What Does a Park Ranger Do?

If you love being outdoors, enjoy history, prefer being active to sitting at a desk and want to do something meaningful with your career, consider becoming a park ranger. These officials work for the National Park Service but also for state and local parks. Some are law enforcement officers, while others are more focused on education.

A park ranger job description varies depending on the position, employer and location, but there are some general duties they all have in common. Park rangers are responsible for protecting parks and natural resources, protecting visitors and working with, guiding and educating visitors.

Where Do Park Rangers Work?

While the general duties of a park ranger are fairly consistent across jobs and job descriptions, there is some variation. Much of the differences in duties depend on location and employment. For instance, a park ranger working in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park will have significantly different day-to-day tasks than a ranger working at Independence Hall National Historical Park in the heart of Philadelphia.

As their job title suggests, park rangers work in parks, but this leaves a lot of room for options. Some of the main employers of park rangers are:

National Park Service
Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Reclamation
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
State parks and park departments
State departments of natural resources or wildlife
State forests and campgrounds
County and municipal parks and departments

What is the Work Environment Like for a Park Ranger?

The actual work environment can be very different for park rangers, depending on their job title, duties and location. Even within a park, a ranger may be in different settings and working in various conditions depending on need, scheduling and staff availability.

Many rangers work outdoors in all kinds of weather and climates, from desert parks to cold, mountain parks. They work outside in rain, snow, heat and cold. At other times, rangers work indoors, in education and interpretive centers, at campgrounds, or at visitor centers and welcome booths at park entrances. They may work alone at times, with other rangers, with volunteers or with park visitors.

The Two Types of Park Rangers

Park ranger job descriptions vary depending on the type of ranger. Most rangers fall roughly into one of two broad categories, although there can be some overlap:

Law enforcement or protection park rangers. These types of rangers typically have a background or education in law enforcement, criminal justice or some type of first responder training. Many protection park rangers are law enforcement officers, responsible for patrolling parks. There are also subcategories within this type. These include rangers who do search and rescue, provide emergency medical services or fight fires.

Education and interpretive park rangers. Interpretive rangers provide educational services for park visitors. They give visitors practical information such as maps and guidance on hiking or camping, weather forecasts and timetables. They also develop and lead educational programs based on teaching visitors about history, natural history, science, nature and other topics.

Duties of Protection Park Rangers

To work in law enforcement as a park ranger, you may need a related degree such as in criminal justice, or prior law enforcement or military experience. Some parks, including the National Park Service, have training academies for new protection rangers. Rangers in search and rescue or emergency services also need special training.

Even within this category of park ranger, there is a lot of variation in job duties. These are some examples of what these rangers do:

Patrol park grounds
Enforce laws within the parks
Make arrests and issue tickets
Manage crowds
Perform building safety checks
Respond to emergency calls
Investigate accidents and crimes within parks
Educate park visitors about the laws and park rules and regulations
Train and work with K-9 officers
Perform search and rescue operations
Fight fires

What Education and Interpretive Park Rangers Do

Rangers who focus on interpretation and education may work indoors some days at nature centers or visitor centers. Other days, they may be outside leading park visitors. They have multiple duties:

Collecting entry fees and providing logistical and weather information at entry booths and welcome centers
Providing information on the park, conditions, and services at visitor centers
Taking visitors on guided tours
Answering questions about the park
Giving demonstrations or performing in historical reenactments
Developing and leading special educational programming for visitors of all ages
Leading groups of volunteers in activities such as cleaning up the park or managing invasive plants
Teaching visitors about park safety procedures and rules

Other Park Ranger Duties

Many park rangers are not solely in protection or education. They have a variety of roles on the job depending on what is needed. Parks with fewer staff are more likely to delegate these tasks to rangers or to expect rangers to perform a wider variety of duties. Some of the other things that park rangers may do include:

Clearing and maintaining park trails and campgrounds
Setting fire for controlled burns
Taking precautions to prevent forest fires
Assisting wildlife managers and scientists in research and management of wild animals
Collecting environmental or ecological information within the park
Writing reports
Performing administrative tasks in park offices
Updating and maintaining park websites and social media accounts
Training and overseeing interns and new rangers
Participating in conservation programs and efforts

Urban vs. Rural Park Rangers

The work that park rangers do on a daily basis can be generalized to protection, education, science research, conservation and preservation, but there is a lot of difference depending on the park of employment. In urban parks rangers may have fewer outdoor duties and may spend more time educating visitors than engaging in law enforcement activities.

In large, more rural parks there is a greater need for protection and safety. In these parks there is more likely to be a division between rangers who focus on law enforcement and protection, and those who interact with and educate visitors. Larger parks in rural areas also have rangers who spend a lot of time in the backcountry. These rangers spend days or weeks outdoors maintaining trails, managing wildlife and patrolling. They must be able to camp, stay safe and survive in the wilderness.

The job duties of a park ranger vary depending on the park, employer and specific job title. If you are more interested in education or law enforcement, that preference will determine your steps toward a new career in parks. Check with parks and park services to find out what you need to do to prepare for a career as a ranger in your chosen field.