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Stehekin Valley Ranch

Summer Jobs in North Cascades National Park

Stehekin is a remote community in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, which is part of the North Cascades National Park Complex. In this beautiful mountain setting the elements of your job will include both hard work and fun. If you have a ready smile, love the outdoors, are willing to work hard, and enjoy working with people this may be the place for you.

Horsing around at Stehehkin

Located in the heart of the North Cascades Mountain Range, Stehekin Valley Ranch is the perfect place for folks to enjoy themselves, whether they wish to be active in the great outdoors, or just sit and relax, taking in the fantastic views. The Ranch is a full service, rustic, guest ranch, which has been in operation since 1983 and is operated by Cliff and Kerry Courtney. It is located on 23 acres of private property which has been in the Courtney family for over 50 years.

We have many repeat customers who are more like “ranch family” than guests. If employed, you will become an extension of our family also. We respect our employees, and reward them with plenty of time off, above average housing, and friendship. In return, we expect them to take ownership of their assigned duties. With everyone pulling his/her own weight, the Ranch becomes a well-oiled machine designed for maximum satisfaction from all our guests.

Our Jobs

Dinner Cook
Breakfast/Lunch Cook
Dishwasher/Serving/Cleaning
Housekeeper/Dinner Help
Raft Guide and/or Sea Kayak Guide

You'll find job descriptions on our website.

Room and Board

Most of the seasonal staff will be housed on-site at the Ranch. Our staff housing varies from single rooms to cabins. All units are not fancy but you will have a room of your own, and each unit has its own bathroom. We can also provide RV hookups for your trailer off site. Various other housing options are available. After we interview and before we make an official job offer we will discuss housing needs and costs, if any. Rest assured that whatever your situation we will help you find housing.

All staff housed on-site will have meals included as part of your pay. Meals will be eaten in the main dining hall with the guests. Breakfast is served between 7-9am, and lunch is from 12-1pm. Staff is welcome to eat anytime in those timeframes for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is open to the general public by reservation, and is served from 5:30-7pm. We ask that staff wait until all of the guests have been served before eating for this meal.

Perks

Crewmembers work 30-40 hours per week. More hours are available depending on which position you hold and your experience and attitude. Starting pay at the Ranch is $8.67/hr. You may receive a higher offer after considering your application and your skills, strengths and availability. Our pay structure generally includes room and board, enabling staff desiring to save money to do so. Our goal is to reward valuable employees well and to have you come back year after year.

Stehekin View

Getting Here and Getting Around

Getting here is half the fun…Stehekin is not accessible by road. To get here, you will have to take a passenger boat from the city of Chelan, and travel 55 miles up Lake Chelan to our out-of-the-way community. The nearest major airport is Seattle (3 hours away from Chelan), but you can also get flights into Wenatchee, which is only 45 minutes from Chelan. There are also bus options to Chelan.

Despite not being accessible by car from the outside world, Stehekin does have around 15 miles of its own road. This is a blacktop road for 4.5 miles, and gravel and dirt the rest of its length. Ranch employees may ride the scheduled lower valley shuttle at no cost which runs 4 times daily. You are encouraged to bring a mountain bike with you. The trails are closed to biking but the Stehekin Valley Road is perfect for biking and a bike will give you some mobility. It is also possible to ship in a vehicle on the barge for a cost of around $125 each way. Sometimes it is cheaper to ship a vehicle in than it is to pay parking on the other end.

For Fun

Known for its beauty, this area offers varied recreation opportunities, including horseback riding, rafting, kayaking, hiking, backpacking, fishing, and biking. Employees are free to partake of guided activities at no cost whenever space is available. For those who love the outdoors, Stehekin offers a great opportunity to live and play to your heart’s delight! Visit http://stehekinvalley.com/ to discover all that the Stehekin Valley has to offer.

How to Apply

Apply Now

You can apply online or you can email us with your contact information and we will send you an application form to fill out and return to the address below.

The following are optional but are helpful to include with your application:

Personal references.
A letter about yourself and why you would like to spend the summer in Stehekin.
Letters of recommendation.
A photo.

Send Applications to:
Stehekin Valley Ranch
Attn: Personnel
PO Box 36
Stehekin, WA 98852

ALL APPLICANTS are required to fill out our application form in English to begin the application process. Please complete it fully and mail it with your personal letter of introduction. Your letter must be written in English and you must provide recent English speaking references and valid phone numbers. It is necessary for international applicants to be students and to have either a J-1 Exchange Visitors' Visa or an F-1 Visa and have already been accepted to a program. No exceptions.

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