You can work at a national park by working at a National Park Concession or with the National Park Service. Working in and around the parks is a popular summer seasonal job that often offers room & board for employee. National parks hire new employees every season and getting an entry level, seasonal job is a lot simpler than you think. This post will break down what you need to know about finding and applying for a seasonal job in one of the USA’s National Parks.
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FAQs About Working a Seasonal Job at a National Park
How can you work at a national park?
You can find a seasonal job working in or around a national park one of two ways, either apply directly with the National Park Service or apply to work with a national park concession (i.e. the hospitality businesses that operate in and around the parks). Alternatively, you can also volunteer (i.e. in a non-paid position). This post explains the process of how to find a job at a national park via each of these options.
When is the national park season?
There are 64 national parks across the USA and this means that the seasons will vary a bit depending on the park’s location. However, the summer season ranges from March to September and the winter season is from October to February. While the national parks are open to the public year-round (with the exception of one or two), they can have trail and route closures throughout the year due to weather (i.e. snow, landslides, flooding).
What are the most popular national parks to work at?
The most popular national parks for seasonal workers are Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Yosemite, Glacier, and the Grand Canyon. However, this does not mean that these are your only options! Many national parks and monuments rely on seasonal staff to operate.
Why is summer work at the parks more popular than winter?
The majority of seasonal jobs are in the summer. It’s when the parks see the most visitors because the summer is the perfect time to enjoy the national parks to their fullest. With all aspects of the parks up and running, they need lots of seasonal workers to operate smoothly.
When do national park jobs start hiring?
National park jobs begin their hiring process 6 months before the start date. You will see summer seasonal job openings as early as October/November and winter seasonal job openings in July/August.
How much money you can make?
How much money you can make working at a national park completely depends on the location you work at, the employer you work for, and the job you have. Generally, entry level employees can expect to earn minimum wage and some jobs come with the possibility of tips.
Is housing provided?
The majority of national park jobs have employee housing for seasonal staff. This will either be included in your compensation (and therefore free) or at a subsidized rate that will be deducted from your paycheck periodically. Most entry level seasonal workers should expect to have at least one roommate. The housing process and type of accommodation will depend on your specific employer.
How to Get a Seasonal Job at a National Park
You can find a seasonal job working in or around a national park one of two ways; work with a national park concession (i.e. the hospitality businesses that operate in and around the parks) or work directly with the National Park Service. You can also volunteer (i.e. in a non-paid position). Below is a breakdown of how to find and apply for a job using each of these methods.
1. Work with a National Park Concession
What is a national park concession
A national park concession is a third party business that has a contract with a national park, enabling them to operate in and around the park itself. Concessions include lodging, retail stores, restaurants, guide services, transportation, and other hospitality, tour, or travel operations. For example, the Grand Hotel Lodge at the Grand Canyon operates inside the park but is privately owned and does not belong to the park. It is staffed by the Xanterra hospitality company that hires seasonal employees to work at various national park concessions.
Seasonal jobs with national park concessions
National park concessions look for staff to work at various locations, including; restaurants, lodges & hotels, outfitters, retail stores, transportation, and more. This means they are looking to fill roles in many departments such as; food & beverage, administration, retail, maintenance, child care, guiding, transportation, and many other roles. They look for skilled workers and entry level employees.
Requirements to work at a national park concession
To work for a national park concession you must be at least 18 years old and have the ability to work in the USA (as a citizen or via the appropriate work visa). All other requirements will be related to the specific role/job you are applying for.
Companies to work for in a national park
The following are well known travel and hospitality companies that seasonal workers use to find jobs in and around national parks;
- Xanterra Travel Collection has seasonal jobs in/around Death Valley, Glacier, the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Rocky Mountain, and Yellowstone.
- Aramark has seasonal jobs in/around Denali, Glacier Bay, Kartchner Caverns, Yosemite, Olympic, Big Bend, Grand Teton, Lake Powel, Mesa Verde, Pikes Peak, Lake Mead, and Lake Tahoe. They also have jobs in/around several state parks.
- ExploreUS has seasonal jobs in/around the Great Smoky Mountains, Mammoth Cave, Crater Lake, Isle Royal, Grand Canyon, Olympic, Acadia, Bryce Canyon, and several other state parks and monuments.
