Rich and I just started our third season working in Yellowstone National Park, and one thing we have learned is that people are very curious about how this whole thing works. How did we find the jobs? Do we live in the park? Are we camp hosts? Do we really live in our van? What do we eat? Where do we shop? And, of course, do we see animals?

So we thought it would be fun to answer some of the questions we get asked the most. Seasonal work in a national park is a little different from a “normal” job, and life inside Yellowstone comes with its own rhythm, challenges, and really special moments. It is not always glamorous, but it has given us some incredible experiences, great stories, and a chance to spend our days in one of the most beautiful places in the country.

Delaware North often recruits at RV shows. They look for RVers and people already living a more mobile lifestyle who may be interested in working in the stores for a season.

We actually met the HR manager several years ago in passing. Then, a few years later, we met both the general manager and HR manager again at a smaller RV show in Tampa. Their booth happened to be right across from our Defiance Tools booth, so we had plenty of time to talk during the show.

At the time, we chatted about the possibility of maybe working in Yellowstone for a season someday. It was not an immediate plan, but the idea definitely stuck with us.

Rich and I kept talking about it and weighing our options. In years past, we crisscrossed the country attending shows and selling our Defiance Tools product line. The summer shows were not always as strong as some of our spring and fall shows, and the idea of being in one spot for a period of time really started to appeal to us.

Eventually, the timing felt right, and that casual conversation at an RV show turned into something much bigger: our first season working in Yellowstone.

We get this question a lot!

No, our positions are paid. These are seasonal jobs, not volunteer roles. We are hired employees, and we work regular schedules just like you would with other seasonal hospitality or retail positions.

There are volunteer opportunities in national parks, but our jobs with Delaware North at the General Store are paid positions. For us, that was one of the things that made the opportunity work. We could live in the park, have a seasonal job, experience Yellowstone in a very unique way, and still earn income while we were there.

No, we are not camp hosts. We work at one of the General Stores inside Yellowstone.

The General Stores are run by a third-party concessionaire called Delaware North. Delaware North operates 10 general stores throughout the park. It is one of the largest privately owned hospitality, food service, and entertainment companies in the world. Headquartered in Buffalo, New York, the family-owned company manages food, beverage, lodging, and retail operations at high-profile venues such as sports stadiums, national and state parks, and casinos.

Our jobs have changed a little each year. During our first season, Rich managed the fountain, which means hot dogs, bison brats, ice cream, and all the busy food-service moments that come with hungry park visitors. I worked as a cashier that year. During our second season, Rich became the store manager, and I managed the fountain. This year, our third season, Rich is the store manager again, and I am a floor supervisor, which is basically one of the assistant store manager roles.

It has been fun to grow into different positions each season and learn more about how everything works behind the scenes.

We are located at Tower Fall, which is in the northeast section of Yellowstone National Park.

At our location, we have an overlook to Tower Fall, our store, and a large parking lot. Because the parking lot is so big, we get a lot of buses stopping throughout the day. Visitors come to see the falls, stretch their legs, use the restrooms, shop in the store, grab snacks, and sometimes ask us where the animals are.

Tower is a beautiful part of the park. It feels a little quieter than some of the busier areas, but we still get plenty of traffic, especially when the wildlife is active or when tour groups are moving through.

The store carries a wide range of merchandise.

We have an apparel department with T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, socks, and other Yellowstone-themed clothing. We also have a gift department with mugs, frames, pottery, water bottles, postcards, magnets, plush animals, and lots of huckleberry items.

There is also a grocery department with everyday items people may need while they are exploring the park. We carry snacks, drinks, grab-and-go items, and even beer, wine, and liquor.

It is always interesting to see what people are looking for. Some guests come in for a sweatshirt because the weather changed quickly, some are looking for souvenirs, some want snacks for the road, and some just want to talk about the bear they saw five minutes ago.

Yes, we do.

Close to the store, there is a dorm area, six RV spots, and a rec hall. We could potentially live in the dorm, but we really like staying in our van. We find it cozy, and it gives us a nice little escape at the end of a long day.

After being around guests, coworkers, buses, wildlife traffic, and store activity all day, it feels good to have our own small space to come back to. Van life in Yellowstone is not fancy, but it works for us. It is simple, comfortable, and gives us just enough separation between work life and personal time.

For meals, we have several choices.

At the dorm, there is an employee dining room where three meals a day are served for a cost. The cost is deducted from our paycheck. Employees can choose the three-meals-a-day plan, a one-meal-a-day plan, or they can opt out of the meal plan entirely.

For the past three years, we have chosen the three-meals-a-day plan. After working a long day at the store, it is really nice to come back to a meal that is already prepared. It takes away the stress of weekly grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning dishes.

One of our favorite parts is that we get to sit down with the team and have meals together. We talk about our days, share crazy guest or animal stories, and hear about what parts of the park people explored on their time off. It is one of those little routines that helps build a sense of community.

Shopping is definitely an adventure.

The closest small but very nice market is about an hour away. It is just outside the park in Gardiner, Montana, where there are also a few other stores and restaurants.

If we want to go to Walmart, that is a much bigger trip. One is about two and a half hours away in Bozeman, Montana, and another is about three hours away in Cody, Wyoming. So quick errands are not really quick errands here.

If I want to get my hair cut, we drive about two hours to Livingston, Montana. Livingston is a very cute town with a couple of larger grocery stores, a downtown district with shops and restaurants, and even a chiropractor if I need one.

Living and working in the park definitely makes you think differently about planning. You do not just run out for one thing. You make a list, plan your day, and turn it into a little outing.

That would be a big yes.

In our corner of the park, we see a lot of black bears. They often visit the store area as well as the dorm area. On a daily basis, it would not be uncommon to see bison, mule deer, coyotes, pronghorn, elk, and foxes.

In our part of the park, we do not usually see grizzlies, moose, or wolves, but they are definitely in Yellowstone. Every area of the park has its own personality when it comes to wildlife, and Tower keeps us entertained with plenty of animal activity.

Of course, seeing wildlife is one of the amazing parts of living here, but it also means being aware all the time. This is their home, and we are the visitors, even when we are working here for the season.

Working in Yellowstone has been one of those experiences that is hard to fully explain until you have lived it. It is a job, of course, and there are long days, busy shifts, and plenty of challenges. But then you walk outside and see a bear near the store, or bison wandering through, or the sun hitting the canyon just right, and you remember how special it is to be here.

Seasonal work is not for everyone, but for us, it has been a really unique way to live, work, explore, and meet people from all over the country and the world. We have learned a lot, laughed a lot, worked hard, and collected more Yellowstone stories than we ever expected.

If you have ever wondered what it is like to work in a national park, hopefully this gives you a little peek behind the scenes. And if you have more questions, send them our way. We may turn them into another post.

Thanks for following along with us,

Zoe and Rich

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