Camp Hosting isn't All Work

The job of camp hosting in state parks usually only requires 3 or 4  days of duty....for a total of 20 hours a week...maybe 24 max.  So the obviously nice benefit is your freedom to roam.  We took advantage and explored Juniper Springs for a day.   The Chateau has claimed site #9 in the "Tropical Loop".  It's a mystical and foggy morning.  We can't remember Florida being more humid or more still.

A wondrous trail starts at our site.

There are small springs everywhere, so this jungly path soon crosses a bridge.

The signs warn that you are about to become gator bait, and you'd better not fight back...because this is a national reserve and everything in it is protected.

Who can resist a boardwalk into the wilds?  Just ahead, under the bridge, is a large pool of green water.  What's that about?

A peek into the pool from the bridge shows "boiling" sand that looks very much like the mud pots that bubble away in Yellowstone Park. 

I turned around and about lost my breath....  What an unusual series of dreamy pools.  They were riddled with sand boils.  How fascinating! 

 The oak branches growing over one pool were almost too tempting.  They were plenty big enough to walk on...and perfect as a platform to jump from into the warm water.  How exotic! 

I just kept taking pictures because it was so surreal...isolated...peaceful.  There was no one else around...no sound but that of moving water and wildlife.

I decided to follow the boardwalk along the spring run to its source.

And here it is...Juniper Springs!  Bob jumped in with his clothes on.  That's how irresistable it was.  He was floating face down looking into the spring just like he was a glass-bottomed boat.  I knew he was harkening back to his childhood, which was filled with joyful days splashing, diving, and exploring in the stream behind his home in State College, Pennsylvania. 

Bob swam around and around, so I went to explore the rest of the area.  He was totally alone in his own "Blue Lagoon".  I returned after the sun had set...and he was still paddling around, marveling at his "best experience of the year so far".  So what's so special about perfectly clear, warm water surrounded by bright green ferns and well-done CCC rock work?  Come see for yourself!

A REAL Job Offer on Nov 10, 2011

I wanted to share what an actual job offer looks like.  This is a great example, as it gives the expected duties you would perform.   A pitfall to avoid is jumping into a job without knowing what you are going to be asked to do!  We received the following offer via email:

Highlands Hammock Catwalk - a Favorite!

Thank you for requesting information about the camp host program at Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring, Florida via the online system. I currently have three positions available.  [If you like what you see in an offer, you just have to shoot an email back...but make sure to make a phone contact first to get full job details.]


Our camp hosts primarily clean restrooms, [The fact that she bolded this item makes me think it has been a problem getting camp hosts to do this chore.  Bob and I don't mind it at all...which was a surprise to us.]   mow & trim grass, clean BBQ grills, pick up trash, trim trails, patrol the parks, perform minor maintenance (carpentry/plumbing/electrical), use a gas-powered log splitter for firewood, operate park vehicles (current driver's license required) and other campground-related duties.

Our hosts work five hours a day, four days a week (Sun/Mon/Tues/Weds or Weds/Thurs/Fri/Sat). Special events, heavy day use or camping attendance may require additional volunteer hours from our camp hosts, particularly on holiday weekends or during our high season (Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb/Mar). During high season, we also have ranger station support positions that are typically filled by the wives.

[Count on working weekends and holidays because, naturally, that's when you have almost all of your campground business.]


CCC Masonry Masterpiece at Highlands Hammock

Camp host positions can be strenuous at times, requiring the ability to walk over uneven terrain for several hours in duration as well as bend, stoop and twist to clean, mop large floor areas, pick up debris, etc. Moderate lifting of boxed materials, shoveling of heavy cinders from campfire rings, emptying of trash cans and loading firewood will require the ability to lift and carry. Several hours of work each day will expose hosts to high heat & humidity during the summer months and chilly, damp weather during winter cold snaps. Hosts work independently most days and thus these positions are best for self-starters and those that can identify and problem-solve situations. [This is a well-written disclosure.  You can't be sensitive to smoke and ash or temperature changes, or the job will be intolerable.]

We offer a free campsite with water & 30 amp power hookup for our camp hosts. We do not have sewer connections, but have a dump station on site. Hosts camp in the family campground with the general public and our campsites are very close together with little or no buffer between sites. Our lettered sites (A/B/C/D/E/F) are our camp host sites. We are pet-friendly and remain nearly full to capacity from November through May and then experience our low season June through September.

Our campground has 158 campsites and four large restroom buildings. Most campsites are shaded and have a dirt base. Our park is located four miles west of US Highway 27 in Sebring, Florida. Major shopping/dining facilities (Walmart/Publix/CVS/Walgreens/Lakeshore Mall) are within ten miles of the park as are two hospitals. [This is a BIG factor for me...what's close by?...especially whether there is a church.] 

If you are interested in serving as a camp host, please download the attached form and fill it out for both you and Bob and forward any letters of recommendation highlighting your previous host/campground experience with your application.

Please keep in mind that the months of January, February and March are most in demand and that I am holding a waiting list for possible openings for 2012. Any possible openings will be filled from this waiting list so if you are interested in that, please let me know. Our web address is listed below in the event that you would like to browse our site for additional information/photos.
Dorothy L. HarrisPark Services Specialist
Highlands Hammock State Park 5931 Hammock Road, Sebring, Florida 33872
(863) 471-5324 Office





Paradise? The majority of camp hosts say "YES"...

 There are 3 camping areas.  We've only been trained in this section so far (with the RVs in Buttonwood Campground)... as of Oct 8, 2011.   In the very center of this picture is the camper marina where Bob has been doing his fishing.  It's wildly alive with fish.  Don't try to count them.  Hundreds of hosts apply for Bahia Honda SP...and keep trying for years.  You are supposed to have a minimum of 500 volunteer hours to even apply.  We came with zero.  We just happened to submit an online application at the exact time another set of hosts had to decline their "place in the sun".  We work 3 days on and 4 days off.  We've explored the other keys this week and are well satisfied we landed in the best one!

Take your shoes off and relax a while....