Staying Active In Retirement—Here’s Something To Consider That’s Both Physical And Social.
There are a ton of studies out there that support the importance of staying active—physically and socially—as we age. How often do we see articles with supporting research telling us that staying physically active can help:
lower your risk of some diseases
improve your mood
improve your ability to think, learn, and make decisions
And, engaging with others can help:
combat feelings of loneliness
keep the brain sharp
slow cognitive decline including the risk of dementia
strengthen self-esteem and a person’s sense of purpose
This all sounds good to me! Don’t we all want to stay active throughout our entire lives?
Some Common Activities to Consider
Grandparents walking with grandchild along lake. (Photo: Goda Morgan, Pexels)
It’s likely that most retirees, at one time or another, have come up with activities like
volunteering at a local food bank
getting more involved in a church or local community group
babysitting grandkids a few days a week
heading to the gym consistently
setting up coffee dates with friends
getting a part-time job locally
But what if none of these activities tickle your fancy? Do any of these address a personal interest you’ve been itching to pursue in retirement, now that you have the time?
Think Bigger Than Your Backyard
Lookout view of Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park. (Photo: Edie Kramer)
One important caveat in staying physically and socially active is to find something that is enjoyable and fulfilling. Something that connects you to a personal passion or interest.
There’s a chance you might find a host of options if you expand your world a bit.
Some of my best ideas have come when I’ve pretended my life has no restrictions, or that my world is much bigger than the immediate area where I live. For example, if I want to spend more time painting, why shouldn’t I consider a weekend workshop? And couldn’t that workshop be a few hours away in a dreamy place? Am I really limited to what is available locally?
What’s an option for those that love spending their free time outdoors?
U.S. National Parks Need (and Want) You
Visitors wait to witness Old Faithful’s periodic spurt of hot water and steam. The famous geyser at Yellowstone NP is named for its consistent eruptions every 1-1.5 hours. (Photo: Erik Kramer)
Do you have a passion for the outdoors and environment?
I discovered during a recent trip to Yellowstone National Park, that older adults, including retirees, are in demand to support the Park’s concessions (hotels, restaurants, and stores), particularly during the shoulder seasons. During the spring (April and May) and fall (September-mid October), many seasonal staff are not available due to school schedules. Retirees help fill the void.
Helping Hands: Split Your Time Between Working and Exploring
Helping hands are critical during the shoulder seasons (spring and fall) at Yellowstone National Park. (Photo: Diva Plavalaguna, Pexels)
Live and work in Yellowstone National Park during the spring or fall.
Yellowstone’s peak season is summer. You can work a part-time job and offer a “Helping Hand” to open it up at the beginning of the season, or close it down at the end of the season. When you’re not working, you get to explore the Park.
Xanterra, the company that manages all the concessions inside Yellowstone runs a "Helping Hands" employment program. One of the demographics they target is retirees.
In addition to Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain National Park and occasionally Mount Rushmore National Memorial leverage the Helping Hands program.
Program Details
Jobs:
The highest need is in Lodging or the Food & Beverage Department.
Your job may be different each day so flexibility is key, although several people we spoke with in the program held the same job at the same location during their entire stay.
Work Commitment:
Part-time (minimum of 20 hours/week) and you typically work 4-8 hours a day. That’s a lot of time available for exploring. You can work more than that but are not required to.
Six weeks contract.
Food & Lodging:
Low-cost employee dormitory-style housing (you’ll have a roommate) and on-site employee meals (cafeteria-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
Dates:
According to the Xanterra website, for Spring 2026, Helping Hands are being recruited for arrivals in April and departures in June. The exact dates are pending as of our posting date.
Fall 2026 recruitment is not available as of our posting date. In Fall 2025, there were three
6-week sessions that ran between August 28 and October 23.
Sign up for the latest updates here.
And check out the video, Why Working At Yellowstone Is Ideal For Retirees here to find out more about others’ experiences.
Off-Season Reality
Yellowstone Falls in September. (Photo: Erik Kramer)
National Parks are more popular than ever, with visitor numbers at all-time highs. And, there’s a shift in visitation patterns: more people are visiting during the shoulder seasons hoping for more manageable crowds and cooler weather.
That’s pretty exciting for the National Park Service (NPS) that wants public engagement. And, it’s great for both local and national economies because visitor spending is substantial.
We recently visited Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks at the tail-end of the season. Park hotels were literally closing for the season as we were leaving. Yet, some Park roads were still fairly busy. There were small traffic jams around bison at Yellowstone, and very few open parking spots along the Going to the Sun Road that cuts across Glacier NP (even though the number of cars allowed into Glacier NP from the most-popular west Park entrance is limited and reservations-only.)
The weather was perfect: blue skies and in the 60s or 70s. We witnessed the rut for both bison and elk. There’s nothing like hearing bull elks bugle! And, it would have seemed odd to witness bison outside of the rut when mature male herds live separately from females—I want to see the integrated family! The trails were not crowded, park rangers were still readily available, and so much more. The only negative we experienced was the lack of help at the concessions (restaurants, stores, hotel support staff). Some restaurants offered buffet-only and were leaving half their seating capacity empty due to staffing. The Old Faithful Inn and complex was, frankly, a letdown due specifically to staffing issues.
Bottom Line: It’s the best time to be in the Park. A great way to have an exciting, relatively cheap vacation. You’d meet some like-minded people. Perhaps stretch your comfort zone a bit (which can be pretty empowering.) And, you’d be supporting a National Treasure.
“To preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.”
