BC Parks is proud to work with a diverse team of volunteers across the province. Our volunteers help with a wide range of stewardship initiatives, from trail maintenance to interpretation. They play an essential role in the work we do.
Want to be a part of the BC Parks community, learn more about our work, and meet like-minded people? There are many exciting ways to bring your knowledge and skills to BC Parks. This page outlines opportunities in four programs:
For information on our volunteer awards program, visit the volunteer awards page. For questions about volunteering with BC Parks, contact bcparks.volunteers@gov.bc.ca
Volunteer partners
We encourage community involvement in our work, and we partner with local volunteer organizations throughout B.C. You can get involved by forming a partner organization in your community or volunteering with an existing BC Parks partner.
Form a partner organization
To be eligible for the Volunteer Partner Program, your organization must be:
- A legally incorporated entity (typically under B.C.’s Societies Act)
- Interested in and capable of helping with our recreation or stewardship work
- Fully prepared to supervise the activities of volunteers
Volunteer with a partner organization
Interested in learning more about volunteering with a partner organization? Email us at bcparks.volunteers@gov.bc.ca. Or find a volunteer partner in your community below.
West Coast:
- Comox Valley Yacht Club
- Friends of John Dean Provincial Park Society
- Living Oceans Society
- Comox District Mountaineering Club
- Surfrider Foundation, Vancouver Island Chapter
- River City Cycle Club
- Salt Spring Island Conservancy
- Canadian Cave Conservancy
- Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce
- South Island Mountain Bike Society
- Salt Spring Trail and Nature Club
- The Galiano Trails Society
- Surfrider Pacific Rim
- Heron Rocks Friendship Centre Society
- Arrowsmith Cycling Club
- Sandspit Community Society
- Pepaken Hautw Foundation
- Lasqueti Island Nature Conservancy
- Gabriola Land and Trails Trust
- Back Country Horsemen Society of BC - North Vancouver Island Chapter
- Yellow Point Ecological Society
- Mitlenatch Island Stewardship Team
- Marmot Recovery Foundation
- British Columbia Speleological Federation
- Maple Bay Yacht Club
- Alberni Clayoquat Regional District
- Coastal Recreation Society
- The Denman Island Residents Association
- Ocean Legacy
- Friends of Ruckle Park Heritage
- Friends of Morden Mine
- Quadra Island Recreation Society
- Vancouver Artillery Association
South Coast:
- Ridge-Meadows Outdoor Club
- Tetrahedron Outdoor Club
- Backcountry Horsemen Society of British Columbia
- Squamish Access Society
- British Columbia Mountaineering Club
- Powell River Cycling Association
- Sea Kayak Association of BC
- Friends of Garibaldi Park Society
- Fraser Valley Regional District
- Sargent Bay Society
- Tetrahedron Outdoor Club
- Spud Valley Nordics
Kootenay-Okanagan:
- Christina Lake Stewardship Society
- Fernie Trails Alliance
- Friends of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park Society
- Friends of the South Slopes Society (FOSS)
- Friends of West Kootenay Parks Society
- Backcountry Horsemen Society of BC - East Kootenay Chapter
- Mountain Bikers of the Central Okanagan
- North Okanagan Cycling Society
- Shuswap Trail Alliance
- Skaha Bluffs Park Watch Society
- Vernon Outdoors Club
- Grand Forks Wildlife Association
- Princeton Ground Search and Rescue Society
- Penticton Area Cycling Association
- Okanagan High Rim Trail Association
- Boundary Invasive Species Society
- Nelson Cycling Club
- Backcountry Horsemen Society of British Columbia (Yarrow Chapter)
- The Elk River Watershed Alliance
- Beaver Valley X Country Ski Club
- North Slocan Trails Society
Thompson-Cariboo:
- Kamloops Bike Riders Association
- Clinton and District Outdoor Sportsman Association
- Friends of Churn Creek Protected Area Society
- Kamloops Naturalist Club
- Four Wheel Drive Association of British Columbia
- Kamloops Snowmobile Association
- Fraser Headwaters Alliance
- Back Country Horsemen Society of BC
- Kamloops Thompson Trail Alliance
- Wells Gray Trail Society
The North:
- Prince George Backcountry Recreation Society
- Prince George Snowmobile Club
- Swan City Snowmobile Club
- Wolverine Nordic Mountain Society
- Backcountry Horsemen Robson Valley
- Back Country Horsemen Society of BC
- Northland Trail Blazers Snowmobile Club
- Blizzard Bicycle Club
- Scouts Canada, Cascadia Council
- Yellowhead Outdoor Recreation Association
- Kakwa Park Snowmobile Club
Backcountry hosts
The Backcountry Host Program offers volunteers a one-of-a-kind, immersive volunteering experience in British Columbia's backcountry. Backcountry hosts volunteer to stay in a remote backcountry cabin or yurt, at a popular hiking location. They typically stay for one-to-four weeks at a time during the summer.
