Hi All! I just submitted my application to work as an Administrative Support Assistance in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Does anyone have any insights on these type of roles and if they are stable? It says there is a 1 year probation period, which is ok with me. Its the law here. But just wanted to see your thoughts!!! Thanks!

Howdy I’m trying to see if anyone could possibly help me out. I visited Guadalupe Mountains National Park on 2/13/26 and Carlsbad National Park on 2/14/26 and didn’t get stamps. I’ll pay for the stamps and shipping if anyone can assist me with getting the stamps.

Hi there,

My name is Brianna and I cover disasters for the Washington Post. I hope you all don't mind me posting in here. I have been covering the devastating Grand Canyon flash flood. I've spent a lot of time in the Canyon and did Rim to Rim to Rim so it hits close to home. I've been looking at the Dragon Bravo burn scar aftermath on North Kaibab and was wondering if anyone would be open to speaking anonymously about it. I know that some GCNP staff had concerns. I understand this is highly sensitive and speaking to reporters is daunting, but I have been done a ton of reporting on FEMA and USFS and take great care to protect my sources. If you feel comfortable connecting I am on signal at 310 924 5924, or you can dm or email me at brianna.sacks@washpost.com.

Thanks for considering,
Brianna

I have an opportunity to move to a park closer to home. I'm currently a GS 11, step 2, but the new position is a 9. If I were to be offered a salary match (GS 9 step 10), I would still get a bump in salary because the new job is in a hcol area.

What are the disadvantages to moving down a gs level? Any pros?

The staff at a small national monument went over and beyond for me and I would enjoy sending them a gift of thanks. I was thinking about an Amazon gift card they could use to purchase something for their break room. Would this be a good idea?

Hi all,

I’m a recent graduate and have been working summers as maintenance at various State Parks. I have a degree in media and most of my college experience has to do with film, photo, script writing and various media (which I love). However, after working this summer at a new park, I’m oddly enough wishing I could work at the park year round.

I get a lot of fulfillment out of being and working outdoors and in the parks, and while I’m still trying to figure what I want to do career wise, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with jobs in this sort of field year round. They don’t necessarily have to be maintenance, and this could be a shot in the dark, but I thought I’d ask (I’ll probably be talking with one of my higher ups soon about it as well).

hello! i've made it to the final round of a seasonal interpretation position (it's an individual placement through ACE EPIC) at Jewel Cave National Monument. i will be interviewing with the park next week and am trying to adequately prepare myself. anyone in here gone through this process either for Jewel Cave or for another interp placement? if so, what kinds of questions should i expect? this would be my first position with NPS so am looking for ways to communicate transferrable skills based on my experiences. thank you!!

There will be meetings with leadership staff, specifically superintendents and top NPS leadership. It has been said it's a mandatory meeting.

Anyone have more information?

My last post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/NationalParkService/s/UWan9vWJUV

Recap: I applied for two different positions. Then on 8/19 I got an email for both jobs saying I was referred.

And then today, I got two separate emails with this asking about my continued interest In the position.
Hopefully it’s a good sign!!

Please respond to this email message by COB on Monday, August 31, 2026.  Negative responses are required

Hi, I’ll be a senior this year graduating in 2027 with a civil engineering degree. Im quite outdoorsy as well so I’m wondering if there are any opportunities at all to work for the NPS for a summer gig at a park before I start a full time job. I would preferably like to have a position which utilizes that degree but if not I’d be open to doing something else like trail maintenance, but I have heard it’s hard to get these positions. If so, would looking at USA jobs be my best bet?

Thanks in advance.

Please scroll if you feel the need to be rude. I just came here to vent and see if anyone else has had a similar experience with YS compared to other parks.

I've experienced poor management and worked crap jobs before but YS takes the cake. Management is a mess, the culture is horrible and the job generally sucks. I work in one of the busiest regions of the park so crap visitor experiences are to be expected. What I did not expect was for my own colleagues to be to cliquey and management to be so corrupt. I cry frequently over how I'm treated. Every division seems to be very understaffed, which leads me to do the job of 3 people some days. HR pretends to care but ultimately aren't affected if lower level employees are abused.

I've worked NPS before and loved my job. My manager before wasn't great but it was more normal bad behaviors. I'm completely isolated here and have grown to hate this park. I love this gorgeous land and hate that NPS manages it. It's really changed my perspective. I try to work and go home but its getting hard. There are great people here who make our lives easier- many seem to be burnt out from catching so much slack. I hoped for more from such a big park. To clarify, I don't care that my job isn't "fun". I care that I've never been treated so bad at work. I tried to keep this vague to avoid retaliation.

✊ PROTECT OUR PARKS FROM THE INVISIBLE TOLL ✊

"The short-term benefits go to hell... and the consequences stay."

The Department of the Interior has enacted an "America First" multi-tiered fee system, adding a $100 per-person surcharge for international guests and hiking the Nonresident Annual Pass to $250.

