Jobs that take you up mountains, down rivers, into wildfires, and on expeditions to the ends of the Earth.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
High-Altitude Mountain Guide: Leads clients up the world's great peaks, from Denali to Everest. Typical pay $110k.
Expedition Physician: A doctor who travels with expeditions, film crews, and remote research teams. Typical pay $250k.
Adventure Travel Outfitter Owner: Runs a business that takes people rafting, trekking, climbing, or on wild trips worldwide. Typical pay $110k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Smokejumper: Parachutes out of airplanes into remote forests to fight wildfires. Typical pay $68k.
Hotshot Firefighter: Part of an elite 20-person crew that fights the hottest, hardest parts of wildfires. Typical pay $55k.
Heli-Ski Guide: Guides expert skiers down untouched mountains reached by helicopter. Typical pay $65k.
Search and Rescue Coordinator: Organizes searches for lost hikers, climbers, and missing people in the wilderness. Typical pay $65k.
Expedition Cinematographer: Films climbers, explorers, and wildlife in extreme places. Typical pay $75k.
Polar Expedition Guide: Leads tourists on landings in Antarctica and the Arctic. Typical pay $60k.
Treehouse Builder: Designs and builds custom treehouses for families, resorts, and glamping sites. Typical pay $55k.
Bear Guard: Protects scientists, film crews and work teams from bears in Alaska and the Arctic by watching for bears and scaring them off. Typical pay $60k.
Whitewater Rafting Guide: Guides rafts of customers through whitewater rapids for rafting outfitters, steering, teaching paddle commands, and leading multi-day river trips. Typical pay $32k.
Wilderness Therapy Field Guide: Lives in the wilderness with struggling teens, helping them grow through outdoor challenges. Typical pay $40k.
Cave Tour Guide: Leads visitors through caves, explaining stalactites, underground rivers, bats, and cave history. Typical pay $38k.
Wilderness Mule Packer: Leads strings of mules carrying gear and supplies into wilderness areas where vehicles are not allowed. Typical pay $42k.
Mountain Bike Guide: Leads mountain bike tours on singletrack trails, teaching skills and keeping riders safe. Typical pay $38k.
Overland Expedition Leader: Leads multi-week road trips by 4x4 truck through remote deserts, mountains, and backcountry routes. Typical pay $50k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.