Yellowstone National Park Junior Ranger
and Young Scientist Programs

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It's fun and easy to become a Junior Ranger

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Yellowstone National Park has a self-guided, Junior Ranger program for visitors aged 4 years and up. The Junior Ranger 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 visitor centers in the park for $ 5.00 and a Junior Ranger patch is awarded to those who complete the requirements.

To become a Junior Ranger, families may request the $ 5.00 Junior Ranger book at any visitor center in Yellowstone. 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 patch. Modeled after the National Park Service patch, Junior Ranger patches are shaped like an arrowhead and feature a geyser for 4-7 year olds, a grizzly bear for 8-12 year olds, and a bison for those aged 13 to 113 years.

Requirements include attending a Ranger-led program, hiking on a park trail or boardwalk, and completing activities in the booklet to learn more about park resources, issues, and concepts such as geothermal 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 visit Yellowstone in winter and participate in the junior ranger program, Winter Junior Rangers are awarded a snowflake patch. Some winter activities require the use of a thermometer and hand lens, so ask to check out a Junior Ranger Snowpack. Snowpacks are available at both the Mammoth and Old Faithful visitor centers and snowshoes may be checked out in Mammoth.

Junior Ranger Motto
"Explore, Learn, and Protect!"

When you have completed the number of activities you are required to do, you take the paper to any ranger station and they will announce that you have completed the program and present you with your Junior Ranger Patch. Cool! We have listed a few of the topics below to give you some idea of what to expect.

Bridge Bay Ranger Led Activities - Yellowstone National Park
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Bridge Bay Evening Program (May 26 to September 3) Evening Program (May 26 to September 3) Learn more about Yellowstone’s natural and cultural history in this presentation highlighting one of Yellowstone’s wonders. Inquire locally on bulletin boards and at Fishing Bridge Visitor Information Center for program descriptions. Meet at the Bridge Bay Campground Amphitheater. Dress warmly and bring a flashlight. Accessible. 45 minutes.	9:30 pm 5/27–7/29 9 pm 8/5–9/2	9:30 pm 5/28–7/30 9 pm 8/6–9/3	9:30 pm 5/29–8/31 9 pm 8/7–8/28	9:30 pm 5/30–8/1 9 pm 8/8–8/29	9:30 pm 5/31–8/2 9 pm 8/9–8/30	9:30 pm 6/1–8/3 9 pm 8/10–8/30	9:30 pm 5/26–8/4 9 pm 8/11–9/1

Canyon Ranger Led Activities - Yellowstone National Park
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Canyon Evening Program (July 1 to September 3) Learn more about a fascinating aspect of Yellowstone's natural or cultural wonders in a nightly slide presentation. Inquire locally on bulletin boards and at the Canyon Visitor Education Center for program titles and descriptions. Meet at the Canyon Campground Amphitheater. 45 minutes. Accessible.	9:30 pm 7/1–7/29 9:00 pm 8/5–9/2	9:30 pm 7/2–7/30 9:00 pm 8/6–9/3	9:30 pm 7/3–7/31 9:00 pm 8/7–8/28	9:30 pm 7/4–8/1 9:00 pm 8/8–8/29	9:30 pm 7/5–8/2 9:00 pm 8/9–8/30	9:30 pm 7/6–8/3 9:00 pm 8/10–8/31	9:30 pm 7/7–8/4 9:00 pm 8/11–9/1
Junior Ranger Wildlife Olympics (June 6 to August 22) Kids can test their skills and compare their abilities to the animals in Yellowstone. How far can you jump? How well can you see and smell? Scheduled Wednesdays between 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Stay for as little or as long as your plans allow. Near Canyon Visitor Education Center.				12:00 pm to 3:00 pm 6/6–8/22
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat

Fishing Bridge and Lake Ranger Led Activities - Yellowstone
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Fishing Bridge Evening Program (Jun 18 to Sep 3) Learn more about Yellowstone’s natural and cultural history in this presentation highlighting one of Yellowstone’s wonders. Inquire locally on bulletin boards and at Fishing Bridge Visitor Information Center for program descriptions. Meet at Fishing Bridge Visitor Center Amphitheater. 45 minutes. Dress warmly and bring a flashlight.	9:30 pm 6/24–7/29 9:00 pm 8/5–9/2	9:30 pm 6/18–7/30 9:00 pm 8/6–9/3	9:30 pm 6/19–7/31 9:00 pm 8/7–8/28	9:30 pm 6/20–8/2 9:00 pm 8/8–8/29	9:30 pm 6/21–8/2 9:00 pm 8/9–8/30	9:30 pm 6/22–8/3 9:00 pm 8/10–8/31	9:30 pm 6/23–8/4 9:00 pm 8/11-9/1
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat

