Outdoor Side Hustles

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If you favor breathing fresh air and working with your hands to being a desk jockey, these outdoor side hustles could be a great fit, especially if you’re stuck indoors with your main job.

Whether you’d like some extra money to invest, save, or help with monthly expenses, you’re likely to find something in these lists that fit your interests and capabilities.

Some of these side hustles work best as a self-employed venture. And the advantage of setting your hours and prices is pretty tempting to most.

Who knows—one of these side hustles might just turn into a full-time passion. Here are the best side hustles for outdoor lovers.

Outdoor Side Hustles in Your Neighborhood

One of the best outdoor side hustle options is yard and home maintenance. You won’t even need to leave your neighborhood!

From tree trimming and pressure washing to improving backyards—most homeowners lack the time, tools, or skill to perform these tasks.

Landscape Services

There are many landscape-related services to choose from, and they can be done as contracted or freelance work. You’ll have control over the hours you put in and the prices you charge.

These are relatively easy to start if you’ve got your own equipment. But a small investment in proper tools can get you up and running quickly.

After that, all you’ll need is some word-of-mouth advertising, social media posting, or a simple ad on Craigslist, Nextdoor, or Facebook Marketplace.

Here are some ideas of services you could offer:

Lawn care services
Tree trimming
Snow removal
Deck building
Patio upkeep
Stonework upkeep

Repair and Cleaning Services

Similar to landscaping services, these repair and cleaning offers can be a lifesaver for many homeowners.

Not many people own a pressure washer or have time and energy for window and gutter cleaning. Some of these jobs are relatively easy to do and pay well.

For those extreme heat climates like Florida, Texas, or Arizona—where everyone and their mother owns a pool—a pool cleaning service could bring in a nice flow of cash. You can work for an established business or offer your own services.

If you can’t keep up with demand, you can always hire help—and it could even blossom into full-time income.

When we owned a pool, there was only one decent pool maintenance guy around and he was always booked. Be that great pool person and you’ll earn some nice extra income.

Here are some cleaning and repairing ideas:

Gutter cleaning
Window cleaning
Fence repair
Pool maintenance
Exterior painting
Deck cleaning
Pressure washing

Dog Walking Services

Of course, if you want to spend some time in the sunshine, get your steps in, and spend time with adorable furry companions, you can’t go wrong with dog walking as a side hustle.

Not everyone has the time or ability to take their pets outside for long walks, so you’ll be in high demand. This can be an ideal outdoor side hustle for animal lovers.

Outdoor Side Hustles in Retail

If you’re good at sales and don’t mind getting your hands dirty, a great side hustle for you could be in retail.

Sell Goods at Farmers Markets

For those who have some land and time to spare, growing produce to sell in their raw form or as jams and homemade sauces can be a great side hustle. Many towns have seasonal (or year-round) farmers markets with booths you can rent.

Here are some ideas for farmers market products:

Raw local honey. It’s in demand, and beekeeping can be fun and rewarding.

Seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Quality craft and gift items.
Homemade jams, sauces, or pasta.

Profit from Retail Arbitrage

This isn’t a strictly outdoor side hustle, but it does require driving and shopping around so you can spend some time out of the house or office.

Purchasing in-demand items on clearance from discount stores and then selling them for a higher price on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or Amazon is called retail arbitrage, and it can be a good money-maker.

While it does take some initial investment, if you start out slow and see what works, you’ll have a better chance of making extra money rather than losing it.

If you prefer selling on Amazon, their Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service will store, pack, and ship your inventory for you.

They’ll even provide customer service. All you need to do is find the products people want to buy for a bit more than what you paid.

Here are some retail arbitrage tips:

Do your research first to make sure the item is a good seller.
Make sure your wallet can take the risk. This isn’t for those who can’t afford to lose a little money when first starting out. Don’t use a credit card if you don’t have the cash!
Know your prices and profit margins—shoot for a profit of at least $3.00 per item to make it worth your time.

Sell Refurbished Furniture

This one’s another fantastic option for treasure hunters. There’s extra bucks to be made by purchasing that old granny dresser at a garage sale, painting it a modern or trendy color, and finishing it off with pretty new hardware.

Hop in your car, drive around to all the local yard sales, and purchase the furniture that has the most potential. You can repaint and refurbish the furniture out in your back yard. When it’s done, sell it for a profit!

Learn More:

The Ultimate Guide to Flipping Furniture

Outdoor Side Hustles in the Wilderness

If when you think of “outside” you’re imagining more than your suburban backyard, a side hustle in a national park or other remote location might appeal to you. Some of these jobs require experience. It isn’t always easy to break into the outdoor industry.

Work in Forestry

Although many side hustle articles mention forestry work as an option, everyone doesn’t qualify. Almost any official forestry job requires a degree in forestry, natural resource management, conservation or something very similar.

But if you have one of these degrees and aren’t using them in your primary job, you’re in luck. There are temporary and seasonal jobs in forestry that can score you extra cash and time in the great outdoors.

Here are a few forestry temporary jobs:

Forestry technicians
Trail crews
Tree marking crews
Wildlife technicians

Become a National Park Tour Guide

If you don’t qualify for an actual forestry side job because you lack the necessary degree, you could design your own National Park touring business. With over 400 national parks in the US, there’s a great opportunity for starting up a private tour guide business through one of these national treasures.

