The Opportunity Board — Week of April 18, 2026
Week 3 brings two brand-new opportunities: Hawaii is looking for someone to develop and operate a commercial campground and beach park on Oahu, and Seattle wants a restaurant/kayak operator for the Seacrest Boathouse in West Seattle. The Great Basin National Park food & beverage contract deadline is 12 days out. And we’ve got fresh NOLS Wilderness First Aid courses in Idaho and Montana for anyone gearing up for summer concession proposals.
🏕️ Concession & Permit Bids
⚠️ DEADLINE APPROACHING: National Park Service / Great Basin National Park — Nevada
Type: Solicitation — 10-Year Concession Contract
What: NPS is seeking proposals to operate a combination restaurant and gift shop in the Lehman Caves Visitor Center. Food and beverage plus retail, required open early April through October 1. 10-year contract effective March 1, 2027. Notice of intent was due April 16 — if you filed it, proposals are still open.
Deadline: April 30, 2026 (12 DAYS LEFT)
Great for: Food & beverage operators looking for a unique national park setting
→ Apply: NPS — Great Basin Concession
🆕 Hawaii DLNR / Mālaekahana State Recreation Area — Oahu
Type: RFQ/RFP — Commercial Campground & Beach Park Development/Operation — NEW THIS WEEK
What: Hawaii’s Division of State Parks is seeking qualified applicants to develop and operate a commercial campground and public day use beach park at Mālaekahana State Recreation Area – Kahuku Section on Oahu’s North Shore. DLNR builds a portion of the infrastructure; selected operator handles maintenance, additional buildout, and ongoing operations. Two-step process.
Deadline: Contact DLNR for current timeline
Great for: Campground/glamping operators eyeing the Hawaii market — beachfront on Oahu’s North Shore
→ Full details: Hawaii DLNR — Mālaekahana RFQ/RFP
Contact: Brigida Ayson, State Parks Lead Property Manager
🆕 Seattle Parks & Recreation / Seacrest Boathouse — West Seattle, WA
Type: RFP — Restaurant + Watercraft Operations — NEW THIS WEEK
What: Seattle Parks is looking for a qualified operator to run the restaurant and retail spaces at Seacrest Boathouse, plus provide or coordinate watercraft activities (kayaking, rentals, etc.). Five-year contract with option for five-year extension. Year-round activation expected.
Deadline: May 15, 2026
Great for: Operators who can combine food service with paddlesport rentals — waterfront next to the West Seattle Water Taxi
→ RFP details: Seattle.gov — Seacrest Boathouse
Connecticut DEEP / Gillette Castle State Park — East Haddam, CT
Type: RFP (Solicitation DEEP-2026-014-MM)
What: Food and beverage concession at Gillette Castle State Park. Three-year contract with extensions. ~100,000 visitors annually. Concession vacant for two seasons. Answers to questions posted April 24.
Deadline: May 1, 2026
Great for: Food service operators in the Northeast — built-in demand, no incumbent
→ Apply: CTsource Bid Board — DEEP-2026-014-MM
California State Parks / Desert, North Coast & Central Coast Units
Type: RFP — Multiple 10-Year Concession Contracts
What: Concession operations across multiple state park units in the desert, north coast, and central coast regions. Separate proposal required for each unit. Includes Old Town San Diego historic-style specialty retail.
Deadline: June 5, 2026
Great for: Operators looking for long-term state park concessions in California
→ CA State Parks Concessions | Full RFP (PDF)
Contact: Megan Boisvert — [email protected]
National Park Service / Channel Islands National Park — California
Type: Solicitation — 10-Year Contract
What: Guided kayak tours, snorkel equipment rentals, and limited retail on Santa Cruz Island. Projected Year 1 revenue $3M–$3.35M. Questions period closed April 10.
Deadline: June 25, 2026
Great for: Experienced kayak tour operators ready for a flagship NPS contract
→ Apply: SAM.gov — CHIS004-27
National Park Service / Ozark National Scenic Riverways — Missouri
Type: Solicitation
What: Canoe and tube rental with shuttle services, camp store with retail and firewood sales. Full outfitter operation on a federally protected scenic river.
Deadline: June 26, 2026
Great for: Paddle sport operators ready for a full-service river outfitter concession
→ Apply: SAM.gov — CC-OZAR012-27
Rolling / Ongoing Programs
Suffolk County Parks — New York — Mobile kayak, canoe, and paddleboard concession at multiple Long Island locations. Rolling.
