GROUP MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATION
PLEASE NOTE: AS OF APRIL 1, 2026, ALL IGA CERTIFIED HIKING GUIDES MUST HAVE A MINIMUM 40-HOUR WILDERNESS FIRST AID CERT!
As Interpretive Hiking Guides, we are responsible for the safety and well-being of the people we are guiding.
The IGA Group Management course covers legal liability, client care, client management in different seasons, pacing, understanding and managing risk, understanding the environment you are guiding in, and trip preparation, to ensure the experience you provide your guests is safe, comfortable, and sets the required foundation for inspirational interpretation!
The Group Management courses do not teach map-and-compass skills, and you must come to the course with a basic understanding of how to use a compass on the trail. The IGA offers separate map and compass courses. Please email us at courses@interpretiveguides.org for more information.
The 4-season Group Management course does not teach ice safety skills, and the SOP does not cover guiding on frozen bodies of water. If you want to guide clients across frozen lakes, please consult the safety standards for ice travel in your province of work, and consider taking an ice safety course so you are covered in this terrain.
A Group Management certification (or equivalent course deemed by the land manager) is required if you want to work as a Hiking Guide in provincial and national parks.
Taken by itself, the Group Management Course will not certify you as a Hiking Guide. It must be paired with the Apprentice Interpreter (AI), Interpretive Specialist (IS) or Professional Interpreter (PI) Certification.
Student Testimonial:
"The four-season group management course exceeded my expectations. Every aspiring guide should do it."
Andy Dragt. Founder, Slow and Steady Hiking Club
Click here to watch a testimonial from an IGA-certified Hiking Guide!
Tous nos cours de certification sont disponibles en français. Veuillez nous contacter si vous souhaitez en savoir plus.
IGA Waiver, Assumption of Risks and Scope of Practice
Assumption of Risks, Dangers and Hazards: This course has an outdoor component, which involves various risks, dangers and hazards that the participant willingly accepts when participating in the course. Please review the IGA Waiver for details.
Waiver Required: You will be required to read and sign the IGA waiver to participate in this course. Please review the details of the waiver requirement and read the IGA Waiver carefully.
Scope of Practice: See the Scope of Practice for IGA Hiking Guides.
GROUP MANAGEMENT COURSES AND COSTS
3 Season Group Management Course (taught April through June):
- 2 days (½ day classroom + 1.5 days outside)
- Cost = $380 plus GST
- Pre-requisites – Valid 40-hour wilderness first aid, hiking resume, AI, IS, or PI certification.
Note: Parks Canada has made 40 hr first aid a requirement in 2026, and the IGA is following this requirement.
4 Season Group Management Course (taught November through March):
- 3 days (1 day classroom + 2 days outside)
- Cost = $570 plus GST
- Pre-requisites – Valid 40-hour wilderness first aid, hiking resume, AI, IS, or PI certification.
4 Season Group Management Bridge Course (taught November through March):
This course is open only to people with an IGA 3-season GM certification or to those who have taken the IGA's 4-season course and want a refresher.
- 1.5 days (½ day classroom + 1 day outside)
- Cost = $325 plus GST
- Pre-requisites – Valid 40-hour wilderness first aid, hiking resume, AI, IS, or PI certification, and 3 Season Group Management certificate.
Set up a private course for your company or group:
If you have a group of 10 or more, we may be able to schedule a private course to fit your schedule. Email us at executivedirector@interpretiveguides.org for more information.
** ALL COURSE PARTICIPANTS MUST SIGN THE IGA WAIVER IN ORDER TO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE IN THIS COURSE!
COURSE DETAILS
The following is an overview of some of the material covered in the Group Management courses.
Classroom instruction will include:
- Legal responsibilities of the guide
- Trip planning
- Risk management
- Group management skills
- The Scope of Practice you will be certified to guide within.
Outdoor component – Instructional Hike:
We will spend time on a local trail, where your instructor will demonstrate on-trail skills and reinforce those covered in the classroom portion. We will also look at group management skills and best practices for day-hiking guides, in summer, winter, or both, depending on the course you are taking and the season you are taking it in. You will be assessed and evaluated on your ability to safely lead a group on the trail during the outdoor component.
PREREQUISITES FOR THE GROUP MANAGEMENT COURSES
To take a Group Management course, you must:
- Be the age of majority for your province. Contact us if you or a staff member is younger and wants to take the training program
- Have a 40-hour wilderness first aid certification or higher.
- Have completed and passed the IGA's Apprentice Interpreter, Interpretive Specialist or Professional Interpreter course.
- Have completed all portions of the IGA's GM course, including classroom sessions, field days, homework, and prerequisites.
