Writing & Trails Intern

6/08/2026 – 9/04/2026 

$15/ hr + housing 

40 hours/week 

Overview: 

Have you ever dreamed of a position that allows you to fulfill both your love of writing as well as your love of hiking and spending time outdoors? Baxter State Park (BSP) is pleased to invite applications for the Writing & Trails Intern for the 2026 summer season! This position will provide epic experiences and diverse learning opportunities in the vast and beautiful wilderness setting of BSP. Home to moose, black bears, brook trout, rare alpine plants, and both Maine’s tallest mountain, Katahdin, as well as the state’s tallest volcanic mountain, the Traveler, BSP is a haven for those who are adventurous, outdoorsy, and hungry to learn and write about the natural world. 

Please note: This position is both writing and hiking-intensive. 

Principle Responsibilities: 

• Perform informal interpretation/education for visitors on Katahdin’s alpine tablelands, along trails, at campgrounds, at the Visitor Center, and in other designated high use areas in the Park
• Carefully document trail features through written notes, photography, and a GPS field application
• Assist with updating written content describing the Park’s trails for a new edition of the Park’s guidebook
• Participate in ongoing natural resource monitoring efforts, such as alpine plant phenology tracking and an annual loon count
• Assist with maintaining Park trails, such as clearing small blowdowns with a handsaw and maintaining string fencing
• Participate in search and rescue efforts
• Data entry

Typical Training/Education Provided (Subject to Availability):

• Leave No Trace training
• Alpine ecology and plant identification
• Search and Rescue in BSP
• Introduction to BSP rules, policies, and protocols (including for the Appalachian Trail)
• On-the-job training on the Park’s natural and cultural resources

Requirements: 

• Hike with a heavy backpack and spend multiple hours in the alpine zone in late spring, summer, and early fall on a weekly basis
• Write professional content, using correct grammar and spelling and incorporating feedback between drafts
• Initiate one-on-one conversations with Park visitors
• Ability to use hand tools and perform trail maintenance work
• A valid driver’s license and personal vehicle adequate for travel on the Park’s gravel roads (mileage will be reimbursed)
• A smart phone (required) and camera with GPS tracking (optional)
• Work a non-standard work week, including weekends, holidays, and early mornings
• Be available for the entire length of the internship (with minor flexibility in start/end dates)

Desired Qualities: 

• A passion for natural resources and wilderness protection
• Eagerness to work at a physically demanding job, including in inclement weather
• Ability to work independently for long days, and to communicate effectively with Park employees and supervisors
• Creativity, resourcefulness, and flexibility
• Ability and willingness to live in rustic shared housing in a remote situation without electricity or cell phone service
• Ability and willingness to camp in a tent, lean to, and/or bunkhouse some nights throughout the summer, sometimes on a multi-day backpacking trip
• Enthusiasm for learning about BSP’s natural history, rules, and policies, and a keen interest in sharing this knowledge with others
• Strong people skills, including being outgoing and friendly
• Previous experience in professional writing, interacting with the public, stewarding natural areas, backpacking, and/or working in a wilderness setting
• Strong organizational skills
• Enrollment in or completion of a degree in environmental studies, natural resource management, outdoor recreation, creative writing, or a related field

Additional Information 

The Writing & Trails Intern will develop their professional skills with a mixture of both field and office work. Along with participating in mountain patrols up to Katahdin’s tablelands every week, they will regularly staff Katahdin trailheads between 6 and 8 a.m. to provide Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) education to visitors. They will moreover spend considerable time hiking other Park trails, where they will be expected to interact with visitors as needed to promote adherence to Park rules and LNT principles and to educate visitors on the Park’s ecology and natural history. They will spend 1 – 2 days every week in the office, utilizing the notes they’ve taken while hiking to write detailed descriptions of Park trails for the Park’s trail guide. 

The Writing & Trails Intern must be available to work weekends and holidays in order to perform their educational duties when the Park hosts the greatest number of visitors. This position is filled through Tri-State Staffing Solutions and is assigned exclusively to BSP under the supervision of BSP. 

The Park-provided housing is a private bedroom and shared bathrooms in a dorm style building with up to 8 housemates. All appliances are run on propane, and while there is hot running water, it is not potable. There is no electricity, wifi, or cell service throughout most of the Park, though interns can check in with the outside world in various “phone booths.” The nearest grocery store is roughly a 45 minute drive from Park housing. The intern will also frequently need to camp in the Park, most often in a lean-to or bunkhouse, in order to facilitate their access to trails far from their regular housing. 

Encompassing over 200,000 acres of land and boasting 220+ miles of trails, 50+ mountains, and 60+ ponds and lakes, Baxter State Park offers nearly limitless possibilities for adventure in one’s off-time. Whether your hobbies include fishing, hiking, paddling, photography, or quiet time in nature, there’s a place for you here at Baxter State Park!