I worked in Glacier National Park with Xanterra for two summers when I was in college (2023 and 2024). Xanterra is a national park concessioner, a private company that operates hotels, restaurants, and other tourism services inside the parks. Depending on who you talk to, former employees will probably tell you that working for Xanterra was either the best or worst experience of their life.
This post is a general “behind the scenes” of seasonal work in a national park and my personal reflections. What is it really like to work for Xanterra, and does the good outweigh the bad? For the logistics of my job in Glacier, like detailed job descriptions and housing types, read Working in Glacier National Park.
Many Glacier Hotel is a planet with its own gravity. My “old life” felt like it was a world away. Seasonal work is a lifestyle; we live, work, and play with the same people. Relationships burn fast and intense. Serving hotel guests felt like the most important job on the planet, and we were understaffed and overworked. Honestly, it kind of felt like high school. Your world is so small, and little problems can make it feel like the world is ending.
You might expect that the people working in national parks do it for the love of the outdoors, but the reality is that people work seasonal jobs for many different reasons. I lived and worked amongst a peculiar melting pot of characters: college students on summer break, retirees, professionals undergoing a career change, and full-time “parkies” who live on the road. There is also the occasional sinister person who cannot hold down a regular job or is on the run; one of my coworkers was arrested when NPS discovered a warrant out for his arrest in another state. Guests dining at Many Glacier Hotel watched his arrest out the window.
I forged some of my most meaningful friendships in Glacier, but I also had to deal with some very difficult people. In seasonal work, good managers are fleeting, and it’s easier to get away with behavior that wouldn’t be tolerated in traditional workplaces. The line between personal and professional relationships is blurred. Drinking culture is huge, including drinking on the job. Sexual harassment is common, and, given that we live in shared housing, women must be on guard and look out for each other.
I coined the term “Glacier goggles” to describe the unusual romantic relationships that form in seasonal work. The dating pool is limited, and we find ourselves hanging around people whom we otherwise would not. Shared experiences like hammocking by a waterfall or a drinking around a bonfire will spark intense feelings, and sometimes we credit them to a person instead of the place. When we go back to college, the illusion wears off, and we realize we were just in love with Glacier.
Life is so vivid in a place like Glacier. We were so present and grateful for every moment. Every morning before work, I walked over a hill between my dorm and the hotel, and I drank in the view atop that hill like it would be the last time I ever saw it. I still remember the smallest details, like the sound of the heavy ceramic mugs against the wooden counter where I worked the breakfast shift. I loved serving the hot coffee that fueled hikers’ days.
Even those of us who loved our jobs would probably agree that the working conditions are bad. I loved talking to guests about the park, but I didn’t feel good about serving terrible food that they waited way too long for. When people quit, it’s hard to get new staff out to the park on short notice, so the survivors are forced to pick up the extra work/hours. The jobs don’t pay well—not that I chose this job for the money—but I worked really hard for that measly paycheck. (Until I was promoted to server; that paid pretty well.)
Xanterra provides low-cost room and board, automatically deducted from our paychecks. The housing and food quality varies by location, but it’s all pretty terrible. Bunk beds, weird roommates, communal bathrooms and moldy shower curtains, etc. However, I lived with a bunch of my friends in the most beautiful valley in the world, so I would’ve put up with just about anything. We saw black bears and bighorn sheep out our windows.
When I wasn’t working, I had unrestrained access to explore Glacier National Park with some of my favorite people. I hiked hundreds of miles each summer and swam in glacial lakes. I spent countless nights at bonfires, the employee recreation room, and local dive bars.
Working in Glacier National Park was not easy, but, 19 years young, it was the best thing I ever did for myself. I went on incredible adventures and learned I was capable of more than I had imagined. I experienced a nontraditional way of life that opened my mind going into adulthood. Glacier shaped some of the best parts of who I am.
Many Glacier is no longer my entire world, but it is still my favorite place in the world. It is one of the greatest honors of my life to be part of the history etched into its walls.
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