Tuweep Volunteer Ranger

Save to Favorites

Website: https://go.nps.gov/tuweep

Note: This unique opportunity requires a commitment from approximately August 1, 2024, through January 31, 2025. It is open to an individual or a couple.

The Tuweep Volunteer Ranger position is in the Tuweep Area of Grand Canyon National Park. This is a unique and competitive backcountry post at one of the world’s most famous viewpoints. It offers a cherished opportunity to live among the inspiring cliffs and rocks within the Grand Canyon.

The area is world famous for Toroweap Overlook which receives up to 25,000 visitors annually. Tuweep is located at the end of a 60-mile dirt road. High clearance (or 4WD) is not required to reach the ranger station and volunteer cabin. Toroweap Overlook and Tuweep Campground are six miles beyond via a high-clearance road.

The Tuweep volunteer supports the Tuweep ranger by taking care of many routine duties, thus freeing the ranger to do things only a ranger can do. Tuweep is unique. It is remote, isolated, informal, and different from any other part of the park. You will need flexibility, ingenuity, the ability to work without direction under changing conditions, and the confidence to act even when you’re not quite sure what to do.

Primary duties include:

1. Providing a friendly and professional service-oriented presence. Instilling harmony, creatively diffusing conflict, personability, and a positive attitude are required.

2. Maintaining composting and pit toilets at 3 locations: Tuweep Ranger Station, Tuweep Campground, and Toroweap Overlook.

3. Opening the area at sunrise and closing 30 minutes after sunset.

4. Walking or mountain biking dirt roads to patrol the Tuweep area many days per week.

5. Operating various vehicles including a 4WD pickup truck, a mountain bike (and eMTB), and, if approved by the ranger for exigent needs, a personal vehicle.

6. Identifying, initiating, and completing in a safe and timely manner any minor maintenance needs using various tools and maintenance equipment.

7. Completing other tasks as assigned by ranger.

The duty of maintaining the compost and pit toilets is minimal. If kept clean, they tend to stay clean. Overall, it’s a moderately strenuous duty in a spectacularly beautiful and peaceful setting.

Work is 5 days, ~50 hours, per week. Personal time is fit in throughout the day. The volunteer ranger position is more of a lifestyle than a job. This lifestyle includes being in uniform and ready to meet and greet the public with a smile, lots of walking or biking dirt roads to and from the overlook and campground, and living in conditions that are clean and comfortable, but that take some energy to sustain. Cleanliness and organizational skills are a must.

Communications are by radio to the Grand Canyon’s Emergency Dispatch Center. There is neither telephone service nor internet access. An InReach satellite texting device is provided for limited texting. It connects to your smartphone or tablet.

The volunteer spends most of their days and nights alone in the area at their cabin. The volunteer needs to be comfortable with solitude, periods of heavy vehicle traffic, and creative, self-reliant problem solving.

A valid driver’s license and safe driving record are required. Pets are generally not permitted. Alcohol storage and consumption are prohibited. The National Park Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer; there is zero tolerance for inappropriate behavior or comments. Grand Canyon National Park’s priority is to foster a safe and inclusive work environment.

All publications, films, slides, videos, artistic or similar endeavors, resulting from volunteer services are the property of the United States, and as such, are not subject to copyright laws.

Housing:

Housing is provided in a small cabin or your own vehicle, reasonable in length. The cabin contains a cot and river mattress, two stools, limited solar electricity, and a screened-in porch. A solar shower and water are also provided. Kitchen wares, hot water kettle, dishwashing station, and fridge are provided in the adjacent, historic stone barn "kitchen" area. A single induction cook burner paired with a 2.5-liter pot is provided for simple, single pot cooking, free of frying and grease. Water is available and must be carried a short distance for cooking, cleaning dishes, and showering. All water is from rainwater collection and limited during times of drought. If you use your own vehicle, understand electrical and water utilities are limited and recognize the area’s silence is valued. A washing machine is available. Due to power consumption, appliances with significant draw are restricted (no microwave or freezer).

Leave No Trace Note:

Tuweep is a unique place, remote, quiet, uncrowded, a place for solitude and peaceful appreciation of the Grand Canyon. The volunteer will help keep it that way by leaving no trace in cyberspace. It’s fine for the volunteer to tell friends and family about how wonderful it is being away from internet and running water, but that’s it--no blogs, guidebook or trail guide entries, self-promotion, other media hype, or commercial interests. Leave it as you hope to find it - silent and as wild as possible.

Start Date - 2024-08-01

End Date - 2025-01-31

Activities include: Campground Maintenance;General Assistance;Visitor Information