Shenandoah Boundary Trailhead Parking Assistant 2026

Beautiful hiking trails on the eastern edge of the Shenandoah National Park bring hundreds of vehicles to small parking areas every weekend and holiday. We are seeking volunteers to help visitors navigate parking lots and ease their visit to the mountains.

Old Rag and Whiteoak Canyon are beautiful, challenging, and popular hikes with limited parking availability. Full parking lots cause confusion, frustration, and jams. Volunteers will help visitors find available spaces or make recommendations for alternatives if parking is full.

Shenandoah National Park implemented a ticketing system to manage visitor use on Old Rag Mountain to reduce impacts to natural resources and to improve the visitor experience. Volunteers at Old Rag will work closely with Rangers to manage the parking area at Old Rag, educate visitors about the new program, and verify that visitors have tickets. Volunteers at Whiteoak will work closely with Rangers to manage the parking areas adjacent to the fee station, the nearby parking area in Berry Hollow, and help answer visitor questions. This is an opportunity to observe resource management strategies and connect with others who love hiking.

The parking areas are near the town of Etlan, Virginia. Cell phone service is not available, however volunteers will be equipped with a radio and a landline is on site. We are seeking volunteers who are available 7:00am to 2:00pm on weekends and are able to spend multiple hours standing.