National Park Seasonal Jobs 2027: Application Dates, Pay Grades and How to Get Hired

A National Park Service seasonal job is a temporary federal appointment, usually capped at 1,039 hours, a little under six months. Some 2027 announcements say a park may use a 1,560-hour cap instead. You apply on USAJOBS, months before the season.

The lodges, restaurants and stores inside parks are run by private concessioners, which hire on their own sites; see national park lodge jobs. Interior’s wildland fire jobs are posted by the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, which coordinates the department’s fire program, on the GW pay scale; see wildland firefighter jobs.

When do National Park Service seasonal jobs open for 2027?

They opened October 5, 2026, and the biggest ones are already closed. The NPS says it “accepts applications for summer positions between October and February” and for winter jobs in July and August. In practice, the large multi-park announcements open and close inside that window in days.

2027 announcement	Opened	Closed or cap	Start
Biological Science Technician GS-4, Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone	Oct 5, 2026	250 applicants	May 2027
Laborer (Trails) WG-3, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Yellowstone	Oct 5, 2026	Oct 14, 2026; 250 applicants	Mar to Jul 2027
Park Ranger (General) GS-5, Northeast and Midwest	Oct 19, 2026	Oct 20, 2026; 125 applicants	Mar to Jul 2027
Park Ranger (Wilderness/Backcountry) GS-5/7, Pacific West	Oct 19, 2026	Oct 21, 2026; 400 applicants	Mar to Jul 2027
Park Ranger (Interpretation) GS-5/7, Southeast and National Capital	Oct 19, 2026	Oct 23, 2026; 1,000 applicants	Mar to Jul 2027
Park Ranger (PSAR) GS-5/7, Shenandoah	Oct 19, 2026	Oct 24, 2026; 100 applicants	Mar to Sep 2027 season
Maintenance Worker WG-5 to WG-7, Intermountain Region	Not stated	Nov 2, 2026, or 700 applicants	Mar to Jul 2027
Mason WG-10, Shenandoah	Not stated	Nov 2, 2026	Mar to Jul 2027

Source: USAJOBS announcements listed under Sources, accessed Oct 26, 2026. Two of them told applicants to expect a response by about January 11, 2027.

More postings follow through winter, and parks vary. Denali says most of its summer seasonal jobs are announced between mid-September and mid-February. For how this fits with other outdoor hiring, see the outdoor job hiring calendar.

How do NPS seasonal announcements work on USAJOBS?

One announcement covers many parks, and you pick up to 20 of them. The 2027 interpretation ranger announcement listed about 45 duty stations from Washington, DC, to Natchez, Mississippi. Its questionnaire says the Seasonal Staffing Office “announces for temporary seasonal positions in groups.”

Inside the application you answer a short preferences section before the questions about your experience:

• Locations. Choose at least 1 and up to 20, and certify that you are able and willing to work at each.
• Lowest grade. On a GS-5/7 announcement, picking 5 keeps you in the running for both grades.
• Temporary appointment. Answering no removes you from consideration.
• Money handling. Optional, and it requires a higher background check.
• Schedule. Full-time, part-time, intermittent, or several.

Officials “may hire at any grade level, location or work schedule” on the announcement. You also agree that your application can be shared with other Interior bureaus filling the same series and grade in the same area. Each announcement is separate, so apply to every one you want.

Watch for local-only postings. A 2026 Recreation Fee Technician job at Gulf Islands National Seashore used the Field Unit Local Hiring Authority: only people living in the defined local area could apply, and veterans’ preference and ranking did not apply.

To find them, the NPS says to search “National Park Service” on USAJOBS and select “Temporary” under Work Type. Save that search. USAJOBS lets you keep 10 saved searches, emails new matches daily, weekly or monthly, and recommends daily for competitive jobs that close at a set number of applications.

Saved searches expire after one year unless you renew them. Make one per job title you want, such as Park Ranger, Biological Science Technician and Laborer, so a capped announcement does not slip past you.

