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Work where you love to play

Are you someone who can’t spend enough time in the many beautiful State Parks in Washington? Consider being paid to help take care of your favorite places this summer! The state parks are now in the process of hiring park aides and senior park aides for summer 2022.

The many benefits of being a park aide

Each summer, State Parks employs 350 park aides and up to 40 senior park aides to work the busy season, which runs from April through September. Park aides register campers, maintain trails, clean campgrounds and comfort stations and perform a variety of custodial maintenance chores. They also may work in park offices, interact with visitors and help with interpretive and educational programs.

Senior park aides are designated as lead workers and lead other park aides.

Park aides are essential to summer operations in Washington state parks. Many who served as park aides report they received benefits well beyond a paycheck, learning about parks and the natural and cultural resources in State Parks’ care. Park aides gain people skills by interacting with the public and working as part of a team. They also may learn everything from trail-building techniques to the use and operation of small power tools and equipment.

Seasonal Non-Permanent Positions

Most of the currently available park aide positions are non-permanent, meaning the position is allotted for a certain amount of time, typically five to six months and less than one year.

How to Apply

Applications are open now through August. Park aides earn $16.09 to $18.48 an hour, and senior park aides earn $17.24 to $20.32 an hour, depending on qualifications and experience. More information and online applications can be accessed here.  Enter “park aide” or the name of a specific state park in the website’s search function.

More information about the job of a Washington State Parks park aide, as told by current and former staff, is available in this video.