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History of Camp Hosting --
Volunteers on Public Lands
For many years, work camping was dominated by volunteer
host programs in the National Parks and National Forests.
Hosts, often retired couples, would manage a campground for
the summer camping season in exchange for a free site for
their RV or travel trailer. Most public campgrounds have
special host sites which often (but not always!) have full
hookups, even when the campground they are managing is
primitive.
Camp host jobs vary greatly from campground to campground,
but almost all require taking fees from campers, cleaning
bathrooms, and light grounds maintenance (such as raking fire
puts, blowing leaves, etc.) Hosts with maintenance skills are
always in demand.
Evolution of Work Camping --
Private, Paid Camp Host Positions
Over the past 30 years, public agencies such as the
National Park Service and the US Forest Service have turned to
private concessionaires to manage many of the larger public
recreation facilities. These private companies, which
include companies like
Aramark and
Recreation
Resource Management, bid for the right to operate these
facilities, generally paying the government a percentage of
their revenue as rent (you can learn more about public
concession programs
here).
Today, while volunteer host jobs are still available, many
public campgrounds are run by private companies under special
concession contracts. Unlike the government, private
for-profit companies cannot legally accept volunteer labor (to
learn more about labor law and camp hosting, see
here). Most of these private companies now pay their work
campers by the hour. Typically, camp hosts will work a certain
number of hours (10-20) a week for their site, after which
they are paid an hourly wage. The net result is that work
campers will typically get their site plus $500-$800 a month
in wages.
Recreation Resource Management
-- A leading private employer of paid camp hosts
RRM is one of the largest private employers of camp hosts,
employing over 450 camp hosts from all over the country.
RRM employs hosts at over 175 parks in 10 states, in some of
the most beautiful locations in the country. Don't look
for us on a concrete pad next to the Interstate Highway -- all
our locations are in National Forests, National Parks or State
Parks.
Work Camping -- A Growing Lifestyle
See
RRM President Warren Meyer's article on RVers and camp hosts
as the new American Nomads. Other articles about
camping and camp hosts are here.
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