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Park Ranger (Wilderness/Backcountry) (Seasonal)

Department of the Interior
National Park Service

Summary

The anticipated Entry on Duty: March - July 2027. but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding.

For more park(s) information, please visit find a park.

Overview

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Accepting applications
This job will close when we have received 400 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$19.52 - $31.43 per hour

Salary does not include locality pay. For specific wage information, reference the OPM Salaries and Wages link in the Additional Information section.

Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 7
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Multiple Schedules - Work schedule is dependent on the position.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Temporary - Not to Exceed 1039
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CAHQ-27-13093191-DE-DLB
Control number
889197200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This announcement is for Pacific West Region {National Parks}. Please refer to the "Location" section to see which National Parks are included on this announcement.

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Duties

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Some of the Standard Duties include but are not limited to:

  • Protection of park resources and visitors through patrols, education and compliance checks, providing information regarding regulations and explaining the importance of resource preservation and protection.
  • Conducts multi-night backcountry/trail patrols. Patrols are conducted by both motorized and non-motorized watercraft and on foot in front country, backcountry, and remote areas of the park.
  • May be providing backcountry orientation, emergency medical services, search and rescue, environmental protection and resource management data collection.
  • May be performing development and delivery of Interpretive talks and tours.
  • Actively promote the safety of park visitors and stewardship of park resources in all interactions, and potentially serve as the initial contact for accident reporting and emergency assistance.
  • Assisting visitors with wilderness trip planning and safety information, issuing permits, discussing Leave No Trace and wilderness regulations, informal educational presentations, data entry, and other office related tasks as assigned.
  • May collects and manage government funds in accordance with law and policy.
Additional duties for GS-5:
  • Teaches others - provides on-the-job training, mentoring and assistance to team members by providing guidance and feedback and direction to accomplish projects and/or daily operations.
Additional duties for GS-7:
  • You will perform duties listed at the GS-5 level as well as provide on-the-job training and assistance to team members.

Crater Lake National Park is located in southern Oregon's Cascade Mountains and encompasses approximately 183,224 acres of volcanic landscapes, old-growth forests, and rugged wilderness. Elevations range from approximately 4,000 to 8,929 feet. Wilderness and backcountry assignments may involve remote hiking, overnight trips, and travel along portions of the Pacific Crest Trail. Heavy snowfall creates a short summer hiking season, with snow often remaining on higher-elevation trails into July. Cell service is unreliable, and shopping, lodging, and other services within the park are limited and seasonal. Klamath Falls, approximately 57 miles from park headquarters, offers additional services.


Mount Rainier National Park is located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington State. The park encompasses 236,381; it rises abruptly from the surrounding land with elevations in the park ranging from 1,600 feet to over 14,000 feet. Eatonville Washington is the closest community providing a medical clinic and grocery store 44 miles from Paradise. All services can be found in Puyallup 65 miles from Paradise. For more information, please visit: https://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm.

North Cascades Duty Locations: Marblemount, Hozomeen (Whatcom County), and Stehekin, WA

Marblemount: A small community with gas stations, restaurants, a post office, and limited services. Concrete, approximately 18 miles away, offers grocery shopping, medical services, and additional stores. Summer temperatures typically reach the 80s, with nighttime lows in the 50s. Annual precipitation averages 84 inches.

Hozomeen: A remote location accessible by a 40-mile gravel road from Hope, British Columbia. There are no local shopping or medical services; the nearest are in Hope. On-site power may be unreliable, and there is no landline or cell service. Communication is primarily by radio or emergency satellite phone, with possible satellite internet access.

Stehekin: Located at the northern end of Lake Chelan and accessible by airplane or a 50-mile boat trip. Ferry and baggage fees may apply. Local services are limited to a restaurant and small gift shop. Groceries, medical care, and other services are available in Chelan. Supplies must be ordered and shipped by boat at the employee's expense. Residential phone service is unavailable.

Olympic National Park is located on Washington's Olympic Peninsula and encompasses approximately 922,650 acres of rugged mountains, temperate rainforests, and Pacific coastline. Approximately 95% of the park is designated wilderness. Backcountry areas may be accessible only by hiking, with limited or no cell service. Weather varies considerably and no roads cross the park, and travel between locations can require considerable driving time.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks protect rugged Sierra Nevada wilderness, giant sequoias, and Mount Whitney. Nearly 97% of the parks are designated wilderness, with elevations ranging from 1,370 to over 14,000 feet and approximately 835 miles of trails. Conditions include steep terrain, freezing temperatures, snow, and hazardous stream crossings, even during summer. Air quality may be poor from May through October due to elevated ozone levels and wildfire smoke. https://www.nps.gov/seki/getinvolved/workwithus.htm

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Males must meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Occupancy of government quarters may be required.
  • Government housing may be available but is not guaranteed.
    • Use find a park to contact specific parks for more information on government housing.
  • You may be required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and/or shift work.
  • You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license will be required in such cases.
    • You must be at least 18 years of age or older to operate government vehicles.
  • You may be required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
  • You must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal employment program.
  • Some locations require pre-employment drug test
  • Emergency Medical Services: Some locations require specific emergency medical certifications, such as Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or higher, Basic Life Support (BLS)/CPR, National Registry Emergency Medical Responder (NREMR), Wilderness First Responder (WFR), Wilderness Emergency Medical Responder (WEMR), or Wilderness EMT (WEMT). Additional details are provided in the announcement questionnaire.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/26/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your 2 page resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess one of the following:

A.
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the duties of this position. 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:

  • park guide or tour leader;
  • environmental educator or teacher;
  • law enforcement or investigative work;
  • archaeological 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;
  • or other similar work.
-OR-
B
. A 4 year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with 24 semester hours of related coursework (one year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours).
-OR-
C
. Equivalent combination of experience and education that, together, equal 100% of the qualification standards listed above when combined.