Grant Village Ranger Led Activities - Yellowstone National Park
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Junior Ranger Discovery Program (Jun 11 to Aug 26) Investigate and discover the many curiosities of Yellowstone during this interactive program geared towards kids 4–13 years and up. Meet at the Grant Village Pavilion, located behind the Visitor Center along the edge of the Lake. 30 minutes. Accessible.	11:30 am 6/11–8/20	11:30 am 6/12–8/14	11:30 am 6/13–8/22	11:30 am 6/14–8/23	11:30 am 6/15–8/24	11:30 am 6/16–8/25	11:30 am 6/17–8/26
Ranger Rendezvous (Jun 11 to September 4) This early evening program is designed for the young and young at heart. Learn more about Yellowstone’s diverse geology, history, or wildlife riches. Daily programs are posted at the Grant Visitor Center. Meet on the back porch of the Grant Visitor Center. 30 minutes. Accessible.	7:00 pm 6/11–9/3	7:00 pm 6/12–9/4	7:00 pm 6/13–8/29	7:00 pm 6/14-8/30	7:00 pm 6/15–8/31	7:00 pm 6/16–9/1	7:00 pm 6/17–9/2
Grant Village Evening Program (Jul 1 to Sep 3) Learn more about Yellowstone’s natural and cultural history in this presentation highlighting one of Yellowstone’s wonders. Meet at the Grant Village Amphitheater. Dress warmly and bring a flashlight. 45 minutes. Accessible.	9:30 pm 7/1–7/29 9:00 pm 8/5–9/2	9:30 pm 7/2–7/30 9:00 pm 8/6–9/3	9:30 pm 7/3–7/31 9:00 pm 8/7–8/28	9:30 pm 7/4–8/1 9:00 pm 8/8–8/29	9:30 pm 7/5–8/2 9:00 pm 8/9–8/30	9:30 pm 7/6–8/3 9:00 pm 8/10–8/31	9:30 pm 7/7–8/4 9:00 pm 8/11–9/1
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat

Madison Ranger Led Activities - Yellowstone National Park
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Madison Evening Program (June 10 to September 3) Learn more about Yellowstone’s natural and cultural history in this presentation highlighting one of Yellowstone’s wonders. Inquire locally on bulletin boards and at the Madison Information Station for program titles and descriptions. Meet at the Madison Amphitheater. 45 minutes. Accessible.	9:30 pm 6/10–7/29 9:00 pm 8/5–9/2	9:30 pm 6/11–7/30 9:00 pm 8/6–9/3	9:30 pm 6/12–7/31 9:00 pm 8/7–8/28	9:30 pm 6/13–8/1 9:00 pm 8/8–8/29	9:30 pm 6/14–8/2 9:00 pm 8/9–8/30	9:30 pm 6/15–8/3 9:00 pm 8/10–8/31	9:30 pm 6/16–8/4 9:00 pm 8/11–9/1

Mammoth Ranger Led Activities - Yellowstone National Park
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Junior Ranger Wildlife Olympics (June 8 to August 24) Kids can test their skills and compare their abilities to the animals of Yellowstone. How far can you jump? How well can you see and smell? Stay for as little or as long as your plans allow. Meet in front of the Albright Visitor Center. Accessible.						12:00 pm to 3:00 pm 6/8–8/24
Mammoth Evening Program (July 1 to September 3) Learn more about a fascinating aspect of Yellowstone’s natural or cultural wonders in a nightly slide presentation. Inquire locally on bulletin boards and at Albright Visitor Center for program titles and descriptions. Meet at the Mammoth Campground amphitheater. 45 minutes. Accessible.	9:30 pm 7/1–7/29 9:00 pm 8/5–9/2	9:30 pm 7/2–7/30 9:00 pm 8/6–9/3	9:30 pm 7/3–7/31 9:00 pm 8/7–8/28	9:30 pm 7/4–8/1 9:00 pm 8/8–8/29	9:30 pm 7/5–8/2 9:00 pm 8/9–8/30	9:30 pm 7/6–8/3 9:00 pm 8/10–8/31	9:30 pm 7/7–8/4 9:00 pm 8/11–9/1
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat

