Become a Junior Ranger

150 Years of Yellowstone

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Yellowstone National Park, Junior Ranger booklets will be available free of charge at visitor centers on the following dates:

• August 25: Founders Day
• September 24: National Public Lands Day

 

 

Cover of the Junior Ranger booklet. The complete booklet is available at visitor centers across the park.

NPS

Yellowstone National Park has a self-guided Junior Ranger program for visiting children 4 years and older. This program is a way to introduce children—and those young at heart—to the natural wonders of the park and their own role in preserving these wonders for the future. Full-color booklets are available at park visitor centers for $3 and a badge is awarded to those who complete the requirements.

After completing the age-appropriate requirements described inside the booklet and reviewing their work with a ranger at any visitor center, participants are awarded an official Yellowstone Junior Ranger badge. Modeled after the National Park Service patch, these wooden badges are shaped like an arrowhead and feature a geyser, a mountain peak, and a bison.

Requirements include visiting with a ranger, hiking on a park trail or boardwalk, and completing activities in the booklet to learn more about park resources, issues, and concepts such as hydrothermal geology, wildlife, and fire ecology. Both children and adults benefit by learning more about the park and sharing the fun of becoming a Junior Ranger.

If you were unable to receive your badge before you left the park, please email us.

 

Winter Junior Rangers

If you visit Yellowstone in winter, you can also participate in the winter Junior Ranger program.

 

Online Junior Ranger Programs

Explore opportunities to participate in special interest Junior Ranger programs with downloadable booklets and virtual badges.

 

World Heritage Junior Ranger

Yellowstone National Park is one of 24 World Heritage Sites within the United States. These sites meet at least one of several highly stringent criteria for universal value. To learn more about World Heritage Sites, head over to the World Heritage Junior Ranger web page and become another type of Junior Ranger today.