State Parks begins seasonal park aide recruitment

Get paid to work outside at a Washington state park

OLYMPIA – Swap out the cube farm for the forest, beach or desert this summer. You can get paid to work outside at a Washington state park!

State Parks has opened its recruitment for seasonal park aides to help keep Washington’s iconic parks clean, green and friendly from spring through fall.

The park aide job is suited to people who love the outdoors, enjoy work where no two days are the same and are interested in learning new skills or building on existing trades. You’ll be working independently and as a valued member of a great team.

Many park aides have returned to find long careers with State Parks. The agency has several employees who started as park aides and have become rangers, customer service managers, operations and HR managers, environmental planners and regional managers. Some park aides go on to work for different land managers or in the outdoor industry.

Others use the flexibility of seasonal work to take time off in the fall and reapply for winter park aide positions in different parts of Washington or in other states. 

Park aides may work in one large park or cover an area with several parks.

Job duties may involve:

• registering campers
• maintaining trails
• cleaning campgrounds
• maintaining facilities
• staffing park offices
• helping visitors
• assisting with interpretive and educational programs

Potential work settings include:

• old-growth forests
• channeled scabland
• Marine parks accessible only by boat
• shrub steppe
• Pacific Ocean beaches
• high desert

Application process

Applications are open now through August. Park aides earn $18.33 to $23.67 per hour. For senior park aides, who lead a team of park aides, the salary is $21.06 to $25.45 per hour, depending on qualifications and experience. More information and online applications can be accessed at Parks Aide Jobs. Staff testimony and other details are available in this video.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, persons over 40 years of age, disabled and Vietnam-era veterans and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply. Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the Human Resources Office at (360) 902-8565, Human Resources office or the Washington Telecommunication Relay Service at (800) 833-6388.