Did you know that Utah has 46 state parks? We’ve been doing research on state parks, National Parks, and Other National Sites in Utah to find Junior Ranger programs for our kids. Here are a few of the facts we’ve discovered with internal links for our site on parks we’ve visited and reviewed. There are lot of places for your kids (and you) to become Utah Junior Rangers.
Total Utah State Parks: 46
Total State Parks that include Junior Ranger Program: 34
*Note: some parks focus on more than one area so the numbers don’t add up.
Parks focused on Water Activities (fishing, boating, etc.): 25
- Bear Lake
- Deer Creek
- East Canyon
- Echo Reservoir
- Green River
- Great Salt Lake
- Gunlock
- Huntington
- Hyrum Lake
- Jordanelle
- Lost Creek (new in 2021)
- Millsite
- Otter Creek
- Palisade
- Piute
- Quail Creek
- Red Fleet
- Rockport
- Sand Hollow
- Scofield
- Starvation
- Steinaker
- Utah Lake
- Willard Bay
- Yuba Lake
Parks focused on Sightseeing: 8
- Dead Horse Point
- Escalante
- Goblin Valley
- Goosenecks
- Kodachrome
- Wasatch Mountain
- Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail
- Snow Canyon
Parks focused on History: 12
- Anasazi
- Antelope Island
- Camp Floyd
- East Canyon
- Edge of the Cedars
- Escalante Petrified Forest
- Fremont Indian
- Frontier Homestead
- Gunlock
- Union Pacific Rail Trail
- Territorial Statehouse
- This is the Place Heritage Park
Parks that include Golf: 4
- Palisade
- Green River
- Wasatch Mountain
- Millsite
Parks that include Dinosaurs: 3
- Red Fleet
- Utah Field House
- Utahraptor (new in 2021)
Parks with focuses other than history, water, or sightseeing:
- Flight Park is specifically for Hang Gliders
- Jordan River is specifically a track for off-highway vehicles
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes focuses on Sand Activities
Parks with Tent Sites: 35
State Parks with Cabins or Yurts: 20
Parks with RV Hook-ups: 30
Utah National Parks & Sites
Along with the state parks, Utah has five well known National Parks, all of which have a Junior Ranger Program:
- Arches
- Bryce Canyon
- Canyonlands
- Capitol Reef has 2 Junior Ranger Programs if you count the Junior Geologist.
- Zion
Utah National Monuments/Recreation Areas:
Focus on Water Activities: 3
- Flaming Gorge
- Glen Canyon
- Rainbow Bridge
Focus on Sightseeing/Outdoors: 4
Focus on History: 3
Junior Ranger Programs: 8
Flaming Gorge doesn’t do a Junior Ranger program, and Glen Canyon & Grand Staircase share the same program.
The federal sites sometimes offer patches, and sometimes badges. At Timp Cave, you even get a choice. You can also see some of the alternative badges available at some parks like the Yellowstone Young Scientist, Great Basin Night Explorer, and Craters of the Moon Lunar Ranger.
With all of these amazing places to visit, your family can gather nearly 50 Junior Ranger badges without leaving Utah! We love the Junior Ranger program and how it helps us to learn more about Utah, as well as reminds us how best to protect this beautiful world that we liven. So let’s get out and become Utah Junior Rangers.
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Bear River Refuge (USFWS) also offers a junior ranger program that earns you a patch ($2 purchase).
We had no idea. We have been to the refuge many times, but no one has mentioned a junior ranger program. We will ask next time. Thank you!
This is the first time I read about this program! I saw a post on Instagram and was wondering who issued the star shaped badges and looked on Google to find this post. What a great resource for reading practice and science learning over the summer!
Flaming gorge does have a junior ranger program. It was at the Red Point (not sure if that’s the name) visitor center. You get a patch not a badge.
Are the State Park Ranger Badges all the same? Here in Colorado, it’s one badge at every state park that we have been to so far?
They are all very similar. Each one has the name of the unique state park on it. The booklets for the Junior Ranger Program can be similar for certain parks. For example, Yuba SP, East Canyon SP, and Palisade SP are all water recreation parks, so they all focus on water safety and life jackets, etc. but the programs are slightly different. The badges are slightly different. I’ll add some badge photos on the post above shortly.
Thank you, we are heading to Green River and Goblin today.