Packer
Mystic Saddle Ranch
Stanley, ID
Wages are based on previous packing/guiding experience and start at $100/day, plus tips
Seasonal
Packer Jobs
1 open listing · updated Oct 29, 2026
67% include housing · Pay Report
Packer jobs move supplies, equipment and sometimes game into the backcountry on strings of mules and horses. You build and balance loads, tie them on, lead the string over mountain trails and care for the stock at the other end. Federal land agencies hire packers to supply backcountry work and trail crews, and outfitters hire them to supply hunting and pack-trip camps.
More About Packer Jobs
Federal packers are paid on the wage-grade scale. A Forest Service Animal Packer announcement for the 2026 season paid $21.73 to $22.30 an hour at WG-5 in Joseph and Ukiah, Oregon and Pomeroy, Washington, for temporary work of up to 6 months. The National Park Service posted a Grand Canyon WG-7 packer at $27.13 to $31.61 an hour in August 2026, for up to 1,039 hours. Outfitters pay monthly with room and board: Swan Mountain Outfitters in Montana pays its mule packer $2,000 to $3,000 a month plus tips for a June to October season.
Expect to need experience. A Sequoia National Park packer announcement asked for experience routinely packing and leading a string of 4 to 5 pack animals. Swan Mountain wants previous packing experience, and its packers ride 14 miles to a backcountry camp and back, 28-mile days, 3 to 5 days a week. In Wyoming, providing packing services for big or trophy game hunts requires an outfitter or professional guide license under W.S. 23-2-407.
To learn, the Forest Service’s Ninemile Wildlands Training Center in Montana ran a 2026 packing clinic for $650, aimed at people with some stock experience. Its Northern Region Pack Train packed 685 miles and about 28,100 pounds of cargo in 2024. Read packer jobs, and how to become a wrangler if you are still building stock experience for mule packer work.
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Packer (Fire Support)
USDA Forest ServiceRedding, CA$21.47 – $25.02 per hourSeasonalClosed
Questions About Packer Jobs
How many packer jobs are open right now?
6 listings are live on WildWork as of October 29, 2026. 1 state their pay and 4 include housing.
Do packer jobs come with housing?
67% of current listings say the employer provides housing, free or at a charge, and 67% include meals. Each listing shows whether housing is included and what it costs when the employer says.
What does a mule packer do?
Packs supplies and equipment into the backcountry by horse or mule. A 2026 Forest Service Animal Packer announcement lists riding and leading pack animals over rugged mountain terrain without injury to stock, rider or cargo, maintaining fences, corrals and water systems, and trail maintenance work. Swan Mountain’s packers also care for stock, maintain saddles and help around camp.
Do you need experience to get a packer job?
For most jobs, yes. A Sequoia National Park packer announcement screened for experience that included routinely packing and leading a string of 4 to 5 pack animals. Swan Mountain Outfitters asks for previous packing experience. The Forest Service’s Ninemile packing clinic in Montana is designed for people who already have some stock experience.
How much do packers make an hour?
Federal packer jobs publish hourly wage-grade pay. A 2026 Forest Service WG-5 Animal Packer job paid $21.73 to $22.30 an hour, a WG-7 job in Ukiah, Oregon paid $26.32, and the Park Service’s 2026 Grand Canyon WG-7 packer job paid $27.13 to $31.61. Outfitters such as Swan Mountain pay monthly instead: $2,000 to $3,000 plus tips.
Do packers need a license?
In some states, when the packing is for hunters. Wyoming law says no person may provide packing services for taking big or trophy game unless licensed as an outfitter or professional guide, and it defines packing services as transporting hunters, game animals or equipment in the field for hire. People employed solely to care for livestock are excluded from the guide definition.
Where can you learn to pack mules?
The Forest Service’s Ninemile Wildlands Training Center near Huson, Montana ran packing clinics on May 4 to 8 and June 1 to 5, 2026, for $650, with 8 students per course. The class covers stock anatomy, saddles, tack, mantying and stock care, and suits people who already have some stock experience.
Sources: USAJOBS, Forest Service Animal Packer WG-5, announcement 848030700 (2026 season); USAJOBS, Forest Service Animal Packer WG-7, announcement 848037000 (2026 season); USAJOBS, National Park Service Animal Packer (Seasonal), Grand Canyon, announcement 878903000; USAJOBS, National Park Service Animal Packer and Caretaker (Trails), Sequoia, announcement 834940200; Swan Mountain Outfitters, Employment; Wyoming Statutes Title 23 (W.S. 23-2-401 and 23-2-407); U.S. Forest Service, Ninemile Wildlands Training Center; U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region Pack Train.