How to hire a park ranger

How to hire a park ranger, step by step

Here's a step-by-step park ranger hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a park ranger job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new park ranger
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a park ranger do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your park ranger job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a park ranger for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A park ranger's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, park rangers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of park rangers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Park Ranger	Description	Hourly rate
   Park Ranger	Conservation scientists and foresters manage the overall land quality of forests, parks, rangelands, and other natural resources.	$10-34
   Naturalist	Naturalists are people who educate the public on environmental-related matters. The core responsibilities of this position are preserving, restoring, maintaining, and protecting natural habitat... Show more	$11-35
   Ranger	A ranger is responsible for protecting and conserving natural resources and environmental conditions. Rangers coordinate with environmental institutions and landowners to identify land conservation strategies to prevent destructible threats of wildfires and calamities... Show more	$11-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patrol
   • Customer Service
   • CPR
   • Public Safety
   • Interpretive Programs
   • Rangers
   • Emergency Situations
   • Reservations
   • Visitor Services
   • Fee Collection
   • Cultural Resources
   • Field Training
   • Cleanliness
   • Cultural History

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead ranger-guided canoe, kayak, and bike tours as well as nature walks and hikes.
   • Manage rental property for RV property which include maintaining logs for permanent tenants and for visiting tenants.
   • Manage emergency calls, medical incidents, and SAR operations, including coordinating responses with local agencies and other park departments.
   • Manage and staff park entrance station facilitating camping reservations and assisting day use visitors.
   • Evaluate students on leadership, time management, organization and ability to accomplish missions.
   • Maintain POS and ticketing system.

   More park ranger duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the park ranger job description is a good way to get more applicants. A park ranger salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a park ranger in Iowa may be lower than in Delaware, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level park ranger. Additionally, a park ranger with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average park ranger salary

   $40,801yearly

   $19.62 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level park ranger salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average park ranger salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$55,051	$26
   2	California	$53,206	$26
   3	Massachusetts	$43,535	$21
   4	Maryland	$43,446	$21
   5	Michigan	$41,316	$20
   6	Arizona	$39,884	$19
   7	Texas	$38,277	$18
   8	New Mexico	$38,058	$18
   9	Washington	$37,002	$18
   10	Minnesota	$36,445	$18
   11	Missouri	$34,271	$16
   12	Arkansas	$33,652	$16
   13	Utah	$33,430	$16
   14	Florida	$33,195	$16
   15	Georgia	$32,713	$16
   16	Colorado	$32,047	$15

   Average park ranger salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	National Park Foundation	$58,732	$28.24
   2	Jefferson County Sheriffs Dept	$56,813	$27.31
   3	Forest Manufacturing Co	$55,226	$26.55
   4	Bureau of Land Management	$53,277	$25.61
   5	Washington State University	$50,536	$24.30
   6	Marin Water	$50,524	$24.29
   7	City of Oak Park	$49,906	$23.99
   8	City of Los Angeles	$48,015	$23.08
   9	City of Baltimore	$47,852	$23.01
   10	City of Round Rock	$46,938	$22.57
   11	New York State Restaurant Association	$46,303	$22.26
   12	City of Jacksonville	$46,252	$22.24
   13	City of Springfield	$44,596	$21.44	2
   14	City of Peoria	$43,494	$20.91
   15	City of Austin	$42,846	$20.60
   16	City Of Rancho Mirage	$42,461	$20.41
   17	United States Army Corps of Engineers	$42,296	$20.33
   18	Town of Davie, FL	$41,505	$19.95
   19	Colorado State Express	$40,256	$19.35
   20	Dakota Holding Corporation	$40,256	$19.35

4. Writing a park ranger job description

   A job description for a park ranger role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a park ranger job description:

   Park ranger job description example

   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Works under the general supervision of the Park Ranger Manager to patrol and monitor City's parks and park facilities. Promotes public safety and ensures proper use of facility equipment at different park locations. Provides consumer service and acts as a source of information and assistance to inform the public of park information and rules. Assists with maintaining park cleanliness, handles public inquiries, and complaints to provide quality customer assistance. Resolves all health, safety, and environmental issues for the division. Implements programs, policies, and procedures associated with the recognition, measurement, evaluation, and control of chemical, physical, and biological health hazards. Conducts minor investigations and issue citations when needed. Provides crowd control and parking control functions at City sponsored events. Travels to different parks throughout the city to patrol and inspect for unsafe and deteriorating conditions. Complete incident reports and other routine documentation. Uses radio communication equipment to relay information to dispatch and to request assistance from MPD, MFD, or other agencies as required.
   OTHER FUNCTIONS:
   
   Performs additional functions (essential or otherwise) which may be assigned.
   
   TYPICAL PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Must be able to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing. Requires some lifting and carrying objects. Requires the ability to operate a computer, basic office equipment such as a copier, hand held devices, and smartphones. Requires the ability to operate an automobile.
   
   TYPICAL WORKING CONDITIONS: Frequent travel to various work sites throughout the City may be required. May be expose to different weather conditions including exposure to dust, pollen, noise, and etc.
   
   MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: High School diploma and three (3) years of working experience with the general public; or any combination of experience and training which enables one to perform the essential job functions. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license as a condition of continued employment. Associate's degree strongly preferred.
   
   Additional Information
   
   * Posting Date: Oct 11, 2022
   
   Compensation
   
   * Minimum Salary: US Dollar (USD) 16.6
   * Maximum Salary : US Dollar (USD) 24.73
   * Pay Basis: Hourly

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find park rangers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any park rangers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level park rangers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your park ranger job on Zippia to find and recruit park ranger candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting park rangers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new park ranger

   Once you've selected the best park ranger candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new park ranger first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a park ranger?