Park Ranger Patricia Haile

Park Ranger Patricia Haile grew up in Pickens, South Carolina. After graduating from Clemson University with a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, Haile joined the State Park Service as an assistant ranger at Devils Fork State Park. After a year in the position, she moved on to take a full time ranger position at Devils Fork. Haile has held this position for over three years!

As a ranger at Devils Fork, Haile is involved with all aspects of her park. From park patrol, park improvement projects, traffic control in the summer, gardening and landscaping to daily operational tasks, assisting with maintenance and housekeeping, assisting campers and guests and being the safety officer for the park Haile does a little bit of everything. When asked what her favorite part of her job is, Haile says: “Seeing kids connect with the outdoors and families spend quality time together.” That is a sweet part of being a ranger! As for the most challenging part of her job, Haile references dealing with injuries. The park’s location on Lake Jocassee lends itself to frequent injuries with boaters and swimmers. But that location and those same visitors are a huge part of what makes Haile love her job so much. “I have only worked at Devils Fork State Park and have such a strong connection because of my childhood spent camping here…  Some of the best memories of my childhood were outdoors and camping related.  We camped every year at Devils Fork State Park!”

When we asked Ranger Haile to sum up her job in one phrase she said: “In the words of Forrest Gump, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.’  Being a park ranger, each day is different and new!  There are so many opportunities to learn new things!” Her enthusiasm for her job and love for her park is palpable. Thank you Ranger Haile for all that you do!