Hiking Sukakpak Mt. north of Coldfoot Camp
Coldfoot Birds Eye View
Denali Air Adventure flight
Northern lights over Coldfoot
Happy Kitchen Crew
Dalton Highway sign
The Mighty Yukon
Coldfoot Camp Cafe
Coldfoot Mushing
Coldfoot Camp
Yukon River Bridge in winter
Yukon River Camp - interior

Work Extreme Arctic! - Live and Work in Alaska's Arctic - Experience the Midnight Sun - Witness the Awe-Inspiring Aurora Borealis

Work Arctic

Currently recruiting for the season from May 1st, 2026 to September 30th, 2026.

We operate three remote camps in Alaska's Arctic: Yukon River Camp, Coldfoot Camp, and Deadhorse Camp. All three camps meet the important food and lodging needs of Arctic travelers. We take pride in cooking delicious handcrafted meals, ensuring absurd cleanliness, and welcoming our guests to the Arctic wilderness we love with a spirit of soulful hospitality that is genuine and authentic.

Our Camps are located along Alaska's arctic wilderness highway, the Dalton Highway. The Dalton stretches north 500 miles from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. Along the highway, you’ll encounter the Yukon River, the Arctic Circle, the Brooks Mountain Range, and the Arctic Coastal Plain before the road’s termination at the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

Location
Alaska
Season
Summer, Fall, Winter, and Year Round
Staff size
5 - 35, depending on location
Housing
Whether included in the compensation package or provided at a cost, housing is provided for staff.
Meals
Provided
Cell phone service
Some, ask for details
Internet access
Intermittent

About Work Arctic

Alaska Arctic's location at the top of the world means that we have 24 hours of sunlight, and almost 24 hours of darkness during the winter. What does this mean? We experience some of the most extreme seasonal changes on earth.

Arctic Midnight Sun Season [spring/summer]

By mid-March, the sun returns to Alaska’s Arctic. This is the beginning of our midnight sun season: meaning, an Arctic landscape bathed in 24 hours of daylight. The famed 24-hour-day brings with it robust recreational travelers and work crew activity at each of our Camps.

As a bonus, in addition to experiencing the summer midnight sun, those candidates hired will have the opportunity to experience the aurora borealis during fall--from late August to early September.

We will begin formal recruitment and hiring for positions at ALL camps for the 2025 season in late January 2025. Again, an ideal summer season candidate will be available to start work during the month of May.

Arctic Aurora Season [fall/winter]

August arrives in Alaska’s Arctic: by mid-month, daylight hours will be shortening, and “aurora season” returns to our region. Our Camps’ unique location under the Aurora Oval offers aurora-watching opportunities that are unrivaled anywhere else on earth. The chance to view nature’s most amazing light show first hand brings a growing number of travelers to our Camps from around the world.

Ideally, a successful “winter season one” candidate will be available to begin work in mid-September to early-October (or, even earlier), and will be able to work through 15 Jan 2026, or beyond.  

About our camps

Yukon River Camp: This camp borders the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge on the banks of the legendary Yukon River.

The Yukon, the world’s fifth largest river, drains the entirety of Alaska’s Interior--the vast inland region delineated by Alaska’s two major mountain ranges. The Yukon River’s 2,000-mile length boasts the world’s longest salmon spawning migration.

In the present day, the Yukon River’s winding path is populated by remote villages whose residents depend on its rich natural resources to sustain subsistence lifestyles.

Coldfoot Camp: Neighboring the Gates of the Arctic National Park north of the Arctic Circle in the Brooks Mountain Range, Coldfoot sits just sixty miles south of the northernmost extent of the tree line. Today, the Central Brooks Range is--and always has been--one of the most remote and unpeopled wilderness areas left on earth.

Deadhorse Camp: Deadhorse neighbors the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Everything is extreme about life on the Arctic Coastal Plain: severe winter weather conditions give way to a summer marked by a 63 day, 23 hour, 40 minute timeframe where the sun never drops below the horizon.

