River rafting guide vs wilderness guide

The differences between river rafting guides and wilderness guides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a river rafting guide and a wilderness guide. Additionally, a wilderness guide has an average salary of $63,944, which is higher than the $42,002 average annual salary of a river rafting guide.

The top three skills for a river rafting guide include safety procedures, first-aid and responder. The most important skills for a wilderness guide are CPR, responder, and canoe.

River rafting guide vs wilderness guide overview

	River Rafting Guide	Wilderness Guide
Yearly salary	$42,002	$63,944
Hourly rate	$20.19	$30.74
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	950	851
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	34	34
Years of experience	2	2

River rafting guide vs wilderness guide salary

River rafting guides and wilderness guides have different pay scales, as shown below.

	River Rafting Guide	Wilderness Guide
Average salary	$42,002	$63,944
Salary range	Between $12,000 And $140,000	Between $17,000 And $228,000
Highest paying City	Charlemont, MA	-
Highest paying state	Connecticut	-
Best paying company	Whitewater Express, Inc.	-
Best paying industry	Retail	-

Differences between river rafting guide and wilderness guide education

There are a few differences between a river rafting guide and a wilderness guide in terms of educational background:

	River Rafting Guide	Wilderness Guide
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	Stanford University	Johns Hopkins University

River rafting guide vs wilderness guide demographics

Here are the differences between river rafting guides' and wilderness guides' demographics:

	River Rafting Guide	Wilderness Guide
Average age	34	34
Gender ratio	Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1%	Male, 61.9% Female, 38.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 9.0% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between river rafting guide and wilderness guide duties and responsibilities

River rafting guide example responsibilities.

Manage payroll - specifically manage overtime.
paddle rafts and stern-mount oar frames, shredders, duckies and kayaks.
Operate non-motorize craft (e.g., canoes, inflatable craft, rafts, kayaks, etc . )
Utilize TSQL when needing information from the SQL database.
Spot VIP guest immediately and provide special treatment including prefer tables.
Guide and teach youth outdoor rock climbing skills and first aid survival.

Wilderness guide example responsibilities.

Manage payroll - specifically manage overtime.
Reside on-site in remote Alaskan wilderness setting.
Drive full size off-road buses to transport clients back to canoe launch site.
canoe rental agent and driver for delivery and pick up of clients on the local rivers.
Facilitate daily leadership lessons and debriefings.
Ensure participant's safety and well-being, practicing responsibility and leadership.

River rafting guide vs wilderness guide skills

Common river rafting guide skills

Safety Procedures, 39%
First-Aid, 19%
Responder, 8%
Safety Equipment, 7%
III-IV, 4%
Emergency Situations, 2%

Common wilderness guide skills

CPR, 22%
Responder, 15%
Canoe, 9%
Alaskan, 9%
Substance Abuse, 8%
Trip Planning, 6%