I worked for Xanterra in Glacier National Park for two summers, and it was the absolute greatest experience of my life. That being said, seasonal work is not for everyone, and many employees quit midway through the season. If you are interested in working in a national park, read on to discover the reality of seasonal work.
My Job Descriptions
Summer 2023, I was the lead dining room attendant at Nell’s of Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. I was a cashier while the other dining room attendants ran food and bussed tables. I loved this job so much—it was easy, my managers and coworkers were amazing, and I got to chat with customers about their days in Glacier. The biggest challenge was that we would often run out of food items due to our remote location, and there would be no way of restocking until our next weekly shipment. We even ran out of burger patties a few times, which is the main item on our menu. Fortunately, most customers at Nell’s were understanding of the challenges that came with operating a business in the remote wilderness.
Summer 2024, I was a server at the Swiss Lounge in Many Glacier Hotel. This job was emotionally and physically exhausting. Once, the manager, chef, and lead cooks disappeared mid-shift when my tables were filled with hungry hikers. On the bright side, servers made more money than pretty much everyone else working in Many Glacier, including our managers. I still loved talking to guests, and it was so rewarding to give advice about activities in the park (hence why I wrote this blog).
Management and working conditions are different every season. My first season, I couldn’t believe there were people who hated working for Xanterra (and there are a lot if you look up reviews). I was having the time of my life every day, even at work. My second season, I could have hour-long complaining sessions with my coworkers. But we would never even consider quitting because we loved Glacier and each other above everything.
Work-Life Balance
Xanterra employees work hard and play hard. At Nells, I worked the breakfast and lunch shift from 6:30am-2:30pm five days a week. I had entire afternoons free to hike after my shift. At the Swiss Lounge, we worked four-day weeks, and my shifts were 10-12 hours. It was nice in theory, but I was too exhausted to make the most of my three days off.
In general, seasonal work is not easy. The training is brief and intense, and everyone has their first day on the same day, including your managers. You are probably working in a high-volume tourist area with limited resources. Everything moves really fast.
As for the “life” part of the balance, my life has never been richer than when I was in Glacier. But I’m saving all the good stuff for the end.
Housing, Food, and Transportation
Employee housing and meals at the employee dining room (EDR) cost approximately $400 a month, automatically taken from our paychecks.
At Swiftcurrent, I lived in the sweetest little cabin in the world. It was two rooms, each with a bunkbed, and there was a single sink between the four of us. The bathroom and showers were in a separate building and shared with the other employee cabins. The communal bathroom was nice enough, and the walk there only took 30 seconds. However, it was unpleasant to walk back from the shower with wet hair on a cold day, and I had to be careful not to drink too much water before bed.
We lived very close to nature in the cabins. Sometimes a bear would wander into the cabin loops, and we once had a mouse living in our cabin for a couple days. And let’s just say, after an incident with a cockroach, I always shined a flashlight into my shoes before putting them on.
At Many Glacier, most employees are housed in two large dorm buildings. If it’s your first season, expect your room to have two bunk beds (four people total). Couples may request a private room with one shared bed. Bathrooms are communal.
The dorms are as old as Many Glacier Hotel (>110 years) and not nearly as well-preserved. The shower curtains are moldy, and you can hear mice in the walls at night. I once got into bed after a long shift and discovered a spider had built a web between the folds of my blanket.
There is also a “secret” employee housing property outside of the park that has RV hookups, private rooms, and a communal kitchen.
In the dorms, we are not allowed to have a microwave, mini-fridge, or similar appliance. Instead, we get three meals a day at the employee dining room (EDR).
The EDR food is not great. As a vegetarian, I was only fed out of the goodness of my coworkers hearts. If you don’t work in the food and beverage department, you may not be so lucky.
Employee parking is limited. Many employees, including the large international staff, don’t bring cars. Xanterra has an employee shuttle around the park with periodic trips to town and the airport. I did not have a car my first summer, and I got around just fine with the shuttle and rides from friends.
The Good Stuff
THE biggest perk about working for Xanterra: free, unlimited, skip-the-line access to the Going-to-the-Sun Road and Many Glacier Valley. Because Xanterra has properties inside the park, we get to use the employee access lane to skip the line of cars at the NPS entry stations. All we need is our employee ID.
So, in our free time, we had unrestrained access to explore Glacier National Park. In 2022, I was a tourist in Glacier that struggled on the hike to Avalanche Lake. In 2024, I hiked 20 miles to summit a 10,000-foot mountain in a single day. Glacier taught me that I am capable of things that I never could’ve imagined.
If you want to sample my hiking knowledge, I made a guide to Glacier’s most popular hikes.
Not a big hiker? No worries! We got up to plenty other shenanigans in Glacier. We hammocked and swam in glacial lakes. We had bonfires at least once a week (until fire season). We played foosball and pool in the employee rec room. We drove to Saint Mary for karaoke nights at Kips or to West Glacier to the rodeo and bars overrun by raft guides. We went camping for the 4th of July and attended the insane fireworks “show” in Hungry Horse.
How to Apply
Are you ready to Find Your First Seasonal Job in a National Park?
If you want to work in Glacier, Xanterra is my top recommendation due to having properties actually inside the park. However, other employees seemed happier with their work conditions than us.
In East Glacier, Pursuit has hotels/properties just outside the park entrance. West Glacier is close to town and has far more job options. West Glacier is further from the best hikes, but the weather is more suitable for camping and lake days. The raft guides have the coolest job ever, and they appear to always be having a good time.
If you’re interested in seasonal work elsewhere, check out Find Your First Seasonal Job in a National Park for more general advice on the seasonal job search.
If you decide to work in Glacier, I hope you love it as much as I do. And check out my other posts on my Insider’s Guide to Glacier National Park!
Latitudes with Lucy 