- Have a minimum of 5 days hiking experience (3 Season Course) and 10 days of hiking experience (min 5 days in winter) for the 4 Season Course, PLUS an interest in leading groups on established trails. (See below for more details on recognized hiking experience and Scope of Practice).
- Be competent with the following basic navigation skills.
- Identify different features on a topographical map (rivers, lakes, buildings, etc.).
- Identify and relate contour lines from the map to the terrain you are hiking on.
- Determine elevation loss and gain from contour lines on a map.
- Measure the length of a trail in meters or kilometres.
- Provide a UTM coordinate reference to show your location.
- Take a simple compass bearing, i.e., to determine the direction of a trail in poor visibility.
- Determine the cardinal directions of the compass at any time and orient the map to the ground.
Your proficiency with navigation will be assessed at various stages in the course, but, as noted above, these items will not be taught.
Check out the Course Guide to discover more related to navigation prep, hiking resume format, and more!
Please note:
- To take this course, you must have paid your annual professional dues (and therefore have an IGA membership).
- You will be sent an email immediately after registering. This email is essential to your success in this course, as it contains all the course details, the homework document, and pre-course information, including the format for the hiking resume. If you do not receive this, contact us right away. These components of the course are your responsibility and require close attention to complete.
- In the email, there will be a link to homework which MUST be completed BEFORE you start the course. This is also where you will upload your valid first-aid certificate and hiking resume. You cannot be certified without a valid first aid and hiking resume attached to your profile, and your homework submitted.
- To take this course, you will need to be comfortable signing the IGA's liability waiver. It is essential that you read, understand, and be okay with signing the waiver before you decide to register and pay for the GM course. Click here to review the waiver: IGA Waiver
SKILL AND FITNESS
For the outdoor/trail portions of this course, you will be required to demonstrate that you have the skill, confidence and personal fitness to guide clients on any conditions encountered in the region where you will be certified. You must be able to demonstrate that you can care for clients and yourself while out on the trail.
You must ensure you arrive at your field day in good health and fit enough to hike a distance of a minimum of 8 km with 400 meters of elevation gain and be prepared to spend a full day outside.
GROUP MANAGEMENT COURSE EQUIVALENCIES
The IGA accepts ACMG Hiking Guide certification or higher as an equivalent to our 3 Season Group Management course and the ACMG Hiking Guide or higher with an ACMG winter certification for our 4 Season Group Management course. Any applications for other equivalencies must go directly to the appropriate land manager.
CANCELLATION, DATE CHANGE, AND REFUND POLICY
Make sure you read our Cancellation, Date Change, and Refund Policy if you plan to enroll in any IGA course.
Please understand that we cannot transfer funds paid for one course or program to another.
If you cancel three weeks before the course starting date, you will receive a full refund minus a $30 administration fee and a $45 digital handbook fee.
If you cancel two weeks before the course starting date, you will receive a 50 percent refund minus the $45 handbook fee.
If you cancel with less than 2 weeks' notice, no refund will be issued.
The Interpretive Guides Handbook costs $45 for members and is sent out digitally. Once it is sent, we cannot refund you for this cost.
It is essential and your responsibility to maintain your safety, health, and injury-free status before a course. Refunds are not given if you fall ill or have an accident that prevents you from participating. If you are sick on one or more days of the course, have a valid doctor’s note, and immediately contact the instructor, we may be able to place you in an alternate course. This, however, is not always possible and will be based on having an extra space available for you. We run our courses with small margins to keep prices low. If a space is not available, you will need to re-register and pay.
If the Interpretive Guides Association has to cancel a course due to low numbers, you will have the choice of being given a full refund or transferring your registration to another course.
Please be aware that it is not easy for us to transfer you into another course, so ensure the session you register for is one you can attend. Not showing up for any reason (including illness without a doctor's note and failure to communicate) is considered a no-show and will not be refunded or rescheduled for a different date.
This policy includes, but is not limited to:
- illness
- work changes
- injury
- level of interest
- feeling unprepared
- transportation challenges
- internet challenges
- you slept in
- incorrect scheduling
- Your partner or family member falls ill or hurts themselves
- You could not find child care
- etc.
Please keep all these reasons in mind when booking and paying for a course. Our ability to offer and run these courses depends on the number of registrants we have. We work hard to keep costs as low as possible for registrants, and knowing our participant numbers in advance and guaranteeing these numbers is essential to the operation of this member-based not-for-profit. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to us to talk about it before signing up.
UPCOMING COURSES
Group Management Bridge – Canmore, November 3 & 5, 2026
4-Season Group Management – November 13-15, 2026
Group Management Bridge – Canmore, November 21-22, 2026