Which NPS seasonal jobs are there, and what do they pay?

Rangers and technicians are paid on the General Schedule: $17.45 an hour at GS-4 step 1 to $31.43 at GS-7 step 10 on 2026 Rest of U.S. rates.

Trail and maintenance crews are on the Federal Wage System (WG), which sets rates by local wage area, so each posting shows its own range.

Job	Series	Grade	Posted hourly pay	Example announcement
Park Ranger (Interpretation), (Wilderness/Backcountry)	0025	GS-5 to GS-7	$19.52–$31.43	Southeast; Pacific West, 2027
Park Ranger (General)	0025	GS-5	$16.67–$21.68 before locality pay	Northeast and Midwest, 2027
Park Ranger (PSAR), EMT required	0025	GS-5 to GS-7	$22.33–$35.97	Shenandoah, 2027
Visitor Services Assistant	0303	GS-4	$17.45–$22.68	Ozark National Scenic Riverways, 2026
Recreation Fee Technician	0503	GS-5	$19.52–$25.37	Gulf Islands, 2026
Biological Science Technician	0404	GS-4	$17.45–$22.68	Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, 2027
Laborer (Trails)	Not stated	WG-3	$21.45–$25.53 before locality pay	Intermountain, 2027
Maintenance Worker	4749	WG-5 to WG-7	$22.56–$36.14	Intermountain, 2027
Mason	3603	WG-10	$34.61–$40.45	Shenandoah, 2027

Sources: USAJOBS announcements; OPM Salary Tables 2026-RUS and 2026-GS. Accessed Oct 26, 2026.

The bottom of each GS range is step 1. OPM’s 2026 Rest of U.S. table, with its 17.06 percent locality payment, pays $36,409 a year at GS-4 step 1, $40,736 at GS-5 and $50,460 at GS-7. Higher-cost areas pay more.

Read the salary line closely. The general ranger posting quoted base pay before locality, $16.67 at GS-5 step 1, while others posted figures that match OPM’s Rest of U.S. rates. A full 1,039-hour season at $19.52 comes to about $20,280 before taxes and rent.

Federal trail work is covered in more depth in trail crew jobs, and open listings are on park ranger jobs and trail crew jobs.

What qualifies you for GS-4, GS-5 or GS-7?

Either experience or college, and the grade rises with each year of either. These are the rules from OPM’s Park Ranger standard and the 2027 announcements:

• GS-4 park ranger: six months of general experience plus six months of specialized experience, or two years of college with 12 semester hours of related courses.
• GS-4 biological science technician: six months general plus six months specialized, or 60 semester hours with 12 in science courses and 6 directly related, such as wildlife biology or botany.
• GS-4 visitor services assistant: one year of “progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work,” such as greeting the public or collecting fees, or 60 semester hours of college.
• GS-5 park ranger: one year of specialized experience at the GS-4 level, or a bachelor’s degree with 24 semester hours in a related field, or a mix of the two.
• GS-7 park ranger: one year of specialized experience at the GS-5 level, or one full year of graduate study (18 semester hours).

Specialized ranger experience includes work as a park guide or tour leader, environmental educator, law enforcement or investigative work, archeological or historical researcher, or forestry or fire worker in a park. For GS-7 interpretation, it must include independently researching and developing presentations.

Related degrees are broad. The 2027 interpretation questionnaire accepts natural resource management, natural and earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, social sciences, museum science and business or public administration, among others.

Wage grade jobs have no time requirement. You are rated on job elements such as using tools and knowing materials, and must score at least 2 on the screen-out element, doing the work without more than normal supervision. Education cannot substitute, and the maintenance announcement counts volunteer experience.

Some jobs add requirements. The Shenandoah PSAR rangers need a current EMT certification by their start date and must pass a fitness test, and some wilderness ranger locations require EMT, WFR or CPR. The ranger and maintenance announcements require U.S. citizenship and a background check.

