Camp Host

Welcome to The Cove Palisades State Park on beautiful Lake Billy Chinook, Culver, OR.  This 3,000-acre park offers scenic snowcapped mountains, a deep rugged canyon and relaxing lakeside views.  The Cove offers something for everyone, geology, history, hiking, birdwatching and stargazing, just to name a few.  Lake Billy Chinook, fed by three Central Oregon rivers the Crooked, Deschutes and Metolius Rivers, encompasses an additional 4,000 acres.  Watersport opportunities include: motorized and nonmotorized boating, water skiing, jet skiing, and fishing (salmon, bass, trout, crawdads; Lake Billy Chinook is considered one of the best bull trout fisheries in North America). You are also within an hours drive to local breweries, wineries, an alpaca farm, day spas, rockhounding…the possibilities are endless.

Deschutes Campground Host(s) support park operations by providing excellent customer service to park visitors, park recycling, and performing general campground maintenance and landscape. Positions in A, B and C loops are available April – Sept 2023. Typically, positions are offered in 1-2-month intervals; 5 days/week, with 2 consecutive days off. Hours for most assignments may be worked between the hours of 9AM – 4PM.

General Responsibilities:

• Provide excellent customer service for park visitors by giving out accurate information about the park, park activities, and the surrounding areas.  Hosts will react to visitor and staff requests in an attentive and respectful manner.
• Perform general campground maintenance, including cleaning out fire pits, light landscaping, and litter pick up in camp sites between check-out and check-in daily.
• Sell firewood (as assigned)
• Safely operate park trucks and utility vehicles (golf carts, gators, etc.)
• Maintain host site

Other Duties may include:

• Landscape, including: tree limb removal, pruning, raking, weeding, mowing, mulching and trimming, blowing walkways, etc.
• Maintenance, including: cleaning, trash removal, sweeping, restocking for restrooms, trash compactor and recycling station
• Campground irrigation, including: using sprinklers, watering trees, moving hoses, monitoring irrigation equipment, etc.
• Interpretive program support for junior ranger programs, holiday activities, and special events
• Special projects

Volunteers will stay in a full hookup site which includes 50/30 amp service, a picnic table, fire pit, access to staff laundry, internet and gear library.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Self-contained RV or Trailer
• Ability to lift up to 20 lbs., sometimes more as needed
• Ability to travel on uneven terrain, as well as be stationary for long periods of time.
• Ability to work in high desert environmental conditions, usually hot and dry in the summer months.

Please, call us with questions or to sign up.  We are excited to work with you!