The near-24 hours of sunlight highlighting the earth's most dramatic seasonal transition is the remarkable return of abundant wildlife [birds/waterfowl, caribou, musk ox, grizzly bear] to the Arctic Coastal Plain each summer.

Arctic Base Camp: Located in Fairbanks, the "Arctic base" team provides the support services critical to making the everyday operations of our arctic Camps a reality.

Fairbanks, a warm and welcoming city situated on the southern edge of Alaska's Arctic wilderness, offers Arctic Base Camp coworkers the perfect launching pad for exploring ALL of Alaska's Arctic.

The Employee Experience

In the spirit of honest and transparency, you deserve to know that we don't use the "e-m-p-l-o-y-e-e" word in our work culture.

Instead, we call ourselves coworkers. And those talented individuals who we are fortunate to call our coworkers work with us, not for us.

As for our coworker experience, you might ask: why work Arctic?

WILDERNESS 24/7: It’s a paid working vacation. Not a mere visit to Alaska's arctic wilderness, but an unparalleled opportunity to live it.  

AURORA BOREALIS: Viewing nature's most impressive light show is absolutely a "bucket list" experience. The absolute magnificence of the lights can only truly be understood when witnessed firsthand.

MIDNIGHT SUN: 24-hours of daylight, day after day after day. Indescribably surreal and unbelievably cool; also wonderful for hiking and exploring the surrounding wilderness.

GREAT COWORKERS: Great wilderness attracts great coworkers—perfect teammates for a season of life, work, and play.   

HOUSING/MEALS: No rent, no food bills, no commute.

EARN IT, SAVE IT: Which is to say, we’re in a wilderness environment where the options for spending money are as scarce as the options for wilderness exploration are robust.

Yet, "working arctic" is not for everyone.

Many (even most) Alaska work first-timers may find our camps to be too remote.  

For these persons, a Denali Park-type experience might be a better fit: a couple thousand fellow co-workers create a spring-break like social atmosphere, restaurants and bars are in close proximity, Walmart and movie theaters are just two hours away.  

Other Alaska-work first-timers might have an expectation that their work days will be spent in a glamorous structure built by a Marriott or a Hilton.

This is not our camps.  

Our camps are what they are.

Simple and unglamorous structures, staffed by great coworkers, serving guests who are thrilled to find the very thing that led them to a decision to explore off the beaten path in the first place: authentic hospitality, and a real, un-contrived atmosphere.

Ideal Candidate

Yukon River Camp, Coldfoot Camp, and Deadhorse Camp are owned and operated by a small Alaska-based company.  

We recognize it is the quality of our coworkers that provides the critical ingredient to the creation of a great hospitality experience for our guests.

A great workplace starts with shared values. So, it’s our goal to attract coworkers who believe that:

  • Professionalism and integrity are not innate characteristics but daily decisions;

  • that because we are what we repeatedly do, excellence is not an act but a habit;

  • a great workplace cannot be achieved if it is not built on a foundation of positive, trust-based coworker relationships--an impossible task without the shared values of respect and joy.

Many great coworkers have found their way to our Camps.

Many coworkers return to our Camps for consecutive seasons, while others simply never leave, having found themselves at home in Alaska's Arctic.

Room and Board

All of our remote camp experiences do provide room and board as part of a coworker's compensation package.   This includes Yukon River Camp, Coldfoot Camp, Deadhorse Camp and Manley Roadhouse.   

Ridgetop Cabins outside Denali National Park is not necessarily as remote.  Ridgetop has a communal kitchen for coworkers to provide and prepare their own meals.  There is one main grocery store in Healy where Ridgetop coworkers can purchase their own food, and numerous restaurants are open in the summer months. 

The housing that is provided as part of the compensation package for Arctic Base Camp coworkers in Fairbanks also has fully furbished kitchens for coworkers' own cooking needs.    