How do you write a federal resume the Park Service will accept?

Two single-sided pages, month and year for every date, and hours per week for every job. The 2027 announcements say longer resumes “will not be accepted,” and they list the details people most often leave out:

• Dates as month and year, such as 06/2025 to 09/2025, for every job.
• Hours per week, or “full-time,” for every job, including volunteer work.
• Series and grade for any past federal job, such as GS-0025-05.
• Format: at least 10-point body text and half-inch margins.
• One resume only. If you upload two, only the latest is reviewed, and attachments posing as extra pages are ignored.
• Transcripts if you qualify on education, uploaded with each application you send.

Dates and hours matter because HR has to add up your experience. A summer job listed as “2025” with no hours cannot prove the six months or one year a grade requires.

The questionnaire comes next. On the 2027 interpretation announcement you rate yourself on tasks such as answering public questions about natural or cultural history, on a five-step scale from no experience to expert.

Every rating has to be backed by your resume. The questionnaire warns that if it is not, “your score will be lowered and/or you will not be considered.” Use the announcement’s words for duties you have actually done, next to the job where you did them.

For the Forest Service version of this process, which uses the same two-page rule, see Forest Service seasonal jobs.

Does the Park Service provide housing for seasonals?

Sometimes, for rent taken from your paycheck every two weeks. The 2027 announcements say “Government housing may be available but is not guaranteed,” and that living in government quarters may be required.

NPS policy explains why. Director’s Order #36 says employees should live in private housing unless it is unavailable or unaffordable within about an hour’s commute. For seasonals, unavailable means no one will rent for the months the season lasts. Rents follow OMB Circular A-45.

Park	Rent	What the park says
Denali	$55–$200 per two-week pay period	Most units shared with separate bedrooms; no pets; local residents generally not eligible
Glacier	$60–$160 every two weeks	Normally able to house seasonals; mostly shared; no pets
Sequoia and Kings Canyon	Varies by location and season	Shared and possibly rustic, likely one roommate in your bedroom; no family or pet housing

Sources: Denali Employee Handbook (updated January 2025) and Employment FAQ; Glacier NPS Paid Positions page; Sequoia and Kings Canyon onboarding page. Accessed Oct 26, 2026.

Check your pay stub. Denali warns that rent deductions sometimes start late, and if rent is not coming out “you could end up with a big bill at the end of the season.”

Ask the hiring park about quarters before you accept. For housed jobs outside the federal system, see seasonal outdoor jobs with housing.

Does veterans’ preference apply, and how do seasonals get rehired?

Yes, preference applies on the 2027 NPS seasonal announcements. Unlike the Forest Service’s 2026 direct-hire seasonal jobs, these use category rating: Best Qualified, Well Qualified and Qualified.

Within each category, preference-eligible veterans go ahead of everyone else, and OPM calls that preference “absolute.” Veterans with a service-connected disability of 10 percent or more go to the top category. Upload your DD-214, and an SF-15 for disability-based claims, with every application.

Once hired, your first season is the hardest to get. Under OPM rule 5 CFR 316.401, a seasonal first hired competitively who works no more than 1,039 hours in a service year can be rehired the next season without competing again.

That limit counts every NPS job you hold that year, anywhere in the Park Service. Working past 1,039 hours, by stacking a summer and a winter job or on a 1,560-hour appointment, can cost you that rehire eligibility.

Seasons also add up toward a permanent job. Under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, more than 24 months of competitive time-limited service, with no single break over two years and acceptable performance, lets you apply to Interior’s internal merit promotion announcements.

Students have other doors. The NPS lists the Pathways Program for current students and recent graduates, plus paid partner internships such as Scientists in Parks, $675 to $775 a week for 12 to 52 weeks. Finishing some internships can bring Public Lands Corps or Resource Assistant hiring eligibility.