To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess one of the following:

A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equips the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to:
  • researching and conducting interpretative tours to point out scientific, historic, and natural features of parks, forests, historic sites, or other attractions;
  • performing routine patrol operations;
  • performing resource management tasks and duties supporting the mission of a park or area;
  • providing visitor services such as explaining regulations, answering visitor questions and complaints and providing information about the weather conditions, trip planning, or leave no trace principles;
  • checking special use permits, commercial use authorizations, camping permits, filming permits or similar work.
  • Your experience must include training/mentoring and overseeing lower-graded staff.
-OR-
B.
You must possess one full academic year of graduate education related to the occupation (one year of full-time graduate education is defined as 18 semester hours).
-OR-
C.
Equivalent combination of experience and education that, together, equal 100% of the qualification standards listed above when combined.

Additional Areas of Consideration

In the Announcement Questionnaire, you will have the opportunity to select one or more areas for which you wish to be considered. Your resume must clearly document the required experience to receive consideration.

Backcountry-Wilderness

To be considered for locations requiring backcountry or wilderness experience, your resume must clearly document experience safely hiking and backpacking in remote, rugged wilderness areas under varying environmental conditions, including steep or snow-covered terrain. Depending on the location, requirements may include multi-day backpacking and experience demonstrating the ability to hike up to 15 miles per day while carrying a backpack weighing up to 50 pounds.

Wilderness/Backcountry Navigation

To be considered for locations requiring wilderness or backcountry navigation experience, your resume must clearly document experience navigating wilderness or backcountry areas using a map, compass, and GPS.

Note: This position includes money handling preference for optional consideration. Money handling requires a higher background check.


Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sectors. The OPM Qualification Standards Handbook is available for review at: OPM Qualification Standards.

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.
The employees of the National Park Service care for special places that are the heritage of all Americans. Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service has been dedicated to the preservation and management of this country's outstanding natural, historical, and recreational resources. Park ranger - interpreters connect people to parks. They play a key role in ensuring that visitors have a meaningful, satisfying, and safe park experience, help visitors decide how to spend their time in the park, and inform them about the wonders that await their discovery. Park ranger - interpreters are specially trained to engage the public so that each park visitor can find a personal connection with the meanings and values found in the places and stories of that park. They help visitors explore the many dimensions of parks by introducing them to a variety of perspectives. By providing the opportunity for visitors to care about the places they visit, they promote stewardship and the opportunity for those visitors to care for park resources. National parks are among the most remarkable places in America for recreation, learning, and inspiration. The work done by park ranger-interpreters through effective interpretive and educational programs encourages the development of a personal stewardship ethic and broadens public support for preserving and protecting park resources, so that they may be enjoyed by present and future generations.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign education programs and that (1) deemed your education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program, or (2) given full credit for courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The salary range on this vacancy does not grant an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Click here for the OPM Salaries and Wages to calculate locality pay.

Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE 1039 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS).

If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment combined total of 1039 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1039 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility.

The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1039 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1039 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM.

*This position may be filled under a temporary seasonal appointment not-to-exceed 1560 hours rather than 1039 hours depending on the park and program*

Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work involves extensive periods of standing and walking, and in some cases, over rough surfaces or inclines carrying backpacks, tools, rescue equipment, etc.

These positions require hiking and backpacking in backcountry settings. Requirements vary by location:

Mount Rainier National Park: Hiking up to 15 miles per day while carrying a 45-pound pack.
North Cascades National Park: Hiking and backpacking up to 10 miles per day in varied environmental conditions, including over snow, while carrying loads up to 50 pounds.
Olympic National Park: Backpack and hike over steep terrain, hiking up to 15 miles per day while carrying a backpack weighing up to 50 pounds.


WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work is performed in settings in which there is regular and recurring exposure to moderate discomforts and unpleasantness (e.g. high or low temperatures, confined spaces or adverse weather conditions).

All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures.These procedures place candidates with veterans' preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10-percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position.
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job.
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • First Response
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Leadership
  • Spatial Orientation
  • Technical Competence

Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified. To meet the definition of well-qualified, you must (1) score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire; (2) meet the minimum qualification requirements (education, experience or a combination therein), including any selective placement factors; and (3) be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry with reasonable accommodation, when applicable.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

National Park Service

The Department of the Interior protects and manages the Nation's natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island Communities. Click here to learn more about the Department of the Interior and its bureaus.

The mission of the National Park Service is to preserve the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. You can make a difference by bringing your unique experience, background, and perspective to our work. Click here to learn more about the National Park Service.

Please visit find a park for additional park information.

Agency contact information

DOI Seasonal Temp Team
Email
seasonaltempteam@ios.doi.gov
Address
Seasonal Staffing Office-Pacific West Region
333 Bush Street - Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94104
US

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