Employee Perks

Coworkers are encouraged to join in on any of our tour experiences when their is room available, at not charge to the coworker.   Also, any friends and family of our coworkers are welcome to visit our camp locations while they are working with us! 

Getting Here and Getting Around

Coworkers are responsible for providing their own transportation to start their position with us in Alaska.   Most positions will require new coworkers to fly into Fairbanks, while some Deadhorse Camp coworkers will fly directly to Deadhorse, Alaska.   

For Fun

There is an incredible amount of fun to be had in ALL of our work locations!!    Our recruiting coworkers can tell you about many of the opportunities in each location, depending on where someone is interested in working.     

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Jobs in the Spotlight

Current Job Openings

    Coldfoot Camp

    Coldfoot Camp

    Cleaner/Host

    RESPONSIBILITIES

    As cleaner, has primary responsibility for working with a team to carry-out all activities associated with executing on our "absurd cleanliness" mission --- cleaning responsibilities are focused on 109 guest rooms along with adjacent public areas and common restroom/shower facilities.

    As host, has primary responsibility for a VERY diverse set of guest-service activities focused on extending soulful hospitality to an equally diverse make-up of guests [travelers, locals, and workers] in our 80-seat roadside/riverside café. 

    Specific host responsibilities include:

    • Greet guests upon their entering the café [and, soulfully determine their needs].

    • Respond to guest questions regarding the Camp, the region, or the highway.

    • Seat those guests choosing to dine with us, take orders, and serve food/drink.

    • Cashier all Camp sales [meals, lodging, fuel, gifts, mercantile].

    • Check-in overnight lodging guests.

    • Keep gift area organized and welcoming [fold, fold, fold!!!].

    • Clean café and public restrooms.

    • Assist with fuel and propane fill-ups when required.

    • Assist with dishwashing activities as required.

    • Assist with food prep activities as required.

    THE PERFECT FIT

    The Coldfoot Camp cleaner-host position is a perfect fit for an individual who:

    • Loves to clean --- and, has great attention to detail.

    • Genuinely cares about and enjoys serving people.

    • Likes to work hard [not just in concept, but in reality!!!]

    • Thrives on work requiring serious flexibility and multi-tasking.

    • Views favorably the idea of having a physical work component to their work day.

    • Is excited about the opportunity to spend a summer “midnight sun” season and fall “aurora” season north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska’s Brooks Mountain Range --- and, having the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with the guests we serve.

    WORK SCHEDULE      

    As cleaner ---

    8:00 AM – 5:00 PM [one hour meal break]

    2 or 3 days per week

    As host ---

    Morning Shift --- 4:00 AM - 12:30 PM  [one hour meal break]

    Afternoon Shift --- 12:30 PM - 9:00 PM  [one hour meal break]

    Evening Shift --- 6:00 PM – 2:30 AM [one hour meal break]

    2 or 3 days per week

    COMPENSATION       

    $14.00 / hour [cleaner]  &  $12.00 / hour [host]    PLUS     $2,000.00 season completion bonus     PLUS     lodging & meals [at no cost to coworker]

    Apply Now
    Coldfoot Camp

    Maintenance

    Deadhorse Camp

    Deadhorse Camp

    Prep/Lunch Cook

    Northern Alaska Tour Company

    Northern Alaska Tour Company

    Cleaner (Alaska residents only)

    $20.00 / hour + tips

    Night operations includes the mechanics who care for the operations side of our ground vehicles, and the cleaners who make sure these vehicles are clean and tidy. These are the people behind the scenes who do the essential work that mostly gets noticed if it is NOT done well.

    The cleaning crew keeps both coaches and vans spick and span to maintain safety standards and ensure the highest level of guest satisfaction possible. This includes both the exterior as well as the interior of the vehicles. In addition, cleaners are responsible for fueling vehicles prior to each tour, and keeping all on-board maintenance equipment complete and in good working order.

    The cleaner is responsible for completing all activities associated with the cleaning of 15-passenger vans and 26-passenger coaches. The cleaner is also responsible for assisting with the cleaning of the shop and office environment.

