{"id":113838,"date":"2026-01-27T13:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/113838\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T13:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:57:08","slug":"sign-up-to-become-a-licensed-ny-outdoors-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/113838\/","title":{"rendered":"Sign up to become a licensed NY outdoors guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently announced upcoming dates for the New York State Licensed Guide exam. The free exams are online. <\/p>\n

Licensed guides offer services for hire, including directing, instructing, or aiding people in camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, whitewater rafting, canoeing, or kayaking, rock climbing, and ice climbing. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis process makes it easier for individuals to apply and take part in helping others safely and responsibly enjoy New York\u2019s incredible outdoor recreational opportunities,\u201d said DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton.<\/p>\n

To become a licensed guide, a person must be 18 or older. Applicants are not required to be a NY resident. All exams will be online, except for the in-person exam offered at the New York State Outdoor Guides Association (NYSOGA) Winter Rendezvous meeting on March 28, 2026. <\/p>\n

Exam and registration instructions can be found on DEC\u2019s Licensed Guide Program webpage<\/a>. <\/p>\n

2026 Licensed Guide Exam Schedule is listed below. Applications must be received at least one day prior to the exam. All exam times except where noted are from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.<\/p>\n

Jan. 29Feb. 20March 28 (NYSOGA meeting only, application must be received by March 21)April 14May 12 June 11July 9Aug. 21Sept. 15Oct. 23<\/p>\n

After registering, applicants will receive an email with a one-time link to access the exam on the specified exam date. Upon successful completion of the exam, applicants will receive information on applying for the license, including an application form. Don\u2019t send applications or fees before passing the exam. <\/p>\n

An outline of exam content and a study guide can be found on DEC\u2019s Licensed Guide Program webpage<\/a>. The \u201cScouting America Fieldbook\u201d is also recommended as a reference and is available online. <\/p>\n

For questions or assistance please contact:<\/p>\n

NYS DEC Special Licenses Unit, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4752<\/p>\n

Email: SpecialLicenses@dec.ny.gov<\/a>Phone: 518-402-8985, Fax: 518-402-8925<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently announced upcoming dates for the New York State Licensed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113839,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7984,12260,304,50618,2318,9,11,10,49,51,50,12,50619,2716,12262,19806,10776,10777],"class_list":["post-113838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-aerial","tag-drone","tag-editorial","tag-featherstone","tag-fishing","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-state","tag-new-york-state-headlines","tag-new-york-state-news","tag-news","tag-nyup","tag-outdoor","tag-post-standard","tag-salmon-river","tag-syracuse-com","tag-trimble"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}