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Check Out the 2026 YCC Participating Parks List!
Apply now to the YCC program at a park near you. Note that unless otherwise specified by a park below, these are day programs, and participants will need to secure their own housing. Parks are unable to provide housing onsite. The list of participating parks is subject to change and will be updated as needed. Learn more about the YCC program to view eligbility requirements and consider applying. If you have questions, please reach out to the point of contacts below, or contact the national office for general questions.
Additional guidelines: To submit an application, please email the point of contact for the park you are applying to with the following email address format: first name_last name@nps.gov. The contact form that appears when clicking on a name does not allow one to attach a file for security purposes.
Alaska Region
| Park Name | Session Dates | Types of Projects | Deadline | Contact |
| Denali National Park and Preserve | June 7 - July 31 | Roles are focused on trails, interpretation, or kennels. Trails: 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 Interpretation: Supporting the Denali Visitor Center, including providing customer service and orientation to park visitors, answering trip planning questions, sharing safety information, working with Junior Rangers, and staffing a “touch table” based on natural or cultural history topics, such as a focus on moose or animal tracks and scat, research and develop a short talk to deliver to visitors, andshadow park staff in a variety of disciplines. Kennels: Assist with all aspects of the care, feeding, exercise, and training of 28-plus active Alaskan huskies weighing between 60 and 90 pounds, in addition to assisting with all aspects of dog yard, pen, and equipment maintenance and repairs as needed, informal interpretation and safety in the dog yard before, after, and between demonstrations for the visiting public, delivery of interpretive programs and dog sled demonstrations, and raising and training any puppies born during the work season |
February 20 | Michelle Evans and Kathleen Przybylski |
| Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve | May 26 - August 7 | Maintenance related to trails, buildings, and campgrounds | April 4 | Russell Scribner |
Intermountain Region
| Park Name | Session Dates | Types of Projects | Deadline | Contact |
| Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah) | June 1 - August 7, | Fencing repairs/upgrades, housing maintenance, trails work, and picnic area maintenance | April 10 | Janece Pollock and Allana Olbrich |
| Fossil Butte National Monument (Wyoming) | June 16- August 8 | Painting, trail work, perimeter fence repair, gate repair, fossil data collection, and interpretation. | March 31 | Charles Custer |
| Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona) | June 1 - July 24 | Trail maintenance, invasive species removal, fence maintenance, wildlife management with ecology, historic preservation work, visitor experience/programs with interpretation, visitor center, and educational field trips | April 24 | Desiree Dyer |
| Yellowstone National Park (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming) Note: This is an overnight program, so housing will be provided, and non-local residents are encouraged to apply. |
June 14 – July 15 or July 19– August 18 | Complete trail work on hiking trails, replace boards on geyser basin boardwalks, install large food storage boxes (bear boxes) in frontcountry campgrounds, fence and bumper log construction, Dragonfly Mercury Project, eDNA samples for aquatic invasives, collecting data on visitors in major visited locations, chopping firewood, staining cabin, digging pit toilets, and amphitheater renovation | March 8 | Mike Coonan |
Midwest Region
| Park Name | Session Dates | Types of Projects | Deadline | Contact |
| Fort Smith National Historic Site (Arkansas, Oklahoma) | June 1 - August 1 | Mowing, string trimming, painting, landscape management, maintenance project assistance, administrative data entry, visitor services, cleaning exhibits, library & archival filing/storage, interpretive services | April 10 | Casey Ellis |
| Pea Ridge National Military Park (Arkansas) | May 26 - August 7 or March 16 - September 30 (may be up to 90 work days) | Includes facility management, natural resources, and visitor services, such as preservation of the battlefield's historic landscape and buildings, maintenance of park grounds, invasive species removal, timber stand improvement projects, inventory and monitoring (e.g., documentation of forest health measures, etc.), working at the visitor center interpreting park history and natural resources to visitors, and orienting visitors to the site | February 20 | Travis Cott |
| Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (Michigan) | June 16 - August 8 | Help rehabilitate 10 miles of park cross country ski trails | May 1 | Mark Liles |
National Capital Region
| Park Name | Session Dates | Types of Projects | Deadline | Contact |
| Prince William Forest Park (Virginia) | June 15 - August 7 | Trail maintenance, stream quality monitoring, painting, staining, visitor services and other projects that are needed | May 1 | Linda Hamilton |
Northeast Region
| Park Name | Session Dates | Types of Projects | Deadline | Contact |
| Acadia National Park (Maine) | June 22 - August 14 | Trail projects, vegetation management, learn about air & water quality, fire management, and social science | March 13 | Dianna Sproul |
| National Parks of Boston (Massachusetts) | June 24 - August 15 | Interpretation and visitor services | TBD | Jennifer Steele |
| Shenandoah National (Virginia) | June 8 – August 13 | Assist in trail maintenance operations, hiking long distances while carrying tools, gear, and equipment. Maintain the trail corridor as part of a program that takes care of over 500 miles of trail. | April 20 | Nathaniel Phelps |
Pacific West Region
| Park Name | Session Dates | Project Types | Deadline | Contact |
| Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve (Idaho) | June 1 – August 8 | Trail maintenance, build retaining walls, custodial maintenance, clean and seal masonry | March 31 | Brianna Bowhay |
| Haleakalā National Park (Hawai'i) | June 1 - July 24 | Natural resource management, cultural resource management, invasive species removal, trail maintenance, interpretation, and visitor services | May 8 | Thomas Arnold |
| Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (Washington) | June 15 - August 21 | Painting buildings and shelters, Integrated Resource Management on the various weeds and plants in the park, AIS events, and working with Interpretation and Education. | April 22 | Brandi Hansen |
| Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (Oregon, Washington) | June – August (Exact dates TBD) | Trail maintenance and restoration, invasive species removal, bridge building, partner workdays, forest and vegetation monitoring, native plant and pollinator garden maintenance, visitor services and interpretive program creation, and resume building | April 17 | Barbara Clark |
| Mount Rainier National Park (Washington) | June 22 – August 14 | Trail maintenance in the Sunrise and Paradise areas of the park | May 1 | James Montgomery |
| Point Reyes National Seashore (California) | June 22 - August 14 | Trail work, educational field trips, invasive species removal, and personal and professional development | April 15 | Bridget Dugan |
| Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site (Hawai’i) | June 1 – August 7 | Invasive species removal and planting of native pili grass, trail maintenance | May 22 | Shelby Campbell |
Southeast Region
| Park Name | Session Dates | Types of Projects | Deadline | Contact |
| Fort Donelson National Battlefield (Kentucky, Tennessee) | June 1-July 24 | Assist with War Tablet, position marker rehab, trail clearing/maintenance, install new trail marker signage, posts, and signs on new posts around park, grounds maintenance | April 10 | Craig K. Davis |
| Moores Creek National Battlefield (North Carolina) | June 8 -July 31 | Clearing vegetation from the park boundary and installing/resetting boundary markers; landscaping, mowing, and weed trimming park grounds; removing downed tree limbs throughout park; assisting in trail and ditch maintenance; attending training on park flora and fauna and assisting in removing invasive plant species; assisting in doing minor building repairs; visiting local state parks and recreation centers to learn about local history and to assist in their park projects; and conduct a canoe trip down Moores Creek to learn about how water moves through the local swamps and habitats. | April 24 | David M. Smith |
Last updated: January 30, 2026