If you’re applying for seasonal national park jobs and feeling discouraged, I want you to understand this.... Your first park job is just an entry ticket. It doesn’t have to be your dream job. It just has to get you into the park jobs system. Because once you’re in, getting the job you actually want gets way easier. Case in point... my first job at the Grand Canyon was recycling attendant. Yes. Recycling. I spent my days separating trash from recycling and composting an unhinged amount of food waste. Was it glamorous? Absolutely not. Was it humbling for a 50-something year old who still wears perfect manicures and lip gloss like it’s a moral code? Yup lol! But here’s the thing - I worked my butt off and got promoted from attendant to lead in under two months. And once I had that little bump in rank, I noticed that I started getting more interviews for the roles I actually wanted. **Park hiring has a secret rule** A lot of people aim straight for the coveted front desk position (I get it... cute uniform, climate-controlled, minimal compost trauma). But those roles can be competitive depending on the park and concessionaire. So if you want the quickest route in, go for the high-need roles. The ones that are always hiring because they keep the whole operation standing. And if your previous work experience makes you feel like that’s a “downgrade,” it’s not. This is simply a strategy that took me from $1,100 paychecks to $2,500 checks. (You'll learn how I got there in future articles.) **The fastest-hiring seasonal national park jobs** 1) Housekeeping (Room Attendant / Housekeeper) High demand. Managers hire fast. Reliability matters more than charisma. 2) Public Area Attendant (lobby/restrooms/common areas) Less competition, steady hours, and you’re still part of the guest experience. 3) Dishwasher / Steward Always needed. If you’re consistent, kitchens will adore you forever. 4) Laundry Attendant Simple systems, constant need, strong “steady worker” role.

Almost 30 years ago, I decided I wanted to live in the Grand Canyon. Not “in the town near the Grand Canyon.” Not “a cute hotel with canyon-y views.” I mean IN the actual park. Like… wake up, brush teeth, casually exist next to one of the Seven Wonders. Here’s the part that makes it extra unhinged... at the time, I hadn’t even been there. The closest I’d gotten to Arizona was a Phoenix layover and whatever airport nachos I could emotionally justify. I didn’t even start really exploring the Southwest until 2023… but that little dream? It just sat there patiently waiting, like it knew something I didn’t. And then in May 2025… I finally did it. Yep! I lived in the Grand Canyon for a little over two months — North Rim (aka the quieter, less touristy, higher-elevation side that feels like the Canyon’s introvert twin). I got a job out there, and it came with employee housing inside the park. Which still feels fake to say out loud. And it wasn’t just “cool.” It was one of those experiences that rearranges your insides a little. The first time I pulled over and saw the Canyon in real life, my brain straight up refused to process it. Like, nope, that’s a backdrop. That’s a painting somebody commissioned. It took me a couple weeks to fully accept - this is not art. This is geology showing off. Then came the night sky. The first night I sat outside with my stargazing binoculars - whew! I’m talking a disrespectful amount of stars. Like the universe was being dramatic on purpose. Stars blinking... shooting... doing the cha-cha slide and whatnot. (And yes, I’m aware this makes me sound like someone who owns crystals and says “downloads,” but I swear I saw more than one UFO. 😅 Or… a "satellite," if that helps you sleep better at night lol.) In my free time, I learned how to hike the North Kaibab trial - one of the most strenuous trails in the Canyon. There's a sign that says, "You don't have to go down, but you have to come back up." I didn't understand how funny in a wheezing, leg-shaking-kind-of-way, that sign was.