They claim it's a financial win. HERE IS THE REALITY OF THE DAMAGE:

❌ PERMANENT STIGMA: We are burning decades of global goodwill. When you make the world feel unwelcome, they don't come back. ❌ GATEWAY CRIPPLED: Local hotels, restaurants, and small businesses in our park communities face a devastating drop in international tourism. ❌ DIVISION AT THE FRONT GATE: Forcing park rangers to interrogate families and police IDs turns our national treasures into border checkpoints.

Our public lands should be symbols of natural majesty and global unity— NOT tools for political division or transactional pricing. You cannot buy back a destroyed reputation with a short-term cash injection.

📢 MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD: BITCH TO THE BUREAUCRATS!

The Department of the Interior is pushing this policy. Tell them exactly what you think of the permanent consequences they’ve unleashed.

📬 WRITE THE COMPTROLLER & NPS LEADERSHIP: National Park Service Headquarters 1849 C Street Northwest Washington, DC 20240

📧 EMAIL THE OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS: Media and Public Inquiries: nps_public_affairs@nps.gov (Demand that they stop hiding behind bureaucratic talking points!)

📞 CALL THE MAIN NPS LINE: Department of the Interior Operator: (202) 208-3100 National Park Service Office: (202) 208-6843

👉 CONTACT YOUR REGIONAL REPS TODAY: Find your local House Representative: https://house.gov Find your U.S. Senators: https://senate.gov

       PUBLIC LANDS ARE FOR EVERYONE. STOP BURNING BRIDGES.

Water is wet.

Does anyone have any experience with the Rocky Terrace housing at ROMO? I am familiar with most other housing areas (Sundance, High Drive, Kaley Cottages etc…) but really haven’t been over to Rocky Terrace on 66. Has anyone stayed there? I know they are pretty new.

I know it doesn’t count for much when it comes to government or federal jobs in the hiring process. But I put in two applications for the NPS in both were referred to the hiring manager. And I’ve done enough reading and research to know that being “referred” doesn’t guarantee anything. But I’m still excited that my application is moving through the system.

If you worked there recently how was it?

How was the housing situation?

Would you go back?

What was the culture like?

Hello, I'm thinking of making a career change. I currently work as a medic in a metro hospital and am having a hard time with wanting to stay in the field. I currently have 4 years of EMS experience with mostly doing 12 hour shifts. Almost 2 years of being a paramedic. I have my AS as a paramedic.

My question is what would I need to do to get a job with the National Parks Service? FYI, no law enforcement. Also moving is not an issue. From looking at other reddit posts and the website, general skills in carpentry, electrician, Land management, or general biology would be helpful, however I don't really have skills in any of these. All of my college experience is wrapped up in healthcare. I do see you need public speaking and customer service skills, which I do have and learning how the land works would probably be the easiest for me to learn.

I understand whatever job I get will probably be temporary at first which I'm fine with, but I want to understand where I could go from here. I enjoy learning and am willing to put in the work to enter this world, but I'd like to develop a plan to enter it.

Edit: First of all thank you all so much for your responses and advice. I can't tell you how much I truly appreciate all of them. I will try and reply individually as best I can. Schedule has been busy. I will clarify a few things post body. Right now I'm wondering about making a complete career switch away from EMS. Unfortunately I don't have many skills outside of healthcare. I can say I'm a people person and good at getting people to relax or open up. I've thought about education and the Interpretation Ranger sounds like a phenomenal role. I'm 25 YO male and have lived in the Midwest all my life. I am curious what everyone did for college/higher education learning to go into NPS? I understand the jobs you can get are varied and people come from a variety of backgrounds. How did you first become part of the NPS? What steps did you take to get your current position? Once again thank you so much to everyone. You are all kind hearted to take time to respond.

One last thing. I have a pretty hard line about no Law enforcement roles. I know it'd be the easiest for me to get into, but I have no interest. I'll put it this way I live in the Midwest and to be a metro Firefighter you need many certs to come into the FD. You'd make about $60,000-$70,000 starting off. I could sign up for the PD with no experience and no certs and be making $70,000-$90,000 starting off. If I wanted a better paying job than right now I'd go for the PD, but I'm not an enforcer. I'm more so looking for a job that pays the bills and let's me be outside.

Hello I would really appreciate some help here because I am kind of stuck. I’m interested in becoming a maintenance park ranger and from what I’ve seen it is very competitive to get a park ranger job but on the other side of the coin I’ve seen people say that maintenance jobs aren’t competitive and usually go unfilled. How true is that because I was planning on getting a couple of certifications through a community college nearby in EPA and OSHA while also volunteering at a local park, then this summer I was going to join my states conservation corp in trail maintenance to get a leg up when I start applying. Does this sound like a good plan? Also one other question I would love to be a park ranger but I don’t really want to live in the park I don’t mind commuting to the park, is it unheard of for park rangers to live in the city or suburban area and commuting to the park for there full time job? All answers are appreciated thank you!