Yosemite National Park Volunteer Program

Mission:

Yosemite has a large and vibrant volunteer program, welcoming people from all over the world into positions ranging from visitor information assistants in our visitor centers, to studying rare birds of prey, to picking up litter and building trails. In 2025 we topped over 6,000 volunteers who donated over 96,000 hours of service to the park. Without volunteers, work that is critical to Yosemite could not be completed.Volunteers at Yosemite National Park gain work experience and learn new skills, expand their knowledge about the natural environment and cultural history of the park, and preserve one of America’s greatest natural and cultural legacies for today’s visitors and future generations.

Volunteers at the park play a vital role in many aspects of park operations. They bring wonderful enthusiasm, energy, knowledge, and a diverse perspective to everything.The Yosemite Volunteer Program is organized into three basic types of volunteering–individual, groups, and events or drop-in projects. The types of volunteer work vary for each of these, as does the way positions are posted and potential volunteers apply. International Volunteers (those who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents) must follow some special application procedures. The National Park Service also works with several partners to facilitate volunteering in the park.

Volunteer Needs:

Field work with our vegetation crew from Monday-Thursday. Volunteers at Hetch Hetchy during the Winter and many other recurring volunteer opportunities (Valley Welcome Center, Wildlife Management, Nordic Wilderness Patrol, Campground Hosts). Volunteer groups (clubs, organizations, friends, family) to apply to next year’s group project lottery (gets released every year in February).