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How much do national park guide jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 5, 2026, the average hourly pay for national park guide in the United States is $17.27, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $12.98 and $21.15 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a National Park Guide do?

A national park guide provides information and tours to guests in national parks and other visitor or recreation areas cared for by the federal government. Your specific job duties vary, depending on your assigned location and the season. Those who work in a national park describe the various plants and animals that live within the park to visitors. You explain park rules and safety protocols, as well as provide tips on how to enjoy the park without damaging any part of the landscaping. Some park guides lead tour groups down specific paths through the park while recounting the history of different events that occurred there. Spring and summer seasons are usually busy with campers and hikers; in the winter, you assist with maintenance and inspect areas that may need repair. National park guides at other visitor centers have similar roles, except their primary focus is a monument or other recreation area.

What does a National Park Guide do?

A National Park Guide leads visitors through national parks, providing information about the park's natural features, wildlife, history, and regulations. They conduct educational tours, answer questions, and help ensure the safety and enjoyment of guests. National Park Guides often tailor their presentations to different audiences and may lead hikes, nature walks, or interpretive programs. Their role is to enhance the visitor experience while promoting conservation and responsible behavior in the park.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a National Park Guide, and why are they important?

To thrive as a National Park Guide, you need in-depth knowledge of natural and cultural history, interpretive skills, and often a background in environmental science, biology, or education. Familiarity with GPS devices, first aid certification, and visitor management systems is typically required. Strong communication, enthusiasm, and the ability to engage diverse groups are critical soft skills in this role. These competencies ensure visitor safety, foster appreciation for the park, and enhance the overall visitor experience.

What are some common challenges faced by National Park Guides, and how do they overcome them?

National Park Guides often encounter challenges such as unpredictable weather, managing diverse groups of visitors with varying interests and abilities, and ensuring safety in remote or rugged environments. Guides overcome these challenges by staying well-prepared, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of park regulations and conditions, and developing strong communication and problem-solving skills. They also receive training in first aid and emergency response, which helps them handle unexpected situations effectively while providing a memorable and safe experience for all guests.

What is the difference between National Park Guide vs Park Ranger?

AspectNational Park GuidePark Ranger
CredentialsMay require guides' certifications, interpretive trainingTypically requires law enforcement or conservation certifications
Work EnvironmentTourist-focused, guiding visitors on trails and attractionsEnforcement, conservation, and visitor safety in parks
Employer & IndustryTour companies, national parks, private guidesNational parks, government agencies, conservation organizations
Search & Comparison IntentVisitors seeking guided tours, educational experiencesIndividuals interested in park management, enforcement, conservation

While both roles work within national parks, a National Park Guide primarily focuses on leading tours and educating visitors, often requiring interpretive certifications. In contrast, a Park Ranger has broader responsibilities including enforcement, conservation, and ensuring park safety. Both roles are essential for park operations but serve different visitor and management needs.

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National Park Guide jobs near you
Infographic showing various National Park Guide job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 75% Full Time, 20% Part Time, 3% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 95% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $35,919 per year, or $17.3 per hour.

Park Ranger (Interpretation)

Contact Us - National Parks of New York Harbor (U.S. National Park Service)

Johnson City, TX • On-site

$41K/yr

Full-time, Part-time

Posted 18 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • serve as a Park Ranger (Interpretation) within the National Park Service.

  • perform duties related to interpretation, education, and outreach about park resources.

  • carry out responsibilities associated with park management and visitor engagement as part of the role.

Job description

You will serve as a Park Ranger (Interpretation) with the National Park Service.
Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work a maximum of 50 weeks, and you will be in a non-pay status for approximately 1 pay period (2 weeks) in the service year.Qualifications:All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 09/01/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level:

  • Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park related work. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: Park Guide or tour leader; environmental educator or teacher; law enforcement or investigative work; archeological or historical preservation research work; forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area; management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations. Your resume must include hours worked per week to receive credit for your specialized experience, or you will be found not qualified and removed from consideration for this position. -OR-
  • Education: Successful completion of at least a 4 year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with 24 semester hours of related course work in a major study such as: natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection. -OR-
  • Combination of education and experience. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. For example, I have 6 months of the specialized experience described in A above (50% of the experience requirement), and 3 years of college study from an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education) which included at least 12 semester hours of related coursework as specified in B above (50% of the related coursework required). PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection.
To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level:
  • Specialized Experience Requirement: You must possess one year of specialized experience from the public or private sector, equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park related work. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: Park Guide or tour leader; environmental educator or teacher; law enforcement or investigative work; archeological or historical preservation research work; forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area; management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations. Your resume must include hours worked per week to receive credit for your specialized experience, or you will be found not qualified and removed from consideration for this position. -OR-
  • Education: Successful completion of one full year of graduate study in one of the following fields: natural resource management, natural sciences, marine biology/sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, wetlands ecology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. (One year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours). PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection. -OR-
  • Superior Academic Achievement: Grade point average of B (a G.P.A. 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 years of undergraduate study; A grade-point average of B+ (a G.P.A. of 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses you completed in the last two years; Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision; or Membership in National Honor Societies. NOTE: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate coursework (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an Honor Society. PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection. -OR-
  • Combination of education and experience: To combine education and experience, first determine the percentage of experience held by dividing the number of months of qualifying full-time experience possessed by 12 and then multiplying by 100. Then determine the percentage of qualifying graduate level education completed by dividing the number of credits completed by 18, then multiply by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection.
Education:

QUALIFICATIONS CONTINUED:
To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level:

  • Specialized experience requirement: You mustpossess one year of specialized experience from the public or private sector, equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park related work. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: Park Guide or tour leader; environmental educator or teacher; law enforcement or investigative work; archeological or historical preservation research work; forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area; management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations. Your resume must include hours worked per week to receive credit for your specialized experience, or you will be found not qualified and removed from consideration for this position. -OR-
  • Education: Successful completion of two years of graduate level study which is directly related to the work of the position. Examples of related education include but are not limited to; natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. Two years of graduate study is considered to be 36 semester hours. PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection. -OR-
  • Combination of education and experience: To combine education and experience, first determine the percentage of experience held by dividing the number of months of qualifying full time experience possessed by 12 and then multiplying by 100. Then determine the percentage of qualifying graduate level education completed by dividing the number of credits completed by 36, then multiply by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection.

Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
EDUCATION:
You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.


Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualificationsEmployment Type: OTHER

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