State Parks hiring 305 seasonal park aides

Washington State Parks is recruiting seasonal park aides to work in its outdoor spaces this spring, summer and fall.

Parks is looking for 305 park aides and senior park aides to work from April through September in various parks statewide.

That includes multiple positions in both Grays Harbor and Pacific counties.

Park aides serve a variety of roles. They may register campers, clean campgrounds, and maintain trails and facilities. They also may staff park offices, assist visitors and help with interpretive and educational programs. 

Park aides work in either one large park or cover an area with several small parks, overseen by a senior park aide. 

Parks say that this opportunity is ideal for recent high school and college graduates, retired workers looking for an outlet, military veterans transitioning to civilian employment, and mid-careerists taking time to reinvent themselves. 

Most park aides see a mix of public interaction and physical labor. 

According to Customer Service Manager Ariel Ryon, who originally joined the agency as a park aide, “No two workdays are alike.”

Park aides have the chance to grow with Parks, and several, including Ryon, have gone on to success in the agency’s customer service, planning, conservation and construction departments. 

Former park aides also have found work in the outdoor industry, for environmental nonprofits or with other public lands agencies. 

Non-permanent 

Most park aide positions are non-permanent. The position typically runs five to six months. Some parks offer park aides temporary housing.

Application process

Applications are open now through August. 

Park aides earn $16.61 to $19.09 an hour, and senior park aides earn $17.79 to $20.98 an 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.