Every backcountry host plays an important role in enhancing the visitor experience. Backcountry hosts greet park visitors and provide them with location-specific information. Other backcountry host responsibilities vary depending on the location.
Backcountry host opportunities are only available at the locations listed below. If you are interested in one of these positions, please review the relevant information sheet and complete the application form. Each application form includes the contact email address you should submit your application to.
Kawka Park
- Visit the Kawaka Park webpage
- Download the volunteer backcountry host opportunity: Kakwa Park [PDF] information sheet
- Download the Kakwa Park backcountry host information [PDF] sheet
- Download the Kakwa Park backcountry host application form [Microsoft Word document]
Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park (Cold Fish Lake Camp)
- Visit the Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park webpage
- Download the volunteer park host opportunity: Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park [PDF] information sheet
- Download the Cold Fish Lake Camp host application form [Microsoft Word document]
Strathcona Park (Croteau Lake)
Ecological reserve wardens
Ecological reserve wardens are the eyes and ears of BC Parks in the province’s ecological reserves. (For more information on ecological reserves across the province, visit the Friends of Ecological Reserves website.)
ER wardens support BC Parks staff with a great variety of tasks, including invasive plant control, inventory of flora and fauna, and trespass monitoring. These dedicated volunteers serve a vital role in the long-term protection of B.C.’s ecological reserves.
How to become an ER warden
To learn more about the work ER wardens do, download the ecological reserve warden handbook. This PDF document describes the roles, duties, and responsibilities of volunteer wardens in helping manage B.C.’s ecological reserves.
Next, visit the Friends of Ecological Reserves website to familiarize yourself with B.C.’s ecological reserves. Then, if you are ready to get involved, complete the ER warden application form and email it to BCParks.Volunteers@gov.bc.ca.
Park hosts
The Park Host Program is an important hospitality service available to visitors in some campgrounds, marine parks, and backcountry areas. Park hosts enhance visitor services, greet visitors, and provide information about things to do in the park and surrounding area.
Campground hosts
Park operators are currently seeking hosts at campgrounds in parks across the province. Although specific duties may vary, hosts are expected to perform the following basic duties:
- To greet and assist visitors by providing them with information about the park and surrounding area.
- Understand and educate park visitors on campground rules and regulations (park host is not responsible for enforcing the rules).
- Assist Park Operator in selling firewood.
- Communicate with Park Operator staff daily regarding any issues that need immediate attention.
- Maintain a clean host site.
All roles and responsibilities as well as insurance requirements are the obligations of the specific park operator. Campground hosts report directly to park operators and are not technically considered BC Parks’ volunteers.
For more information on opportunities and how to apply, contact the park operator directly from the list below.
- Beatton Park
- Big Bar Lake Park
- Birkenhead Lake Park
- Champion Lakes Park
- Charlie Lake Park
- Christina Lake Park
- Gordon Bay Park
- Green Lake Park
- Gwillim Lake Park
- Kokanee Creek Park
- Kootenay Lake Park
- Lac La Hache Park
- Lac Le Jeune Park
- Moberly Lake Park
- Mount Fernie Park
- Mount Robson Park
- Pirate’s Cove Marine Park
- Swan Lake Park
- Syringa Park
- Ten Mile Lake Park
- Wallace Island Marine Park
- Whiskers Point Park