    • Obtain knowledge of the number of incoming and outgoing excursions.
    • Organize the cleaning work area in preparation for cleaning activity.
    • Clean exterior and interior of tour vehicles.
    • Clean shop and office areas.
    • Perform any special cleaning tasks as required.
    • Organize the cleaning work area upon completion of all cleaning activities.
    • Assist with other tasks and activities as required.

    This position is for the summer season. Our season is from Mid-May to Mid- September.  We are looking for individuals who LOVE TO CLEAN, enjoy working HARD and are proud of doing their job well.  

    Work Schedule: 

    • Mid-May to September 
    • 5 to 8 hours per day:
    • 12:00am [midnight] - 8:30 am [30-minute meal break]
    • 5 days per week
    • 25 - 40 hours 

    Compensation:

     $20.00 /hr  

    Apply Now
    Northern Alaska Tour Company

    Night Operations - Mechanic

    $25.00 - $30.00 / hour

    Night operations includes the mechanics who care for the operations side of our ground vehicles.

    Mechanics are responsible for becoming knowledgeable and competent in the maintenance and repair of our 15 passenger Econoline F350 vans and Freightliner 24 to 26 passenger coaches as well as regulations governing commercial passenger vehicles. Mechanics foster open communication with guides and other vehicle operators who may have first-hand knowledge of specific mechanical issues that develop while vehicles are on the road. Each vehicle is inspected at the conclusion of every tour, routine maintenance is performed as well as any non-routine issues that may come up. In addition Mechanics are responsible for maintaining a clean and well-organized work space and keeping vehicle maintenance records complete and up-to-date.

    Specific Responsibilities

    The night operations pre-trip mechanic is responsible for performing a detailed post/pre-tour inspection on all incoming tour vehicles; troubleshooting and repairing any mechanical deficiencies; executing all scheduled routine maintenance; and completing all required shop clean-up, organization, and record keeping.

    • Obtain knowledge of the number and type of incoming and outgoing vehicles.
    • Organize shop and any incoming parts and supplies.
    • Review/organize any incoming vehicle condition reports.
    • Identify vehicles due for scheduled routine maintenance.
    • Communicate with the incoming guides about the mechanical condition of the vehicles.
    • Communicate night operations activities with the vehicle washer.
    • Perform a detailed mechanical inspection on each incoming vehicle.
    • Troubleshoot and address any mechanical deficiencies.
    • Execute scheduled routine maintenance.
    • Organize and clean the shop upon completion of maintenance activities.
    • Update vehicle maintenance records.
    • Identify maintenance parts and supplies that need to be replenished/ordered.
    • Assist with other tasks and activities as required.

    Schedule

    mid-May to mid-September [exact begin and end dates can be flexible] This position may continue into a YEAR ROUND position if it is the right fit!

     5 days per week

     8 to 10 hours per day: 12:00 am - 8:00 am

    Compensation

    Hourly wage is dependent on experience + $2.00/hr season completion bonus + Housing + Transportation [if needed]

    Apply Now

    Wright Air

    Wright Air

    Freight

    The freight-based guest service position has primary responsibility for assisting with all freight activities associated with accepting freight and mail for flights departing from our Fairbanks-based terminal --- secondarily, has responsibility for assisting with counter and ramp activities on an as-required basis.

    The guest service coworker is the frontline embodiment of Wright Air’s mission of soulful hospitality, hard work, and genuine care/concern --- it is the relationship that the guest service coworker builds with our guests that ultimately determines our ability to transform our mission into an everyday reality for our guests.

    Specific responsibilities include:

    • Use computer reservation system to accept freight and mail.
    • Screen incoming freight for hazmat.
    • Weigh/sticker incoming freight [must be able to lift 50 lbs].
    • Collect guest payments for accepted freight
    • Respond to phone inquiries regarding the current status of specific freight items.
    • Perform cleaning activities in the freight office and hangars.
    • Assist with other tasks or activities as required.

