Denali National Park and Preserve offers unique summer employment opportunities to teenagers.
This program is open to all applicants ages 15 through 18. Applicants must have parental or guardian consent to participate in the program.
In 2021 YCCers will be paid a special remote park Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) wage of $13.09 per hour and work for 8 weeks (roughly June 13, 2021 to August 7, 2021). The park will fill as many as six YCC positions in 2021, as described below
Jump to application info, at the bottom of the page.
Position Descriptions
Do You Enjoy Working Outdoors?
Trails Department (3 or 4 positions)
This position works for the Trails crew of Denali National Park and Preserve. Work is performed outdoors in all weather conditions and is physically challenging. Duties may include hiking as many as 8 miles per day with a 20-pound backpack, trail brushing, clearing drains, repairing trail tread, hauling materials, transplanting native vegetation, digging, installing signs, and collecting data. Tool use may include shovels, picks, sledges, rakes, wheelbarrows, and hand tools. This position may include light custodial work. YCCers are responsible for actively participating in safety trainings, adhering to safety policies, and wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when required.
- Position Requirements: by June 13, 2021, must be at least 15 years old (to work 8-hour days) or at least 16 years old (to work 10-hour days); the length of workday to be determined soon. Must be younger than 19 years old for the entire time between June 13, 2021 and August 7, 2021.
- Work Schedule: 8- or 10-hour days, 4 days per week (Monday to Thursday), for a total of 32 to 40 hours per week. Pandemic-related social distancing during travel to and from work may require YCCers to report to work not at the park proper but at the Oxbow Trailhead at Mile 231.1 of the George Parks Highway; details to be determined soon.
Do you enjoy sharing Denali National Park and Preserve with others?
Interpretation Division: Denali Visitor Center (DVC) (1 position)
Staff the Denali Visitor Center front desk and provide quality customer service and orientation to park visitors. Work includes answering trip planning questions, sharing safety information, and working with Junior Rangers. Rove the Denali Visitor Center Campus, Riley Creek Campground, and front country trails to greet visitors, answer questions, share safety information, and provide informal interpretation. Staff a “touch table” based on natural or cultural history topics, for example, a focus on animal tracks and scat or moose, and talk with visitors about park resources (topic and props may be based on employee’s interests).
Research and develop a short talk (as long as 10 minutes) to deliver to visitors at the Denali Visitor Center or at picnic tables at the Savage River. Assist with projects as assigned and shadow park staff in a variety of disciplines. Required are an interest in talking with people and a positive outlook on customer service.
- Position Requirements: must be at least 15 years old and younger than 19 years old for the entire time between June 13, 2021 and August 7, 2021.
- Work Schedule: per each two-week pay period, eight, 9-hour days and one, 8-hour day; can be flexible, but 9 days every two weeks.
Do You Enjoy Working with Dogs?
Kennels (1 position):
Assist with all aspects of the care, feeding, exercise, and training of 28 active Alaskan huskies weighing between 60 and 90 pounds. Assist with all aspects of dog yard, pen, and equipment maintenance as needed. Assist with informal interpretation and safety in the dog yard before, after, and between demonstrations for the visiting public. Assist with the delivery of formal interpretive programs and dog sled demonstrations, including handling and harnessing dogs for the run. (YCCers do not drive the summer demo cart.) Assist with raising and training puppies born during the season. This position requires extensive physical labor outdoors in all weather conditions. Applicants must be comfortable working with large, energetic sled dogs, talking with visitors, and performing physical tasks.
- Position Requirements: must be at least 15 years old and younger than 19 years old for the entire time between June 13, 2021 and August 7, 2021.
- Work Schedule: 8 hours, Monday through Friday
How to Apply
- Enrollees must be able to commute from home to the program site. Park housing is not available.
- Important: In the essay question portion of your application, please rate, 1 to 3 (with 1 your top choice), your preferences among the three park areas offering YCC positions for summer 2021: Trails, Interpretation, and Kennels.
The park will make selections based on applicants’ desired position priority list and input from school staff. We hope to be able to match applicants with the work experience they desire. If two applicants are equally matched for a position, the park will use a random drawing method to make the selection. The park will give preference to local applicants; first preference will go to local applicants who have not yet participated in YCC, and second preference will go to local applicants who previously have participated in YCC. Applicants who are not local then will be considered.
- Download an application form. Application forms are also available from the Denali National Park and Preserve Human Resources Office and from all high school guidance offices in the Denali Borough School District.
- Please return your application via e-mail or regular mail (pandemic-related concerns dictate that no applications be hand-delivered to the park) to
- DENA_HR_Requests [at] nps.gov or
- Attn: Cass Ray, Human Resources Office
National Park Service--YCC
P. O. Box 126
Denali Park, AK 99755
- Applications must be received via e-mail by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 26, 2021 or postmarked by Friday, February 26, 2021. In order for the applicant to be considered for positions, mailed applications must be received by Monday, March 8, 2021. Applicants will be contacted beginning Tuesday, March 9, 2021.
- Individuals selected for participation in the program must have a Social Security number. Social Security card applications are available from the Social Security Office located at 101 12th Ave., Fairbanks, and should be filed as soon as possible to allow time for processing.
- For more information about how to apply, please contact Denali YCC Coordinator Cass Ray at Denali National Park and Preserve Human Resources at (907) 683-9533 or email the YCC coordinator.
Enrollee Eligibility
People, 15 through 18 years of age, who are permanent residents of the United States, its territories or possessions, are eligible for employment without regard to social, economic, racial, or ethnic backgrounds.
To be eligible, youth must:
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- Be at least 15 years of age by June 13, 2021 and not reach 19 years of age during employment as a YCCer;
- Be a permanent resident of the continental United States, its territories, possessions, or trust territories;
- Possess a Social Security card and have a work permit before the first working day of the YCC program; the park will process the work permit; and
- Have housing because park housing is not available.
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