Volunteer

Make a Monumental Impact

Volunteers in National Park Service (NPS) sites support parks and their employees in two missions: protecting America's natural and cultural resources and providing recreational opportunities for the public.

At Gateway Arch National Park, our Volunteers-in-Parks (VIP) program seeks to build a corps of park stewards who reflect the diverse nature of our community to keep the park vital and welcoming for everyone. We offer a wide array of volunteer opportunities that are engaging, rewarding, and mutually beneficial to the VIP and Gateway Arch. Our volunteer program is co-managed by Gateway Arch National Park and Gateway Arch Park Foundation.

Volunteers play an irreplaceable role in many aspects of the park, including:

• Providing customer service to visitors
• Building and implementing educational programs to the public
• Maintaining the Arch grounds to ensure they remain vital and welcoming
• Working with park staff to protect the invaluable artifacts and archives that are used to share the history of Westward Expansion

Benefits to Becoming a VIP!

• The pride that comes with a personal connection with the Gateway Arch National Park
• Recognition opportunities to celebrate our amazing volunteers
• Free parking during volunteer hours
• Orientation and training
• Connect with like-minded individuals
• VIP’s who earn 250 hours or more can receive a Volunteer Pass, allowing free entry to all Federal lands for 12 months

Special Volunteer Times:

National Park Week: Every April, during the presidentially proclaimed National Park Week, we join with the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks, to celebrate America's treasures. National Park Week is a time to explore amazing places, discover stories of history and culture, and help!

National Public Lands Day: Established in 1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, National Public Lands Day is traditionally the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort. It celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits.

 

Visitors to the Gateway Arch are assisted at the Information Desk by a volunteer.

Current VIP Opportunities:

Gateway Arch Visitor Service Guides

Information Desk, Museum, and Tucker Theater

Share the history of St. Louis and Westward Expansion with visitors.

Visitor Service Guides serve on a rotating schedule alongside Park Rangers shifting each hour from information desk, tucker theater desk, and roving the museum galleries. This is a great position for volunteers who love people!

 

NPS Photo

Trails & Rails Guides

Do you love trains, history, and sharing your knowledge with others? We’ve got just the thing for you!

Join the National Park Service and Amtrak as a Trails & Rails Volunteer Guide to enhance the journeys of Amtrak passengers..

Trails & Rails volunteer guides share the heritage of our region with passengers aboard Amtrak trains. We offer two routes: St. Louis, MO to Springfield, IL, and St. Louis to Jefferson City, MO. This is part of Amtrak’s national Trails & Rails program.

We are now recruting for 2025 Trails & Rails guides! Contact Elaine (contact info at bottom of page) for more information.

 

D. Reissing, NPS

What's In Bloom Educator

Share your love of gardening by staffing a wooden cart filled with cut specimens of plants currently blooming in the park. Every week will bring something new! An information sheet of featured plants, a uniform, and a name tag will be provided. A shade umbrella is also provided on hot, sunny days.

We are now recruiting for 2025 What's in Bloom volunteers!

 

Anyone can be a litter picker! Ages 15 and below must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

NPS Photo

Litter Pickers

The grounds at Gateway Arch National Park are recognized as a premiere example of mid-century modern landscape architecture. The park welcomes millions of visitors a year, and every one of these visitors should be welcomed with a clean, healthy, vibrant landscape.

Volunteers will be provided with a uniform and nametag, a litter picker stick, trash bags, and a baseball cap. They should wear comfortable pants and shoes.

Volunteers can create their own schedules. We require at least one 4-hour shift a month.

 

Security Checkpoint Assistant

Help our visitors, guards and law enforcement rangers! Volunteers inform visitors of security requirements and answer questions about permitted items. They also answer questions about the park. Since a security checkpoint volunteer is one of the first uniformed employees our visitors see, they must be friendly and welcoming. Volunteers will be provided with a uniform shirt, name tag, and regular recognition.

Ecological Monitor

Ecological Monitors explore the park logging pictures of creatures they see on the smartphone app iNaturalist. This data, when shared and aggregated, helps NPS staff, local citizens, and even the global community know what creatures are found in our very urban national park, which leads to a greater understanding of the park’s ecosystem and a greater understanding of urban ecology in general. With this volunteer opportunity, you can work independently or in small groups and you can set your own schedule anytime the park's grounds are open (5am to 11pm).

 

Trails and Rails volunteer on Amtrak train interacting with kids.

All Aboard!
FAQs for Trails & Rails Volunteers

What do Trails & Rails volunteers do?

Trails & Rails volunteer guides share the heritage of our region with passengers aboard Amtrak trains between St. Louis, MO and Springfield, IL and between St. Louis and Jefferson City, MO. This is part of Amtrak’s national Trails & Rails program to enhance the journeys of Amtrak passengers.

Who can become a Trails & Rails volunteer?

Anyone age 16 or older may become a Trails & Rails Volunteer at this park. Volunteers under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Trails & Rails volunteers work in teams of two, either with another volunteer or with a park ranger.

What are the duties of a Trails & Rails volunteer?

Volunteers interact with passengers of all ages and do some public speaking. They must be able to climb aboard a train, walk on a moving train, and handle a 25-pound wheeled suitcase. Volunteers also must be willing to assist in emergencies.

When do volunteers ride Amtrak?

Volunteers ride Amtrak trains between St. Louis and Springfield IL and between St. Louis and Jefferson City MO. Trails & Rails volunteers work these routes daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day and on weekends in September and October. Volunteers are expected to make at least six trips in the summer season. Each round trip is scheduled to last about six hours. There is no overnight requirement.

What does Amtrak provide Trails & Rails volunteers?

Amtrak provides ticket fare for each trip. Amtrak does not provide meals; food is available for purchase in the café car and in Springfield, IL.

What does the National Park Service give Trails & Rails volunteers?

The NPS provides volunteers with a Trails & Rails uniform shirt, and training and mentoring so they may introduce rail passengers to the fascinating history and ecology of the region. Volunteers are also trained in emergency preparedness on Amtrak trains. Volunteers are not paid.

 

Read about one of our volunteers in this Volunteer Spotlight!

 

Contact Us:

Barbara Michel, NPS Volunteer Coordinator. Email [e-mail], Phone [phone]

Elaine Brasher, NPS Trails & Rails Coordinator: Email [e-mail], Phone [phone]

Grace Teofilo, Gateway Arch Park Foundation Volunteer Manager: Email: [e-mail], Phone: [phone]