I discovered the National Park Service’s Junior Ranger Programs in June of 2016, just after our first trip across the United States. Since then, scheduling stops at National Park Service properties has determined the route we take on our U.S. trips. At each and every stop I have been impressed by the kindness of the rangers, the beauty of the protected space, and the knowledge we have gained through the experience.
COLORADO
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument – 2018, March 14th – #49
Great Sand Dunes National Park – 2018, March 15th – #50
Goldbelt Byway – 2018, #55
INDIANA
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore – 25 June 2017. Visited 31 March 2016.
IOWA
Effigy Mounds National Monument – 26 June 2017.
GEORGIA
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site – 10 November 2016 (#13).
Kansas. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve – 19 August 2016 (#12).
Kentucky. Mammoth Cave National Park – 10 June 2016 (#1). Our very first badge! Entrance is by guided tour only.
Michigan. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – 6 July 2016 (#4).
Michigan. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – 4 December 2016 (#15).
Montana. Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site – 28 July 2016 (#7).
Nebraska. Agate Fossil Beds National Monument – 16 August 2016 (#9).
Nebraska. Homestead National Monument of America – 18 August 2016 (#11).
Nebraska. Scotts Bluff National Monument – 17 August 2016 (#10).
New York. Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site – 2 January 2017 (#17).
New York. Niagara Falls National Heritage Area – 2 January 2017 (#16).
North Dakota. Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site – 8 July 2016 (#5). This was one of our favorite visits. We were the only visitors at this remote site, so we got lots of personal attention. After a private tour of the museum, the ranger invited the girls to see her office and then try on her ranger hat! There is a wonderful replica of an Earthlodge that even smells strongly of smoke from cooking fires. As we were walking the dog before leaving, another ranger was taking down the flag for the night, so showed the girls how to fold an American flag.
North Dakota. Theodore Roosevelt National Park – 9 July 2016 (#6).
Ohio. Cuyahoga Valley National Park – 1 July 2016. (#3) Our local park.
South Carolina. Congaree National Park – 18 June 2016 (#2). Our second badge. Awesome little park in the middle of nowhere. There is a self-guided tour along the boardwalk raised above the swamp. Unique ecosystem.
South Dakota. Mount Rushmore National Memorial – 28 March 2016. We visited this park on our first trip across the U.S. – before I knew about the Junior Ranger Program. I called Mount Rushmore several months later and requested to have the books mailed to us. (Book and badge completed ____)
Wyoming. Devils Tower National Monument – 16 August 2016 (#8). We spent the night in a real tepee at Devils Tower Tipi Camping.
Location independent badges & other National Park Service Sites
National Park System Centennial 2016 – Martin Luther King, Jr. NHS, 10 November 2016 (#14).
World Heritage in the United States – 28 January 2017 (#18).
Historic Preservation – Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 29 January 2017 (#20).
Great Lakes – Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 29 January 2017 (#19).
Pony Express National Historic Trail – Nebraska, August 2016. There is no Junior Ranger Program, but we visited several Pony Express stations that we discovered by following signs off the highway. I bought some Pony Express badges at the Gothenburg Station to represent all that we learned.