Volunteer

 

 

How to Apply

Acadia National Park is supported by countless volunteers every year.

Volunteers help through season long opportunities to short term opportunities, assisting with visitor services, trail and carriage road maitenance, trail monitoring and much more.

2025 Seasonal Volunteer Opportunities Posted the month of August through volunteer.gov.

Contact the Volunteer Coordinator if you have questions about the positons posted or if you have skillsets that are not represented in the positions offered that you want to share with the park.
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• Once you have completed the on-line application process from volunteer.gov , your completed application will be reviewed by a hiring official and compared with other applications for the same volunteer job.

• A supervisor will contact you directly to schedule an interview if you are being considered for a volunteer position.

• If selected, more information about the volunteer position, uniform, etc. will be sent to you.

 

Current Volunteer Opportunities

 

Long Term Volunteer Opportunities

Our season-long volunteer opportunities range from artists-in-residence, campground hosts, visitor services assistants, interpretation and education volunteers. Volunteers are expected to volunteer 32 hours a week. Though dates vary for individual positions, volunteer dates typically take place from May to October.

 

Artist-In-Residence

The Artist-in-Residence program is dedicated to creating new ways for visitors to experience Acadia through the arts. In exchange for a two-week residency, artists lead one outreach presentation for the public, and donate within one year one work of art that depicts a fresh and innovative new perspective of the park for visitors that's drawn from their own experience. Three categories of applicants are considered: Visual Artists; Writers; and At-Large Participants working in such forms as music composition, performing arts, indigenous arts, and emerging technologies.

Campground Host

Volunteer will help park staff with maintaining park campgrounds during the summer season. This includes providing information and orientation about the park and local area, assisting campers with registration, performing maintenance duties including painting, repairing picnic tables, operating a weed trimmer, cleaning campground grills and fire pits, and picking up litter. Occasionally, volunteers will be asked to assist with traffic control and emergency situations and may be asked to work after hours. Volunteer must posses their own recreational vehicle, be willing to volunteer 32 hours per week, be able to lift 30 lbs., and enjoy meeting, talking, and helping people from all over the world. Preference will be shown to volunteers avaiable to volunteer the whole season. 

When: late-May to mid-October
Where: Mount Desert Island & Schoodic Penninsula

How to Apply: We recruit for campground hosts annually through volunteer.gov the month of August. 

Education Volunteer

Volunteer primary duties include, assisting park staff in presenting curriculum-based programs for K-12th grade students in accordance with established program themes and objectives. This involves researching related topics and park resources, working on projects as assigned, such as developing and distributing educational materials, props, handouts, student worksheets, and statistics, and answering visitors’ questions regarding park resources and education programs on a recurring basis.

When: April to October
Where: Mount Desert Island, Schoodic Penninsula

How to Apply: We recruit annually through volunteer.gov the month of August. 

Visitor Services Volunteer

Visitor Services Volunteer will provide basic orientation and local area and event information to visitors in a pleasant and helpful manner. Volunteers will be asked to rove outside and interact with visitors throughout their shift. They may also be tasked with other small duties which may include light pruning, envelope stuffing, and traffic control for special events, administrative tasks, shelving books in the library, stocking maps and handouts, maintaining bulletin boards, and providing back-up help with use of special equipment – computers, laminators, printers and copy machines.

When: late-May to mid-October

How to Apply: We recruit for campground hosts annually through volunteer.gov the month of August. 

Interpretation Volunteer

Volunteer will present interpretive talks to the public about park natural and cultural resources. There may be other duties by mutual agreement.  Volunteers agree to provide interpretation and informal interpretation following the guidelines and requirements provided by supervisors. Volunteers agree that all work will be coached and audited to ensure quality visitor service.

When: May to October
Where: Mount Desert Island

How to Apply: We recruit annually through volunteer.gov the month of August. 

Visitor Assistance Patrol

Roadside Assistant Volunteers work in teams to provide roadside assistance. Teams will drive a courtesy patrol vehicle that is clearly identified as a 'non-law enforcement vehicle'. Volunteers will assist in traffic control, provide minor roadside assistance (fluids, battery jump starts, unlock vehicles), perform campground patrols to look for food storage violations, and provide visitors with information and directions. Volunteers are required to have previous law enforcement experience. 

When: Late August to late October
Where: Schoodic Penninsula

How to Apply: We recruit annually through volunteer.gov the month of August. 

 

Short Term Opportunities

Short term opportunities include drop-in days on trails, group service projects, and annual volunteer events such as Take Pride In Acadia Day.

 

Trail and Carriage Road Drop-In Days

Join the Trails & Carriage Road Stewardship Team cutting back overgrown vegetation, clearing drainage ditches, graveling, and much more! Arrive in work clothes, closed toed-shoes, and have a backpack with water and a snack with you, and our Stewardship Staff and Volunteer Crew Leaders provide the rest.

When: Tuesday's, Thursday's, and Saturday's, June-September; 8:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Where: Mount Desert Island

Group Service Projects

Do you have a group that is interested in doing a service project here at Acadia? We can offer half-day, full day, or multi-day experiences. Contact the Friends of Acadia Stewardship Coordinator or call [phone].

When: As requested
Where: Mount Desert Island, Schoodic Penninsula

Save Our Summits

Help Save Our Summits in Acadia by participaiting in our summit restoration work, by hiking up Penobscot or Sargent Mountain with a bag of soil on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Advanced registration is required!

Acadia National Park, in collaboration with its partners-in-science, Friends of Acadia and Schoodic Institute, invite tenacious hikers to bring bags of soil to the summits of Penobscot and Sargent Mountains. This soil is integral to the ongoing summit restoration efforts in Acadia National Park.
*Registration is required! Register below.

When: Wednesday, June 21st. Rain date, June 22nd. 
Where: Mount Desert Island
How: Register now!


Contact the Friends of Acadia Stewardship Coordinator or call [phone] with questions.

Take Pride in Acadia Day

Want to be a part of the largest volunteer event of the year? Register for Take Pride in Acadia Day and help us put the carriage roads to bed.

When: First Saturday of November; 8:15 AM - Noon
Where: Mount Desert Island

 

Contact Us

Contact Acadia's Volunteer Program:

Acadia National Park
c/o - Volunteer Program
P.O. Box 177
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Phone: [phone]
E-mail