Are you taking a trip to the Rocky Mountain Region? How about to the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, or Wyoming? Do you know about the National Park Junior Ranger Program? If you are be sure to check out to see if a National Park Service Junior Ranger Program in the Rocky Mountains is near you.

What is the Junior Ranger Program?

“Explore, Learn, and Protect!” The Junior Ranger motto is recited by children around the country; each taking an oath of their own to protect parks, continue to learn about parks, and share their own ranger story with friends and family.

The NPS Junior Ranger program is an activity based program conducted in almost all parks, and some Junior Ranger programs are national. Many national parks offer young visitors the opportunity to join the National Park Service “family” as Junior Rangers.

Interested youth complete a series of activities during a park visit, share their answers with a park ranger, and receive an official Junior Ranger patch and Junior Ranger certificate. Junior Rangers are typically between the ages of 5 to 13, although people of all ages can participate.

Junior Ranger Program Online

Sometimes you can’t make it to the specific site. There are some badges that can be earned online by downloading the packet or contacting the site by email/phone/mail. Once you complete the packet you can mail the packet to an address and the site will mail you back a badge and certificate. If this is available at the site it will be indicated with “**Online Available**”.

There are other fun Junior Ranger Badges you can earn at home like Junior Archeologist Badge, Junior Cave Scientist Badge, and Junior Ranger Let’s Go Fishing! Badge. Check out the complete list of Junior Ranger Specialty Badges.

Junior Ranger Badge Display

Collecting Junior Ranger Badges while visiting National Parks and Sites is a great way to show all the kids have learned over the years. Have your many badges from the Junior Ranger Programs in the Rocky Mountains? Why not display them. I’m sharing Junior Ranger Badge Display that’s fun and easy to make.

Junior Ranger Programs in Colorado

Click for Interactive Junior Ranger Map

COLORADO (CO)

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Colorado National Monument
Curecanti National Recreation Area
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Hovenweep National Monument
Mesa Verde National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park