    THE PERFECT FIT

    An individual who:  

    • genuinely cares about and enjoys serving people;  
    • likes to word hard [not just in concept, but in reality!!!]; 
    • thrives on work requiring serious flexibility and multi-tasking; 
    • views favorably the idea of having a physical labor component to their work day; 
    • thinks aviation is cool; 
    • loves living in Interior/Arctic Alaska and is very excited about the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with the people and communities we serve.

    WORK SCHEDULE        

    At Wright Air we take pride in working hard to create a work schedule for each coworker that is individualized to meet their unique life-work balance/needs --- both part-time and full-time work schedules are available --- most work takes place between the hours of 4:00 AM and 8:00 PM --- the ability to work on Saturday and/or Sunday is a plus but not a requirement.

    COMPENSATION       

    Fairbanks-based coworker providing own lodging ---     

    Competitive starting wage varies depending on skills/experience.

    OR

    "Camp-style" seasonal coworker ---

     Competitive starting wage varies depending on skills/experience   PLUS   lodging   PLUS   $1,000.00 season completion bonus.


    OUR MISSION

    Extend soulful hospitality to our guests --- and, enjoy doing it

    Work hard --- thus, creating value for our guests

    Care [genuinely!!!] about the communities we serve

    Apply Now
    Wright Air

    Ramp

    The ramp position has primary responsibility for assisting with all ramp activities associated with the loading and unloading of aircraft arriving and departing from our Fairbanks-based terminal --- secondarily, has responsibility for assisting with freight and counter activities on an as-required basis.

    The ramp coworker is the “behind-the-scenes” embodiment of Wright Air’s mission of soulful hospitality, hard work, and genuine care/concern --- it is the passion that the ramp coworker infuses into his/her work that ultimately determines our ability to transform our mission into an everyday reality for our guests.

    Specific responsibilities include:

    • Load and unload aircraft for arriving and departing flights.
    • Perform cleaning/organizing activities in the freight hangars and ramp area.
    • Assist with other tasks or activities as required.

    THE PERFECT FIT

    An individual who:  

    • genuinely cares about and enjoys serving people;  
    • likes to word hard [not just in concept, but in reality!!!]; 
    • thrives on work requiring serious flexibility and multi-tasking; 
    • views favorably the idea of having a physical labor component to their work day; 
    • thinks aviation is cool; 
    • loves living in Interior/Arctic Alaska and is very excited about the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with the people and communities we serve.

    WORK SCHEDULE        

    At Wright Air we take pride in working hard to create a work schedule for each coworker that is individualized to meet their unique life-work balance/needs --- both part-time and full-time work schedules are available --- most work takes place between the hours of 4:00 AM and 8:00 PM --- the ability to work on Saturday and/or Sunday is a plus but not a requirement.

    COMPENSATION       

    Fairbanks-based coworker providing own lodging ---     

    Competitive starting wage varies dependent on skills/experience.

    OR

    "Camp-style" seasonal coworker ---

     Competitive starting wage varies dependent on skills/experience   PLUS   lodging   PLUS   $1,000.00 season completion bonus.


    OUR MISSION

    Extend soulful hospitality to our guests --- and, enjoy doing it

    Work hard --- thus, creating value for our guests

    Care [genuinely!!!] about the communities we serve

    Apply Now

How to Apply

If you have read this far and still believe that "working arctic" might be right for you, we encourage you to learn more by reading the detailed information found at www.workarctic.com.

After further research, if you remain interested in being considered for employment at one of our Camps, please complete/submit our online employment application. The completion of the online employment application is an employment requirement.

We will review your application upon receipt, and those applicants who appear to be a good fit with the work/life experience offered by our Camps will be invited to participate in a 60-ish minute information phone conversation.

Please remember: all of our Camps are committed to providing a drug-free workplace (including marijuana) in accordance with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988. Thus, all applicants should feel comfortable submitting to pre-employment, random, and "for cause" drug testing.

Apply Now

Contact Info

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