Wilderness guide vs outdoor guide

The differences between wilderness guides and outdoor 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 wilderness guide and an outdoor guide. Additionally, a wilderness guide has an average salary of $63,944, which is higher than the $49,220 average annual salary of an outdoor guide.

The top three skills for a wilderness guide include CPR, responder and canoe. The most important skills for an outdoor guide are responder, GPS, and outdoor education.

Wilderness guide vs outdoor guide overview

	Wilderness Guide	Outdoor Guide
Yearly salary	$63,944	$49,220
Hourly rate	$30.74	$23.66
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	851	911
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 84%
Average age	34	34
Years of experience	2	2

Wilderness guide vs outdoor guide salary

Wilderness guides and outdoor guides have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wilderness Guide	Outdoor Guide
Average salary	$63,944	$49,220
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $228,000	Between $12,000 And $199,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between wilderness guide and outdoor guide education

There are a few differences between a wilderness guide and an outdoor guide in terms of educational background:

	Wilderness Guide	Outdoor Guide
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 84%
Most common major	Psychology	Recreation Management
Most common college	Johns Hopkins University	Stanford University

Wilderness guide vs outdoor guide demographics

Here are the differences between wilderness guides' and outdoor guides' demographics:

	Wilderness Guide	Outdoor Guide
Average age	34	34
Gender ratio	Male, 61.9% Female, 38.1%	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 9.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between wilderness guide and outdoor guide duties and responsibilities

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.

Outdoor guide example responsibilities.

Manage payroll - specifically manage overtime.
Steer a large voyageur canoe, teach paddling skills, and safety practices.
Guide backpacking, canoe, white-water raft trips with a non-profit outdoor youth development program.
Facilitate a therapeutic outdoor adventure experience for teenagers struggling with a variety of behavioral, mental health and substance abuse challenges.
Manage commercial whitewater rafting outfit.

Wilderness guide vs outdoor guide skills

Common wilderness guide skills

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

Common outdoor guide skills

Responder, 25%
GPS, 16%
Outdoor Education, 14%
Natural History, 14%
Adventure Programs, 7%
Customer Service, 6%