As an employee of the National Park Service, I wear a special uniform. You probably recognize it from visiting a national park or seeing pictures from other people's vacations. But who is allowed to wear these uniforms? The answer may surprise you... or you could already be a National Parks expert!
First of all, only employees of the National Parks can wear the uniform. Volunteers-in-Parks (VIPs), interns from organizations like AmeriCorps or Student Conservation Association, and members from partner organizations may all wear a uniform, but it is not a National Parks employee uniform. In fact, there is a National Park Service rule within a set of rules called "Director's Order #43: Uniform Program" that makes this clear. Below is an example of a VIP uniform used in Minute Man National Historical Park.
National Parks uniforms for employees come in three classes: Service, Field, and Work. The service category are for rangers who mostly work inside and frequently interact with visitors. This includes rangers who work in the visitor center or give easy walking tours. The field category are for rangers who mostly work outside and frequently interact with visitors. This includes rangers and guides who lead more strenuous hikes or paddle trips. Finally, the field category is for maintenance workers, who do everything from electrical work and HVAC repair to plumbing and appliance installations to vehicular maintenance. I primarily wear the summer version of the service uniform, as I spend most of my time working in the visitors' center.
If you want to know more about the history of the National Park Service uniform, check out these pages about the collection at Harper's Ferry.