JUNIOR RANGERS

You can be a Junior Ranger at Cape Lookout National Seashore!

Ask for a free Junior Ranger booklet at the Harkers Island Visitor Center or the Light Station Visitor Center.

If you are 5 to 7 years old, complete at least four (4) activities. If you are 8 or older, complete at least eight (8) activities.

Then bring your booklet back to a Visitor Center. You will receive an official Cape Lookout Junior Ranger badge and certificate!

NEW! During the summer, you can also earn a Junior Ranger patch! To earn your patch:

1. Complete the Junior Ranger booklet. (If you have already earned your Junior Ranger badge from Cape Lookout, bring it with you and skip this step.)
     
   AND
     
2. Attend two (2) scheduled programs and complete the Program Check Sheet (pdf, 41 KB). The 26 minute park film Ribbon of Sand shown at the Harkers Island Visitor Center can be counted as one program.

Turn in your completed booklet and program check sheet at the Harkers Island Visitor Center or the Light Station Visitor Center to receive your patch.

Junior Ranger Adventures

Already a Junior Ranger at Cape Lookout? You can become a Junior Ranger Adventurer!

The Junior Ranger Adventures program is designed for families and groups with older kids or kids who have completed a Junior Ranger program at Cape Lookout or at another park.

Tell your Teacher or Scout Leader this program is great for group Field Trips! 

There are five (5) adventures in the series. You can do them in any order, but you may want to do Experience Cape Lookout first.

1. Experience Cape Lookout (grades  1 - 8) introduces you to the park. As you explore the lighthouse area, you will learn about the lighthouse, barrier islands, park jobs and more!
2.  Saltwater Explorer (grades 5 - 8) is a natural science adventure focused on the plants and animals which depend on the sea for survival.
3. Island Investigator (grades 5 - 8) guides you across the island to discover the plants and animals which have adapted to life on a barrier island.
4. Rescue Ranger (grades 5 - 8) is centered on the lifesavers who risked their lives so others could live. This booklet looks at the history of the U.S. Lighthouse Service, the U.S. Life-Saving Service and the U.S. Coast Guard at Cape Lookout.
5. Village Detective (grades 5 - 8) introduces you to the people who made their homes on the Outer Banks by taking you through either Portsmouth Village or the Cape Lookout Village Historic District.

Each adventure comes with all the needed supplies for the activities. Experience Cape Lookout only needs a booklet. Backpacks containing the booklets and supplies for Saltwater Explorer, Island Investigator, Rescue Ranger and Village Detective activities can be checked out at the Light Station Visitor Center near the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.

Large groups (school field trips, scout troops, others) will need to call the main visitor center on Harkers Island (252-728-2250) to make reservations and arrangements to pick up enough supplies for their group.

Cape Lookout Web Rangers

Now you can visit Cape Lookout National Seashore from wherever you are! Prepare for your trip and discover the history and nature these islands have to offer.

How to become a Cape Lookout Web Ranger:

1. Download and print the Web Ranger booklet. (pdf, 409 kb)
2. Complete enough activities for your age group.
   (grades 1 - 4, 4 activities; grades 5 - 8, 8 activities)
3. Some of the answers can be found in the park's online brochures and on the pages of the park's website.
4. Have an adult check your answers and then download and print out your Web Ranger certificate.
5. Congratulate yourself on becoming Cape Lookout's newest Web Ranger!