- Pursuit has seasonal jobs in/around Denali, Fjords, and Glacier. They also have jobs in parks and location abroad.
- Delaware North has seasonal jobs in/around Yellowstone, Shenandoah, Grand Canyon, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yosemite, and several other state park and monument locations.
- POWDR is an adventure lifestyle company that has seasonal jobs at Zion Lodge and other mountain resorts.
How to find more national park jobs
Search for national park jobs on CoolWorks, where concessions post job openings. On this website, you can filter for specific jobs by state or search on their national park page.
You can also find concessions by searching for them on the National Park Service’s concession page. After finding one in a park you want to work at, go to their personal website and search their career page for job openings.
When to apply to work at a national park concession
Concessions start hiring seasonal workers 6 months before the start date. This means you will see summer job openings in October and winter job openings in July. However, due to various reasons, seasonal jobs hire year-round and it is important to check back frequently to see what new jobs are being posted. You should also be applying to more than one seasonal job and to more than one location in order to increase your chances of getting a job.
2. Work Directly with the National Park Service
What is the National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is a federal agency that manages and preserves the USA’s national parks. They operate and care for the country’s historical monuments, battlefields, recreations areas, scenic trails, and more. Overall, they manage 433 locations in every state across the USA that totals over 85 million acres of land.
Jobs with the NPS
The NPS employs over 20,000 people each year to work across 433 locations. Of these employees, between 6,000-8,000 are seasonal workers. There are various types of seasonal jobs with the NPS including, but not limited to; maintenance, groundskeeping, general labor, custodial, scientists, park rangers, arborists, lifeguards, deckhands, biologists, park guides, general operations, and more.
Requirements to work for the NPS
To work directly with the National Park Service, you must be a US citizen who is 18 years of age or older (with some jobs requiring you to be 21+). Most jobs require a bachelors degree. Other requirements and qualifications will relate directly to the specific job you are looking to apply for.
How to apply to work for the NPS
You can search for job openings, and apply to work directly with the National Park Service, on the USA Jobs website. You will need to create an account on the site and then you can apply to individual job postings.
When to apply to work for the NPS
Generally the NPS hires for their summer season between October and February and hires for their winter season between July and August. However, you should consistency check the USA Jobs website to see if there are any new/last minute postings.
Volunteer with the National Park Service
Volunteering with the National Park Service
The NPS offers unpaid internships and volunteer positions where you can volunteer for a single day, part-time, or full-time. These opportunities take place year-round, across the USA’s national and state parks, monuments, and many other locations overseen by the NPS.
Why volunteer instead of working a paid job
There are various reasons you may want to volunteer at a park instead of working a paid job;
- You are unable to get a job with a national park by want to work with the NPS.
- You do not meet the qualifications to work directly with the NPS but want to create a good connection with the organization.
- You want to gain experience for a specific job in a field like research, biology, etc…
- You need volunteer hours for your resume.
- You want to ‘give back’ to the environment.
- You don’t have the hours to work full time but still want to be in the parks.
There are a lot of reasons and it’s up to you to decide what works best for you.
Types of volunteer jobs
There is a wide range of volunteer opportunities with the national park service. You can work with people in hospitality centered roles like campground hosts and care takers. You can be an educator and facilitate informational workshops to junior rangers and park visitors. You can help build trails, remove invasive species, or repair historic buildings. You could support biologists, scientists, and park rangers in their roles.
Requirements to volunteer with the NPS
There are volunteer opportunities for people of all ages and interests. Any specific requirements such as age or physical ability will be listed on the volunteer position posting.
How to find a volunteer opportunity in a national park
According to the National Park Service, you can volunteer with them one of three ways;
- Check their volunteer calendar for volunteer events. These are usually single-day volunteer opportunities in various National Park Service protected areas/locations.
- Search for volunteer openings and positions on Volunteer.gov. This is the website where the NPS and their partners post volunteer opportunities in the national parks.
- Find a specific park you want to work at by using the National Park Service website, then contact them directly to learn about volunteer opportunities.
Conclusion
Working at a National Park is a great entry level seasonal job. While working a seasonal job in the parks is more popular in the summer, you can find seasonal work year-round. To get these jobs you can apply directly with the National Park Service or apply to work at a national park concession. Have you worked in or around a National Park? What was your experience like? Please share in the comments below!