Maybe you’ve grown up on the outskirts of Yosemite and know the park like the back of your hand. Vacationers pay good money for tours of these majestic places. People who know the parks ensure that the visitors don’t miss the best sights.

With a bit of advertising on social media and some competitive pricing, you could turn a passion for the nearest national park into extra income.

Lead Wilderness Tours

Avid hikers and outdoor enthusiasts could qualify as guides for temporary, part-time, or seasonal tours with local trail companies.

Another option is to strike out on your own to offer guided family day trips for hikes or even weekend camping trips.

Here are some ideas:

Hiking tours
Kayaking tours
River rafting tours
Wine vineyard tours
Whale and dolphin watching

If you’re near a river and own kayaks or rafting equipment, consider taking people out on a water adventure they’ll never forget. Just make sure you know what you’re doing!

For ocean lovers with a boat, why not offer tours involving dolphin or whale watching during migration season?

And for those who live in famous winery towns like Napa Valley and Sonoma, a wine tour driver could be a profitable side hustle. Soak in gorgeous views of hillside vineyards while earning extra cash.

Lead Extreme Sports Tours

If kayaking isn’t thrilling enough, consider leading tours for people who love extreme sports. This is a business you can own and run on the side if you’ve got a wild side.

Think: riding motorcycles in off-the-grid places, surfing sand dunes, and canyon mountain climbing.

If you’ve got extra equipment and the know-how, you’ll likely have a nice business helping other adrenaline junkies enjoy their off days.

Lead Water Tours

For the sea, river, and lake lovers. Turn your love of water into a small business.

You could offer tours with water skiing! I grew up skiing on the river but no longer have access to a boat or skis. A day on the water reliving memories sounds like something I’d definitely pay for.

If you live in an area where people take a ferry to get around, how about getting an outdoor job as the ferry captain? Just make sure that you have boating experience first.

If you know how to fish and have your own boat and equipment, you could bring people for a day on the sea catching swordfish and the like.

Deep sea fishing excursions are definitely popular, so consider starting a weekend business offering up a chance to reel in the big one.

For those who love being near the water but not on a boat, consider a side job service for boat cleaning, repair, or maintenance.

Or if you like fish better than people, offer to clean fish for a commercial operation or for weekend fishermen when they return to the dock.

Here’s a list of ideas:

Ferry boat captain
Deep sea fishing tours
River cruise captain
Dock hand/cleaner
Fish cleaner
Boat repair/maintenance

Outdoor Side Hustles for Event Lovers

If you’re a sports or music lover, these ideas might be right up your alley. Sporting events are normally on weekends and evenings, so many of these side jobs could fit right into your schedule.

Besides earning extra money, if you work a side hustle at a stadium, you’ll likely get to watch large portions of the game for free—while they pay you!

It’s the same with concerts. Many entertainment venues are outdoors, so you’ll be making extra money, enjoying fresh air, and hearing the music for free. A win-win.

Here are some places to start:

Ticket taker or bouncer
Selling concessions during games
Selling paraphernalia in booths or in the stands

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Are the Most Popular Side Hustles?

Apart from the outdoor side hustles mentioned in this article, there are endless possibilities for side hustles. We’re not saying you should quit your day job, but consider adding a lucrative side hustle to your life for extra money. Many of these ideas are home jobs that make the perfect side hustle for couch potatoes!

Invest in real estate
Teach English online
Become a freelance writer
Become an influencer on social media sites
Fill out online surveys on Survey Junkie
Drive for Amazon Flex
Graphic design services

Related articles:

What Are the Highest Paying Side Hustles?

Sometimes the highest paying side hustles are the ones that are often overlooked. For example, maybe a home owner won’t need help with stonework or the gutters, but will need someone to fix their bike. If you have spare time and are handy, why not offer a miscellaneous bunch of offerings?

If you can think of a need, someone is probably out there looking for some help.

Here are some ideas:

Car windshield repair
Motorhome detailing and cleaning
Screen repair or replacement for windows
Bike and tire repair
Car detailing

Car detailing is especially hot, and there’s always a demand for it no matter where you live. The great thing with detailing is that it doesn’t take much equipment to do it well.

And if you offer to travel to the car owner’s location, you’re likely to establish a great clientele. This could be especially desirable for motorhome owners. Who wants to drive their gas-guzzling RV to the detailer’s shop?

Another idea is to offer moving, packing, and pickup services. These are incredibly helpful for anyone with a bad back or older homeowners who don’t want to risk injuries. Packing help for moves is always appreciated and can earn you some great extra money.

Likewise, if you’ve got a large truck or van, moving loads locally might be a very rewarding outdoor side hustle. If it’s your own service, the schedule and pricing can be set around your needs.

If you own a pickup, you’ve been asked a thousand times if someone could borrow it, right? How about advertising pickup services on social media to shoppers who can’t get their new IKEA bed home from the store.

You get the idea. People are always buying stuff they can’t fit into their Honda—after they swear they measured three times and it seemed just fine.

Need to set up a bank account for your side hustling business? Check out Lili.

The Bottom Line

Outdoor side job offerings number in the dozens (probably the hundreds).

Some are more service-oriented and take physical stamina, and others are leisure side hustles meant to entertain.

No matter which side hustle you choose, the most rewarding part is the extra cash you’ll walk away with.

The community connections aren’t a bad side benefit either. Regular farmers market customers or repeat repair clients who sing your praises give a nice dose of the feel-goods.

And who knows, you just might meet fellow travelers or adventurers who become lifelong friends.