Park Rangers
Career summary
Park rangers manage, operate, and maintain parks and park areas. Their job duties may vary depending on their education level, experience, and training, and the type of park at which they are employed.Park rangers protect and maintain the park grounds and facilities, monitor and manage the park's natural resources, assist visitors, and provide educational information. They also collect park fees, provide crowd and traffic control, assist with search and rescue operations, and enforce park rules and applicable state and federal laws. Many rangers supervise other rangers or park staff. In larger parks, rangers may specialize in certain areas such as resource management; park administration; park protection (such as working as a lifeguard, or park patrol or police ranger); historical preservation; building, road, and trail maintenance; park interpretation; environmental education; or fire fighting.
Related careers
This career is part of the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources cluster of careers.
Related careers include:
Education and training
Educational programs
Currently, there are no accredited training programs available for this occupation.
Training
To work as a park ranger, you must:
- have a high school diploma or equivalent;
- complete a bachelor's degree in parks and recreation or a life science field;
- complete law enforcement training;
- enjoy working outdoors; and;
- have good interpersonal skills.
Education after high school
Most park rangers have a bachelor's degree. Several fields of study provide a good background for this occupation. These include anthropology, archaeology, biology, botany, conservation, ecology, environmental science, forestry, geology, history, horticulture, natural resources, outdoor recreation, park management, recreation, wildlife, and zoology.
Work experience
Experience working in a park is very helpful in this field. While in high school or college, you might volunteer at a park, work for the forest service, or complete an internship.
Helpful high school courses
You should take a general high school curriculum that meets the state's graduation requirements . You will be required to take both math and science classes to graduate.
Helpful electives to take in high school that prepare you for this career include:
- Anthropology
- Forestry
- Natural Resources Management
- Plant and Soil Science
- U.S. History
The courses listed above are meant to help you create your high school plan. If you have not already done so, talk to a school counselor or parent about the courses you are considering taking.
You should also check with a teacher or counselor to see if work-based learning opportunities are available in your school and community. These might include field trips, job shadowing, internships, and actual work experience. The goal of these activities is to help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.
Join some groups, try some hobbies, or volunteer with an organization that interests you. By participating in activities you can have fun, make new friends, and learn about yourself. Maybe one of them will help direct you to a future career. Examples of activities and groups that may be available in your high school or community are here .
Things to know
Park rangers may work for city, county, state, or federal government agencies. Federal or state park rangers in particular, often work long or irregular hours and on weekends and holidays. Many park ranger jobs are seasonal. Since law enforcement has become an important aspect of state and federal park jobs, rangers must be willing to confront, possibly arrest, and process people who violate park rules. This requires rangers to carry firearms and use them if necessary. Park rangers must also wear a uniform.
Experience, training, or skills in some or all of the following areas are helpful: customer service, oral and written communications, public speaking, basic computer skills, operation of cash registers or tills, equipment operation (such as tractors, backhoes, riding mowers, or chainsaws), vehicle and equipment maintenance, and grounds and facility maintenance. Leadership and supervisory skills are also important. Outdoor recreation activities such as hiking, camping, climbing, fishing, boating, kayaking, and search and rescue operations provide useful experience as well.
Wages vary depending on the employer, job location, and the applicant's experience and training. In Washington, the average entry-level wage for conservation scientists is $3,863 per month ($22.29 per hour). Half of all conservation scientists earn between $4,135 and $6,135 per month ($23.85 and $35.40 per hour).
Working for the State of Washington, a park ranger 1 earns between $3,249 and $4,361 per month ($18.67 and $25.06 per hour). This is considered an in-training job classification. After about 18 months and successful completion of the in-training plan, workers are promoted to a park ranger 2. The pay range for this position is between $3,664 and $4,929 per month ($21.06 and $28.33 per hour).
The recent downturn in the economy and budget cuts at many parks departments at all levels of government is expected to create more competition for jobs. However, many federal park rangers will retire within the next five years and these positions will need to be refilled. In addition, there should continue to be openings for seasonal jobs. Workers interested in federal park jobs should be willing to relocate in order to find work. Due to limited funding to hire more staff, some parks are recruiting additional volunteers to assist with a backlog of park repair, maintenance, and other related tasks. This can provide opportunities for people interested in this field to gain valuable experience and skills.
#updated wages cited above 4/5/19 cj.
Licensing/certification
Park rangers who work for federal or state government agencies must meet the following general requirements:
- have a high school diploma or equivalent;
- complete a bachelor's degree in natural resource management, natural sciences, or a related field;
- be a US citizen;
- be at least 21 years of age;
- pass a background and/or security investigation check;
- pass a fitness test;
- pass a drug screening test;
- complete approved law enforcement training; and
- have a valid driver's license.
Most employers require workers to get first aid certification. Some workers may also need to obtain licenses that apply to one or more of the following areas: pesticide application, asbestos or hazardous waste handling, water or wastewater treatment, and a commercial driver's license (CDL).
Other resources
PO Box 151432
Alexandria, VA 22315
National Park Service
Pacific West Region
333 Bush Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94104
415.623.2100
National Recreation and Park Association
22377 Belmont Ridge Road
Ashburn, VA 20148
800.626.6772
703.858.0784
National Treasury Employees Union
1750 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
202.572.5500
Park Law Enforcement Association
4397 McCullough St.
Port Charlotte, FL 33948
425 Barlow Place, Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20814
301.897.9770
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Washington Recreation and Park Association
2150 North 107th Street, Suite 205
Seattle, WA 98133
888.459.0009
206.367.8777
References
Career cluster
Career path
- Social
O*Net job zone
Job Zone 4 - Considerable preparation needed. A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
DOT occupation
Holland occupational cluster
- Social/Realistic/Investigative
COPSystem
- Outdoor