Hosts direct visitors to their campsites, answer questions about the park or state forest, arrange campground activities and perform light maintenance and other services, depending on their talents and interests. In return for their volunteer service, hosts are allowed to camp in the state park or state forest campground at no charge.
Hosts can be individuals or teams. They must be at least 18 years old, provide 30 hours of service per week (including weekends and holidays), serve a minimum of four consecutive weeks and furnish their own camping unit, equipment and personal items. Some host assignments will begin as early as April, with some assignments lasting through October.
Successful applicants are chosen by park and forest managers, who may require an interview or request additional information. Selection is based on the individual's familiarity with the state park or state forest system, his or her camping experience, special skills, availability, knowledge of the area, and the needs of the specific park or forest campground.
Applications and information about the host program are available on the DNR website, www.michigan.gov/dnrvolunteers. Those interested in serving as campground hosts at a state park should apply directly to the park of their choice.
For more information on the DNR's campground host program in state parks or state forest campgrounds, contact Miguel Rodriguez at 517-241-4129.
the negative side to the campground host program is they won't take you if are not retired. also most parks, (contrary to the rules), have hosts that come back year after year, so they don't take new people. Brighton Recreation Area is very bad for this. I wish I knew how to get ahold of the folks in Lansing that are in charge of this program, there doesn't seem to be any, but yet it only seems logical that there must be. My husband and I applied 3 years in a row, and this last year, i called the park and asked about why our application was not approved....the lady who answered the phone, point blank told me what I just said above!
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