History of Hosting

Traditionally, Camp Host jobs in public lands were unpaid, volunteer positions, but as operation of public campgrounds began outsourcing contracts to private companies, paid Camp Hosts on public lands are now possible!

History of Camp Hosting  — Volunteers on Public Lands

For many years, work camping was dominated by volunteer host programs in the National Parks and National Forests. Hosts, often retired couples, would manage a campground for the summer camping season in exchange for a free site for their RV or travel trailer. Most public campgrounds have special host sites which often (but not always!) have full hookups, even when the campground they are managing is primitive.

Camp Host jobs vary greatly from campground to campground, but almost all require taking fees from campers, cleaning bathrooms, and light grounds maintenance (such as raking fire puts, blowing leaves, etc.). Hosts with maintenance skills are always in demand.

Evolution of Work Camping  — Private, Paid Camp Host Positions

Over the past 30 years, public agencies such as the National Park Service and the US Forest Service have turned to private concessionaires to manage many of the larger public recreation facilities.  These private companies, such as Vista Recreation, bid for the right to operate these facilities, generally paying the government a percentage of their revenue as rent (you can learn more about public concession programs here).

Today, while volunteer host jobs are still available, many public campgrounds are run by private companies under special concession contracts. Unlike the government, private for-profit companies cannot legally accept volunteer labor (to learn more about labor law and camp hosting, see here). Most of these private companies now pay their work campers by the hour. Typically, Camp Hosts will work a certain number of hours (10-20) a week for their site, after which they are paid an hourly wage. The net result is that work campers will typically get their site plus $500-$800 a month in wages.

Vista Recreation — A leading private employer for paid Camp Hosts

Vista Recreation is considered one of the largest private employers of Camp Hosts in the US.  Vista Recreation employs Hosts now at over 600 locations in 17 different states in some of the most beautiful settings in the country.  Don’t look for us on a concrete pad next to the Interstate Highway — we are in the national forests and federal, state, and county parks across this great nation! .Find our current locations here.

Work Camping — A Growing Lifestyle

See Vista Recreation’s President, Warren Meyer’s article on RVers and Camp Hosts as the new American Nomads.  Other articles about camping and camp hosts are here.