What does a park aide do?
A park aide is an administrative or grounds support staff in a park whose duties will vary according to the department in which they are posted. Park aides working in customer service interact with visitors to guide and give information or tour guides. Those working on the grounds may be assigned conservation and recreational duties or cleaning, while those in administration will be responsible for a variety of administrative roles such as working on outreach programs, visitor registration, or revenue collection.
Park aide responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real park aide resumes:
- Provide leadership and supervision by managing day-to-day operations for a county park facility.
- Enter data onto PC and then run daily reports.
- process payments and perform routine clerical duties; provide first aid or CPR as needed
- Operate all forms of landscaping equipment such as weed eaters, mowers, and BCS sickle bar mower.
- General labor includes, lawn mowing, tree trimming, garbage removal, setting and fixing the irrigation system as needed.
- Assist with maintaining the park by mowing, trimming, cleaning restrooms, cutting trees, and also maintaining park equipment.
- Conduct individual exercise instruction as prescribed by supervising therapist, significantly resulting in improving the overall well being of many patients.
- Plan activities base on assign student's IEP to encourage appropriate independence and facilitate/support student's participation in all activities.
Park aide skills and personality traits
We calculated that 27% of Park Aides are proficient in GRASS, General Grounds, and Various Maintenance. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Management skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Park Aides that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- GRASS, 27%
Mowed, edged, and trimmed lawns using tools such as mowers, weed whacker, edger and watered grass.
- General Grounds, 8%
Completed general grounds maintenance such as weed eating, trail clearing, and picking up litter at Flaming Geyser State Park.
- Various Maintenance, 7%
Maintain park lawns using a mower, weed eater, trimmer, and various maintenance tools.
- Golf Carts, 7%
Inform guests of course etiquette rules and the proper operation of golf carts.
- Mowing, 6%
Maintained the park grounds by mowing, picking up trash, weed eating, etc.
- Hand Tools, 6%
Repaired fences, signs, performed trail cleanup, re-vegetation, and resource maintenance related projects using basic hand tools.
Most park aides use their skills in "grass," "general grounds," and "various maintenance" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential park aide responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a park aide to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "conservation scientists and foresters must be able to evaluate results from field tests and experiments to determine potential impacts on soil, forest lands, and the spread of fires." Additionally, a park aide resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "entered data onto pc and then ran daily reports. "
Management skills. Another essential skill to perform park aide duties is management skills. Park aides responsibilities require that "conservation scientists and foresters must be able to lead the forest and conservation workers and technicians they supervise." Park aides also use management skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "performed interpretive duties, management and protection of natural resources, and promoted safe use of the park for visitors. "
The three companies that hire the most park aides are:
- City of Columbus60 park aides jobs
- Ford Motor2 park aides jobs
- Trinity Health2 park aides jobs
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Park aide vs. Activities/volunteer
An activity volunteer is responsible for supporting community activities for the benefit of the citizens and social development in general. Activity volunteers assist in fundraising activities, coordinating with other organizations for sponsorship, recruiting target audience, planning the program outline, and releasing promotional materials, press releases, and media marketing. Activity volunteers must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on negotiating with suppliers and vendors for the activity materials with minimal costs. They should also be able to address the participants' inquiries and concerns and resolve any issues that may arise during the activity preparation.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, park aide responsibilities require skills like "grass," "general grounds," "rakes," and "various maintenance." Meanwhile a typical activities/volunteer has skills in areas such as "community resources," "senior care," "financial statements," and "memory care." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
On average, activities/volunteers reach similar levels of education than park aides. Activities/volunteers are 4.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Park aide vs. Summer camp counselor
Summer camps are programs with different themes organized for children or teenagers during the summer months. Summer camp counselors are responsible for the overall supervision of campers and the planning and implementation of the different programs to give children a memorable experience. It is their responsibility to create a fun, safe, and rewarding environment for each camper. They provide counsel, support, and monitor each camper's individual development. A good summer camp counselor is reliable, honest, and has strong leadership skills.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real park aide resumes. While park aide responsibilities can utilize skills like "grass," "general grounds," "rakes," and "various maintenance," summer camp counselors use skills like "child care," "kids," "work ethic," and "summer camps."
Summer camp counselors may earn a lower salary than park aides, but summer camp counselors earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $30,707. On the other hand, park aides receive higher pay in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $31,703.In general, summer camp counselors achieve similar levels of education than park aides. They're 1.8% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Park aide vs. Activity coordinator
An activity coordinator is someone who creates and plans activities, outings, and events in various settings. Typically, they oversee creating programs, staffing events, and supervising the implementation of activities. They generally report to the activity director or community manager. One of their tasks is to collaborate with directors of studies to schedule the activities. Other tasks include coordinating staff with the activities and informing them of the decisions regularly. Also, they strategize, coordinate, and encourage the members to participate in the activities.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, park aides are more likely to have skills like "grass," "general grounds," "rakes," and "various maintenance." But a activity coordinator is more likely to have skills like "patients," "powerpoint," "memory care," and "mds."
Activity coordinators make a very good living in the government industry with an average annual salary of $38,943. On the other hand, park aides are paid the highest salary in the hospitality industry, with average annual pay of $31,703.Most activity coordinators achieve a similar degree level compared to park aides. For example, they're 4.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Park aide vs. Activities director
An activities director is responsible for planning engaging events for the participants, considering individual interests and the safety of procedures and resources. Activities directors guide the activity staff on assisting the participants, ensuring that they are comfortable with joining the activities. Since most activities directors work at a healthcare facility or elderly institution, they must also monitor the health of the participants by conducting therapeutic activities and evaluate the participants' progress for every program. The activities director must be a critical-thinker, as well as have excellent communication skills to coordinate with facilities personnel for successful activity completion.
Types of park aide
Updated January 8, 2025











