Paid Positions

Employment on the Blue Ridge Parkway is governed by federal regulations through the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. The most comprehensive information on federal jobs in national park areas can be found on one of the following websites: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ & http://www.nps.gov

Park Ranger and  Maintenance positions have been posted here and on usajobs.opm.gov throughout the winter. Applicants chosen for these temporary, seasonal positions can expect to be notified in March or April.

Volunteers

Many people find that volunteering in the National Park Service is an ideal way to help preserve the natural and cultural features of the parks and spend quality time in meaningful jobs.  Depending on the season, the Parkway districts have volunteers performing routine maintenance work, rehabilitating trails, serving as a host in one of the Parkway's nine campgrounds, using photographic skills to add to our park files, doing historical research or working in district libraries.

These volunteers provide tens of thousands of hours of valuable service each year and are instrumental in the protection and preservation of the park. VIPs can be anyone, from college students to retirees, from business people who need weekend projects to the local garden club that wants to lend its services to help beautify a developed area. They can work as much or as little as they want, and whenever they want, as long as it is agreed upon between the volunteer and the supervisor. The park is also open to any new ideas and projects that a potential VIP might propose.

If you are interested in volunteering for the Parkway, here's what you need to do:

• Write or call to request an application from the VIP coordinator at: Blue Ridge Parkway, 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, N.C. 28803 or telephone (828) 271-4779, extension 242.

• Complete the application and return it to the Parkway. Be specific in describing your talents, skills, job interests and areas along the Parkway where you would like to work. Each area along the Parkway has its own needs and is looking for volunteers with the skills and talents to accomplish certain tasks.

• Include a letter if you feel the application does not permit you to provide enough information about yourself, or if you have questions about the park's VIP program. Be sure to state whether you will need park housing, although it is important to remember that housing is rarely available. If you can live in your own motor home or trailer, but would require certain utility hook-ups in the park, please say so.

• The VIP coordinator will review your application and forward your application to the appropriate supervisors who make the actual selections. If your particular talents and skills appear to be ones that the Parkway needs, you will be contacted to discuss further details.

If selected to join the ranks of VIPs, you and the Parkway employee who will supervise you will then sign an agreement describing your duties and responsibilities, outline a tentative work schedule, and detail other conditions of the working arrangement. After appropriate training and orientation, you will begin work as the newest volunteer for the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of thousands of Volunteers in Parks--a VIP. Truly, a Very Important Person.