working or volunteering in the Nat'l Parks?
 

Does anyone have any personal experiences regarding volunteering or working in our Nat'l Parks?

I've googled etc. but would like to hear first hand experiences from fellow travelers, if anyone has them.

Regardless if between college semesters, as an intern or on summer break, as a volunteer or even hourly clerk, possibly on a sabatical, please share anything. Am interested in choices or options you received, difficulty or ease in achieving the park you wanted, basic working conditions and experiences, etc etc, you get the idea. Basically what you've experienced or know or think. Thanks so much!

Hi Ellen,

I worked in two different national parks right out of college, many years ago. I spent a year in Yosemite, and then a summer in Denali. It was a sort of gap year after collegeg while I figured out what to do next (turned out to be graduate school).

In both cases, I worked for the concessioner, not the park service. Yosemite was great, Denali less so, due to management problems.

In each case, I applied just to that one park and was accepted. I did a variety of things---store clerk, reception, waitress---and in each case it was minimum wage, with basic housing provided at minimal cost.

I loved the year I spent in Yosemite; it still holds a special place in my heart, and I love going back.

DH and I talk about looking into volunteer positions after retirement.

My son volunteered at the GGNRA in high school (Golden Gate National Recreational Area) and for some time after that.

When in college, he took a break and was hired as a park ranger.

As a volunteer, he was taking care of docked ships, cleaning, repair, paint job.

As an employee - anything needed, from lecturing school kids to apprehending and unruly drunk.

He loved all of the above, but as a mother I appreciate the most that he learned the importance of education, now in post-graduate studies.

Try this:

www.coolworks.com

This last summer at the North Rim GC, we spoke to several of the employees who all said they loved working there. The older, retired women in the gift shop gave me the above site.

Good luck,

MY

I looked into both federal and state parks after I retired, but the openings were further than I wanted to travel. I seem to remember Virginia state park vols could get free cabin based based on number of hours put in.

A friend (a teacher) has worked two recent summers in Yellowstone. She only applied to that one park and got a job but it was assigned. She was allowed to give some preferences on work sites and duties but it wasn't guaranteed.

In her case, she had two choices concerning housing. She could either stay in the dorm and eat in the employee cafateria or stay in the employee RV park--all pretty inexpensive.

With time on my hands as a retiree, I volunteer at Glacier National park each summer as I live only 30 miles from the park. I "work" one day a week at the new transit center answering questions for visitors etc.
It's great fun and meeting people from all over the WORLD is an added bonus. Being able to speak French I get to practice using that also. Amazing how many French speaking visitors we have.
Go for it,whatever park you end up in it'll be a great experience!!

When I was a member of the Yosemite Association one of their programs always seemed interesting. Members could live and eat in the Valley for a month for free during summer in exchange for manning the YA information booth in the Village for 4 or 5 days a week for 5 or 6 hours a day.

I haven't been a member for many years, so I don't know if they still offer it. It would be worth a call if it sounds interesting.

http://www.yosemite.org/

It's funny ... my 38-yr-old just mentioned again this week that she was "sure glad you forced me to get that job at Grand Teton when you wanted me out of the house at 18 because it was my favorite job ever and best experience of my life"!

I work for a Nat'l Park (Valley Forge) and we have volunteers doing all sorts of things. We have a volunteer coordinator who is in charge of setting things up and on the park website there is information. I would suggest looking at the websites of some parks you'd be interested in working for (www.nps.gov) and then contacting someone at each one to see how they run their volunteer program. we're a small park, so the way we do things is likely very different than the big guys out west.
Another possibility is to look for seasonal paid work which usually occurs in the summer months during peak visitation.
I know at Hopewell Furnace they have people who come back every summer and park their RV in the park and help with living history programs.
I only know about it from the park perspective, but I can assure you that the parks wouldn't function without the help of volunteers.

Thank you ALL very much for the replies! This is exactly the kind of info i'm looking for. Any other stories or ideas from anyone?

Telechick, it sounds like you're full time? Are a park ranger?

Anyone ever work full time in a park, not as a ranger but any other kind of position, even if for just a 'season' of your life? For example, as administrators, reasearchers, scientists etc?

Again, thanks for ALL the stories and please keep them coming.

No, I'm not a ranger. I do archaeology and GIS, and I do use volunteers on occasion.
Last summer VAFO had about 20 seasonal maintenance employees who cut grass and cleaned buildings and the like. It's not just interpretive stuff. Check out USAjobs.com for NPS employment (seasonal and full time)