Girl Scout Ranger Program
National Park Service and Girl Scouts of the United States of America have partnered to create the Girl Scout Ranger Program. Girl Scouts are invited to participate in a variety of existing, organized educational or service projects at national park sites, or design their own experience or project to align with Journey work, badge activities, or a Take Action or Highest Award project.
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The Girl Scout Ranger Program is a partnership connecting Girl Scouts with National Park Service sites across the United States.
How to Earn a Certificate and/or Patch
Girls can participate in the Girl Scout Ranger Program through a troop, event, travel, or camp experience, and will be awarded a program certificate and/or patch upon completion for their Girl Scout grade level.
To earn a Girl Scout Ranger certificate, Girl Scouts should participate in organized education activities and/or volunteer service projects for a minimum of five (5) hours at one or more national parks.
To earn a Girl Scout Ranger patch, Girl Scouts should participate in organized educational activities or volunteer service projects for a minimum of ten (10) hours at one or more national parks. You may also be eligible to earn a Girl Scout Gold Award certificate, which needs to be requested via email to goldaward@girlscout.org. A special patch commemorating the 19th Amendment centennial was offered through March 31, 2021. Learn more about the program here.
Visit https://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm. Choose a national park, monument, or any of the 423 sites protected by the National Park Service. Explore nature, learn the history and read the stories to discover why it is important to preserve your park.
Brainstorm activities that you might want to experience at a national park. Consider working outside with a geologist or inside identifying fossils. Maybe wildfire restoration, building a bridge, or a night sky project interests you.
Call the park (the phone number is on the park's website under Contact Us). Identify yourself as a Girl Scout. Ask if there is someone who works with the Girl Scout Ranger program or a volunteer coordinator. Express your ideas to the coordinator. Together, plan a project to help the park and fulfill your goals.
If your park does not have a volunteer program or is too far away to visit, create a Take Action Project. Once all the logistics are set up, go and have fun with the Girl Scout Ranger Program! Feel free to keep track of your participation in the program by using the downloadable Girl Scout Ranger Activity Log! Once you completed, print your certificate.
Share your best shots on Instagram and Twitter using #gsoutdoors (don't forget to tag @GirlScouts) and you can be part of the largest Girl Scout photo collage in the world.
Are you a Girl Scout Adult leader? Find out what you need to get started in our nation's public lands! Check out the Girl Scout Adult Leader Corner.
Last updated: June 25, 2021