NPS photo Junior Ranger ProgramsYoung people are encouraged to discover their environment by dissecting owl pellets, cooking a trail snack on a backpack stove, hiking in the desert, and drawing a favorite cactus. These are just some of the activities children can experience when participating in one of Saguaro National Park's Junior Ranger programs. Here at Saguaro National Park, we feel the future stewardship of our park is of the utmost importance. A Junior Ranger is an explorer. A Junior Ranger is a protector of the national parks. A Junior Ranger is a learner, and this type of learning is informal and fun. Junior Rangers discover things they can do to help make sure there are always parks to visit in the future. They learn things they can do in the parks as well as what they can do when they return home. When they have completed their activity booklets, children are sworn in as a Junior Ranger and receive a badge and certificate. Each year, 450,000 children become Junior Rangers! In today's fast-paced world, we recognize that schedules are busier than ever. That's why we have a few different ways kids can become Junior Rangers. First, they can come into the Visitor Center to pick up their workbook, which can be completed at the child's own pace but usually takes 1-3 hours. Junior Rangers and their families explore the parks using activity booklets designed especially for them. The booklets introduce park stories and point out things of interest that might otherwise go unnoticed. New 2023 Junior Ranger Book Download!Ready to work on the book? The 2023 Saguaro Junior Ranger booklet is available for download. Want to be sworn in?See the video at the bottom of this page if you are mailing in your book and would like to be sworn in virtually. Summer Programs, Rincon Mountain District (East)Another way kids can become Junior Rangers at Saguaro National Park is by participating in one of our Summer Junior Ranger Camps. In this camp children will experience the desert by learning about the animals native to our desert home, the importance of water, how to hike safely in the desert, interactive games and activities and much, much more. The camp allows children to explore the park outside in the morning in the cooler temps and then move inside to learn more about these prickly plants and the crafty critters that make the park home. Children will be led by staff on this exploration while completing activities in their Junior Ranger Journal. At camp’s end, they will be sworn in as official Junior Rangers. Winter Programs, Tucson Mountain District (West)These full-day or three-day Wilderness camps are held in the cooler winter / spring months in the Tucson Mountain District (west). Kids spend all day learning about how to hike into the Saguaro Wilderness and the proper way to set up a camping experience. Families are invited to participate in the campfire program at the end of the camp and learn from their graduate campers.
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Last updated: March 21, 2023