Park Ranger Trainee

The entry point into Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Park Manager career ladder. Year one carries the Park Ranger Trainee title, and years two and three move up to Park Ranger. Trainees attend a Colorado POST-certified law enforcement academy and on completion are certified as Colorado peace officers commissioned at the agency director’s discretion. Follow-on training mixes classroom work with field exercises covering park operations, state laws and regulations, introductory supervision and park management technique. Trainees work within the Field Services Unit and also handle public outreach and interpretive and educational activities with schools, civic groups and sporting clubs. Anyone who accepts an offer must be willing to take an assignment at an assigned state park and stay there at least two years. A residency waiver applies.