Yosemite National Park - Be A Junior Ranger (U.S. National Park Service)

Become a Junior Ranger or Little Cub. In 2009, more than 27,000 children became Yosemite Junior Rangers (with 15,000 in 2008 and 6,000 in 2007). The 2009 increase is due to an increase in daily Junior Ranger programs, given by the park’s summer interpretive rangers, supported by a Yosemite Fund project. Find an online schedule of interpretive programs, including special Junior Ranger programs, in the Yosemite Guide newspaper.

Be a Junior Ranger (ages 7-13)!
You can become a Yosemite Junior Ranger by purchasing a self-guided booklet published by the Yosemite Association. This booklet is sold for $3.50 plus tax at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, Nature Center at Happy Isles (May through September), and Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center (June through September), and Wawona and Big Oak Flat Information Stations (May through September). In order to earn a Junior Ranger patch, the booklet must be completed, a bag of trash collected, and a guided program attended.

Be a Little Cub (ages 3-6)!
Yosemite has a program for YOU! Little Cubs is a self-guided booklet that encourages our young visitors and their families to discover Yosemite ’s wonders and to earn a Little Cubs button.This booklet (published by the Yosemite Association) is sold for $3 plus tax in the Nature Center at Happy Isles,Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Centers, and Wawona and Big Oak Flat Information Stations.

Sea un Joven Guardaparque
Presentando una guía en español que se llama “Manual para Jóvenes Guardaparques.” Por favor visiten un centro de visitantes del parque para recoger su ejemplar. Esta guía tiene actividades para niños de 7 a 13 años. Una otra guía, “Manual para Niños Exploradores,” es para niños pequeños de 3 a 6 años. Todos los niños que completan los manuales recibirán como obsequio un escudo de “Joven Guardaparque de Yosemite.”

More Yosemite-related Links

Did you know Yosemite is a World Heritage Site? Learn more with the online World Heritage Junior Ranger program with its mascot Wally, the Wild Heritage Wolf.
Discover Yosemite is an "interactive classroom" website with lots of information--Yosemite at a Glance, Yosemite in Depth, teacher resources and the Discovery Center.
The Wildlink program brings culturally diverse students from your school to the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada on WildLink expeditions.
Yosemite Institute offers multi-day educational programs for youth and all ages. Categories include: adventure programs, creative arts, family field seminars, field seminars, K-12 school program, teacher training, university/college field semesters, wilderness medicine, youth camps, and custom programs.

Junior Ranger Activities to Do from Home
To learn more about national parks, check out these offerings from the National Park Service:

KidsZone - Join in the fun at KidsZone where you can find many activities about your national parks. KidsZone includes WebRangers, Junior Rangers (including a looong list of parks offering Junior Ranger programs) and Park Fun & Activities. The last section includes activities at wild places across the country, including "Meet Your Wild Neighbors in Alaska."
WebRangers - Become a WebRanger online. Enjoy this national web-based program where you can learn about national parks all over the country! Play more than 50 games! Sign up to get your own "Ranger Station." And, challenge yourself 52 times a year to answer the "Question of the Week."
Junior Ranger Gazette - This journal includes fun facts, activities, and stories about the national parks.