→ Suffolk County Parks Concession Bid | Contact: Cara Petri — 631-854-4918
Hawaii DLNR — Kayak Permits — Commercial Rental Vessel Special Use Permits at Wailua River (Kauai), Kahana (Oahu), and Kealakekua Bay (Big Island). Rolling.
→ Hawaii DLNR Permits
Florida State Parks — Call for Business Plans across 90+ state parks. New calls posted regularly.
→ Florida State Parks Concessions | Contact: [email protected]
Texas State Parks — Short-term and leased concessions: kayak/canoe/bike rentals, food, lodging, marinas.
→ TPWD Concessions | Contact: [email protected]
Washington State Parks — Food service, campground stores, equipment rentals, guided tours, glamping. WEBS code 961-15.
→ WA State Parks Concessions
📡 On the Radar
Not open bids yet, but worth watching.
BLM Lands / EXPLORE Act — Moab, UT — Next quarterly deadline for Special Recreation Permits: June 15, 2026. Apply through BLM RAPTOR.
BLM Northwest Oregon — Marys Peak Field Office — Just issued a decision record authorizing Special Recreation Permits for 2026–2027. Contact the Marys Peak Field Office now.
Pennsylvania Glamping Model — Timberline Glamping at 8 state parks, ~$185/night, revenue-sharing with DCNR. 61 sites. Model likely to spread.
California State Parks — Future Concessions — Sport fishing, boat tours, watercraft at Donner Memorial SP and Kings Beach SRA. Watch parks.ca.gov.
USFS Outfitter & Guiding Permits — 8,000+ permits annually. Most forests plan by October 1. Start conversations now for 2027. Permitting guide.
NYC Parks — ~400 concessions. Seasonal postings winter/spring. NYC Parks RFP info.
Longboat Key / Sarasota County, FL — No active RFP. Uses DemandStar — set up alerts.
Florida Springs — Crystal River, Ichetucknee, Rainbow Springs under contract. Monitor Florida State Parks Concessions.
❌ Closed Since Last Week
NPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon (trail rides) — Closed April 9
NPS Great Basin Notice of Intent — Closed April 16 (proposals still open through April 30)
NPS Channel Islands questions period — Closed April 10 (proposals still open through June 25)
💼 Job Opportunities
National Park Service — Seasonal Hiring
What: NPS hires thousands of seasonal employees each year. Current openings across multiple park sites including Yellowstone and Cuyahoga Valley.
Pay: $19.52 – $31.43/hour
→ USAJOBS.gov — filter “National Park Service” + “Temporary”
→ NPS Hiring Info
Idaho State Parks — Seasonal Employment
What: Seasonal positions including interpretation, resource management, trail work, and visitor services.
→ Idaho State Parks Seasonal Jobs
Outdoor Recreation Job Boards
→ CoolWorks.com — National park & outdoor resort jobs
→ Occupation Wild — Adventure & outdoor industry jobs
→ Conservation Job Board — Outdoor recreation positions
→ Adventure Job Board — Guide, instructor, and outdoor industry roles
🎓 Certifications & Training
ACA Level 3/4 Whitewater Kayak Instructor — Zoar Outdoor
Where: Charlemont, MA | When: April 25–26 & May 1–3, 2026 — STARTS NEXT WEEK
→ Zoar Outdoor
ACA SUP Instructor Certification — RMOC
Where: Cottonwood Lake, CO | When: May 11–12, 2026 | Cost: $350
→ RMOC
🆕 NOLS Wilderness First Aid — Sun Valley, ID
Where: Sun Valley, Idaho | When: May 16–17, 2026 | Cost: $330
Why it matters: WFA is the baseline safety cert every outdoor guide should carry. Two-year certification.
→ Register: NOLS WFA — Sun Valley
🆕 NOLS Wilderness First Aid — West Glacier, MT
Where: West Glacier, Montana | When: May 30–31, 2026 | Cost: ~$330
Why it matters: Same cert, gateway to Glacier National Park. Perfect for staffing up summer operations in the northern Rockies.
→ Register: Idaho Rescue Training — NOLS WFA
University of Wyoming — Outdoor Guide Certification
Where: Online | When: June 26 – August 10, 2026
→ UWyo Outdoor Guide Cert
Know about an opportunity that’s not on here? Send it our way — we’ll add it to next week’s board.
