How to Become a National Park Volunteer

A range of opportunities

Of the 423 sites managed by the NPS — which include 63 official national parks as well as monuments, battlefields, seashores, recreation areas, rivers, trails and more — at least 400 have volunteer opportunities. Positions are posted at volunteer.gov, the government website that also lists outdoorsy opportunities in the Forest Service, Fish & Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management. But they don’t necessarily end there.

“There are a lot more volunteer opportunities than you see listed,” says Sue Wise, 62, who currently lives a nomadic life and spends three to six months a year volunteering in parks. “If one wanted Yosemite, there may or may not be a listing and it’s better to call the volunteer coordinator.”

Volunteers and park managers say necessary skills vary by position, but all require enthusiasm. For Curecanti’s Observatory Night programs, volunteers guide stargazing sessions, but the park encourages both hobbyists and professionals to apply.

National Park Service

So You Want To Be a Park Ranger?

For people considering a second career as a park ranger, volunteering can be a bridge to permanent employment with the NPS.

Full-time as well as seasonal ranger jobs are posted at USAJobs.gov, a federal website that lists openings across the spectrum of government work. Applicants can filter results by searching for NPS and by state.

On the application, volunteer experience counts as career experience.

“I can’t tell you the number of people who started as a volunteer,” says Orr, whose own boss was originally a volunteer at Rocky Mountain National Park. “A lot of people do it as a way to explore a passion and realize that their passion can be a career.”

The park service’s “Work for Us” web page includes links to employment for those 55 and over who qualify for the Experienced Services Program, where jobs might be available in budgeting, engineering, information technology, mentoring and more.

Like herself, frequent volunteer Sue Kaufmann met other career-changers “looking for something to light them up,” she says. “They come in as volunteers and end up hired as seasonal rangers.”

The ideal candidate “is someone who still retains a capacity for wonder about the marvels of the universe and wants to share this passion with others,” says Johnson.

Helping locally or remotely

Many volunteer gigs — such as tour guiding or trail maintenance at a local park site — don’t require travel. Some parks also use remote volunteers.

While he lives 120 miles from park headquarters, Kent Schlawin, 62, of Johnston, Iowa, who is “99 percent retired” from his work in advertising, has written five stories a week for the past five years posted to the social media channels of the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail. He periodically travels with the rangers to explore the 4,900-mile route pioneered by early American explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

“It’s fun for me,” says the self-professed “history geek.” “I want people to understand this is a pretty darn cool part of our history.”

Living on-site

For volunteers willing to travel, housing —usually shared with park staff — may be included, though hiring can be competitive. Karen Garthwait, who coordinates volunteers at Arches and Canyonlands national parks in Utah, receives dozens of applications per position, particularly for jobs that include park residency.

“We see a lot of applications from folks who dreamed of being a park ranger when they grew up but their careers took a different path,” says Garthwait.