Volunteering at Virginia State Parks

Want to try out volunteering with designated project days? Our All-Call volunteer days are perfect for you! These scheduled workdays are open to the public – no application required – with the opportunity to work on impactful projects for the park in big one-day or half-day efforts. Check out our event calendar at the bottom of this page to sign up for opportunities at a park near you.

Have a group you want to volunteer with? Fill out this form or get in touch with the specific park your group would like to work with. We will match your group with a project depending on your interests and time constraints.

We also offer alternative break group options for college and university students looking to serve at the parks during school breaks. Contact us for more information on qualified groups.

Ready to jump into volunteering? Whether you’re working once a month or once a week, individual volunteers have the flexibility to choose their schedules and what projects they are interested in. Projects vary by park, but can include:

• Trail building and maintenance
• Invasive plant pulls
• Cultivating bees or oysters
• Handling educational animals
• Restoring historic structures
• Assisting in conservation research efforts
• Leading historical tours
• Administrative assistance
• Running special concerts and festival events
• Building new park structures

Volunteering with Virginia State Parks is also a great way to gain important job experience for a career in parks, wildlife management or environmental conservation. The skills learned in park volunteer programs are great boosts to any conservation-focused resume, and volunteer hours can even be used as job experience when applying for employment with Virginia State Parks or other state government agencies.

Are you a student looking for volunteer opportunities? Virginia State Parks provides volunteer opportunities for students seeking to fulfill service-learning requirements for graduation. Many students volunteer part-time during the school year by engaging in events, festivals and special projects, or join the Youth Conservation Corps in the summer. See also our professional development opportunities for college-age students, such as internships and Park Ranger Conservation Corps.

Looking to get a little more involved in the project management and fundraising efforts of the parks? Most parks have officially organized “Friends of” volunteer groups. These critically important groups organize special events, raise money, schedule workdays and partner with local businesses. They also contact the media and legislature to get the word out on issues important to parks. Contact the Office of Community Engagement and Volunteerism or a specific park's volunteer coordinator for more information about your park’s Friends group.

Friends groups operate under the Virginia Association for Parks (VAFP) – the nonprofit umbrella organization for Friends groups. It supports state parks and other parks across the Commonwealth. VAFP actively advocates park issues at the local, regional, state and national levels and offers free technical advice and hands-on help to those who wish to form new Friends groups VAFP also conducts regional conferences with training sessions and networking opportunities. Visit their website for more information and how to join the VAFP.

Volunteers earn loyalty points and other benefits as they accrue hours. Volunteer hours can go towards an annual parking pass and discounts on camping and cabin rentals through our reservation system’s loyalty points program.

• Volunteer YODA Login

Once your volunteer hours have been issued loyalty points, they can be redeemed for camping, cabin rentals, or annual passes. Check out our Loyalty Point Guide for more information on how to redeem your points and other frequently asked questions.

To redeem your points, there are a few options:

1. Call Customer Service at 1-800-933-7275. You must choose Option 5 to speak to a Virginia State Parks employee to order your annual pass.
2. To reserve a campsite/lodge or purchase an annual pass online:
   • Go to https://reservevaparks.com/web and log into your account.
   • In the header menu, select "Camping and Lodging" or "Passes."
   • Select your purchases.
   • Fill in your information, check the "Terms and Condition" box and click "Continue".
   • In your shopping cart, there is a blue bar across the page where it shows your points balance and a selection to redeem points.
   • Select "Redeem Points".
   • You can select how many points you want to spend. If you purchase an annual pass for $85, use exactly 20,000 points. You can also use your points for a senior pass.