness setting.

After a few hours immersed in nature, hikers are welcomed with a friendly smile and provided comfortable lodging in an enchanting setting. Simple bunk rooms with fresh linens, hot showers, delicious home-cooked meals, a fun community atmosphere, and engaging educational programs provide satisfying touches of comfort and inspiration.

The Hike Inn’s mission is to protect Georgia’s natural resources through education and recreation. Serving as a beloved wilderness retreat and learning resource center for 25 years, a visit to the Hike Inn inspires a love for hiking, nature and environmental stewardship. It is a special opportunity for guests to slow down, unplug, connect with nature, family and friends, learn something new, and refresh their spirits.

Guests are offered an engaging facility tour focusing on the history and sustainability initiatives of the inn before being served a hearty dinner presented family-style. After dinner evening programs offer a deeper exploration into various subjects from thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail to the flora and fauna of the region.

The community room is a guest favorite, providing a fun place to play board games, do jigsaw puzzles, play music, and connect with others. During clear weather, star gazing in the night sky and watching the sunrise over the mountains offer beautiful moments of quiet reflection. A nourishing, hot breakfast sets up folks for another great day outside on the trail. Changes in weather and seasons offer adventure and beauty.

The Hike Inn is well-known for providing exceptional guest services with welcoming Southern hospitality and offering quality environmental education programs. We are looking for a passionate ‘people’ person with a friendly, positive attitude who enjoys helping others and a supportive team player with strong interpersonal and communication skills.  If you enjoy people, are conservation minded, appreciate contributing your passion and skills to further an important mission, and value working and living in a remote area surrounded by beautiful nature, this position may be for you. The Hike Inn is a special place where a small team of dedicated people work hard, have fun and love what we do. We share a common interest in hiking, enjoying and protecting the outdoors, and contributing to the Hike Inn mission. Our great staff is the key to our guests having a positive experience.

To learn more about the Hike Inn, visit the website at www.hike-inn.com

NATURALIST POSITION SUMMARY:

The Hike Inn is seeking a passionate individual to conduct quality environmental education programming and support overall general operations and guest services. Inspiring connection to nature and conservation, Hike Inn naturalists have an important role in fostering environmental knowledge and support for sustainability to our guests.

The Hike Inn Outside School program hosts a dozen or more school and youth groups annually for overnight educational trips to the Inn. On the hike, the students may learn about the history of the Appalachian Trail and public lands, Leave No Trace principles, natural history and ecological processes of the Southern Appalachian forests. At the Inn, the students participate with hands on learning of green building and sustainability practices, focusing on solar energy, both photovoltaic and solar thermal; energy efficiency; water conservation with composting toilets, rainwater catchment and native garden design; soil conservation with vermiculture and bin composting; and participation with our infamous Zero Food Waste tradition during meals.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conduct all around guest services; support overall general operations and staff; provide quality educational programs.
• Operate the front desk welcoming and assisting guests; conduct merchandise sales and organize inventory; perform general office duties; generate daily reports.
• Provide a helping hand as needed to the kitchen staff and the Friends of Hike Inn volunteers during meals.
• Present an interactive, educational facility tour offered daily for guests.
• Develop a few engaging presentations for the evening program offered nightly for guests.
• Coordinate planning and logistics for educational groups; develop or adapt curriculum.
• Evaluate education programming: review evaluations from guests, students and teachers; propose new ideas to further improve programming and implementation process.
• Prepare a monthly newsletter; write, edit and publish content; coordinate tasks with the team. Generate social media content on Instagram and Facebook.
• Project time includes updating naturalist board and journal, as well as maintenance of the compost bins and native pollinator gardens.
• Perform additional functions assigned at the discretion of the Executive Director and Managers.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCES:

• Bachelor’s degree in natural science, environmental education or a related field.
• Strength in public speaking, with formal and informal outdoor and environmental education experience; quality program development and presentation experience required.
• Exhibit knowledge of regional natural history and ecology, Georgia conservation issues and solutions, green building/LEED certification and sustainability practices.
• Demonstrated outdoor recreation skills and experience; familiarity with the Appalachian Trail, the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club and Leave No Trace principles.
• Hospitality experience with welcoming customer service.
• Effective interpersonal skills; communicates well with the team; leadership experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively and independently of supervisor with a high degree of initiative, motivation and attention to detail; comfortable with adjusting plan and problem solving.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills; must be able to manage multiple projects, keep accurate records and work efficiently without direct supervision.
• Personal qualities of integrity, positive attitude and commitment to the Hike Inn education, conservation and responsible outdoor recreation mission.
• Proficient with basic computer use (Microsoft Office, Google Suite, etc.).
• Have current CPR and First Aid certifications or willingness to complete training shortly after being hired.
• Ability to perform physically challenging work outdoors and in all weather conditions; must be able to hike five miles.

COMPENSATION:

• Starting hourly wage $14-$16 per hour, determined by experience and qualifications, plus share of tip pool and biannual bonus.
• Telemedicine health insurance plan provided at no cost.
• IRA investment plan with up to 3% matching funds available after three months.
• Private room and board with all utilities included ($1000+/month value); common living areas are shared with other staff members; the selected candidate is required to live on site. We are unable to accommodate pets and dependents/nonemployees.