Be a Junior Ranger at HOME

One of our favorite things to do at National and State Park is to become Junior Rangers. We believe this program helps our kids learn about the park we are visiting and the world around them. They have learned so much about history and geology just from doing Junior Ranger booklets. Since we aren’t able to travel to these places right now, we are working on becoming Junior Rangers at Home!

There are many sites that allow you to learn about their park on the web and then mail in the book. A park ranger will review the book and then return it to you with a Junior Ranger badge. All for FREE! We have done this before for some of the National Trails like Lewis & Clark and the Underground Railroad. We can’t wait to work on some more Junior Ranger programs in our home.

Junior Ranger at Home programs

These are specific parks that have Junior Ranger programs with mail-in options.

• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
• Cedar Breaks National Monument
• Arizona Trail Junior Explorer
• Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
• Pony Express National Historic Trail
• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve
• Underground Railroad
• Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
• Clara Barton National Historic Site
• Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
• Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
• Mary McLeod Bethune National Historic Site
• Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
• Women’s Rights National Historical Park
• Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
• New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
• Ocmulgee National Monument
• National Park of American Samoa
• Denali National Park
• Mormon Pioneer Trail National Historic Trail
• Star Spangled Historic Trail
• Chesapeake Bay
• Lewis & Clark National Historic Site
• El Camino Real de Los Tejas
• Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve
• Pompey Pillas National Monument
• Hopewell Culture National Historic Site
• Pecos National Historical Park
• Point Reyes National Seashore
• Little Rock Central High School
• Harry S. Truman National Historic Site
• Appomattox Court House National Historic Park
• Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument
• El Camino de Real Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail
• Juan Baptista de Anza Historic Trail
• New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
• Aztec Ruins National Monument
• Noatak National Preserve
• Oregon National Historic Trail
• Old Spanish National Historic Trail

Holy cow, there are so many. This website lists a whole bunch more.

Special Junior Ranger Booklets

There are special Junior Ranger booklets that can be earned in most parks, and they can also be earned at home. Addresses are provided in the booklets or on the website links.

• Junior Archaeologist
• Junior Paleontologist (not accepting mail-ins during Covid-19, so hold onto your book to mail in later)
• Junior Ranger Night Explorer
• Junior Ranger Underwater Explorer
• Junior Ranger Angler (this one must be turned in at a site that carries the badges)
• Junior Ranger Space Flight Explorer (no special badge for this program)
• Junior Cave Scientist (not accepting mail-ins during Covid-19, so hold onto your book to mail in later)

We hope this motivates you to Be a Junior Ranger at Home, and also to be a Junior Ranger whenever you visit a National Site or state parks. It is an amazing program!