Old Faithful Ranger Led Activities - Yellowstone National Park
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Old Faithful Evening Program (Jun 17 to Sep 3) Learn more about Yellowstone’s natural and cultural history in this presentation highlighting one of Yellowstone’s wonders. Inquire locally on bulletin boards and at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center for program descriptions. Meet in the theater of the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center. 45 minutes.	7:00 pm 6/17–9/2	7:00 pm 6/18–9/3	7:00 pm 6/19–8/28	7:00 pm 6/20–8/29	7:00 pm 6/21–8/30	7:00 pm 6/22–8/31	7:00 pm 6/23–9/1
Old Faithful Junior Ranger (Jun 3 to Sep 3) Learn about Yellowstone’s wonderful wildlife, geysers, history and much more. This is a great opportunity to complete the ranger-led activity required to earn your Junior Ranger patch. These family programs are geared towards kids 5–12 years old. While it is not required, you can purchase a Junior Ranger booklet at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center. Meet near the Old Faithful yurts, east of the Visitor Education Center. 30 minutes. Accessible.	10:30 am 11:30 am 12:30 pm 1:30 pm 2:30 pm 3:30 pm 6/3–9/2	10:30 am 11:30 am 12:30 pm 1:30 pm 2:30 pm 3:30 pm 6/4–9/3	10:30 am 11:30 am 12:30 pm 1:30 pm 2:30 pm 3:30 pm 6/5–8/28	10:30 am 11:30 am 12:30 pm 1:30 pm 2:30 pm 3:30 pm 6/6–8/29	10:30 am 11:30 am 12:30 pm 1:30 pm 2:30 pm 3:30 pm 6/7–8/30	10:30 am 11:30 am 12:30 pm 1:30 pm 2:30 pm 3:30 pm 6/8–8/31	10:30 am 11:30 am 12:30 pm 1:30 pm 2:30 pm 3:30 pm 6/9–9/1
Junior Ranger Wildlife Olympics (Jun 11 - Aug 20) Kids can test their skills and compare their abilities to the animals of Yellowstone. How far can you jump? How well can you see and smell? Stay for as little or as long as your plans allow. Meet at the Wildlife Olympics tent between the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center and Old Faithful Geyser. 30 minutes. Accessible.		12:00 pm to 3:00 pm 6/11–8/20
Young Scientist Investigation (Jun 11 to Aug 29) Are the geysers alive? Is the volcano still active? Be a Citizen Scientist for the day and investigate these questions and more. Using the Young Scientist booklet as a guide, explore the Upper Geyser Basin with a park ranger. While it is not required, you can purchase a booklet at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center. Meet at Castle Geyser, ½-mile west of Old Faithful (15-minute walk from the Visitor Education Center). 1.25 hours.				12:00 pm 1:45 pm 6/13–8/29
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat

Tower Fall Evening Programs - Yellowstone National Park
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Tower Fall Evening Programs (June 16 to September 1) Peer into the lives of some of the Yellowstone ecosystem’s wildest inhabitants. Inquire locally on bulletin boards for program titles and descriptions. Meet at the Tower Fall Campground Amphitheater. 45 minutes.			8:00 pm 6/19–8/28				8:00 pm 6/16–9/1

West Yellowstone Ranger Led Activities - Yellowstone National Park
Activity	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Evening Program (June 19 to August 28) Learn more about Yellowstone’s natural and cultural history in this presentation highlighting one of Yellowstone’s wonders. Inquire locally and on bulletin boards for program descriptions. Meet at the West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center (corner of Yellowstone Avenue and Canyon Street). 45 minutes. Accessible.			7:00 pm 6/19–8/28

* * Also, do not forget to check out the Star Talks * *

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Yellowstone's Nature

When you become a Yellowstone National Park Junior Ranger, you become a Junior Ranger in the oldest national park in the United States. In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the act that made Yellowstone the first national park, thereby protecting it "for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." Today you may be one of three million who come each year to see Yellowstone's natural beauty. As a visitor today, you share Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres with its wildlife, and you have the opportunity to help protect its natural wonders for future visitors. By becoming a Junior Ranger, you recognize that Yellowstone National Park is important for both people and wildlife. One animal that lives in Yellowstone and depends on the park for its future survival is the grizzly bear. That's why the track of the grizzly bear is the symbol of the Junior Ranger program. As grizzly bears lost most of their habitat across the United States to early settlement, they retreated to remote, wild places like Yellowstone. The bear is the animal that most people want to see in Yellowstone, but the bear often stays hidden from people. The secretive grizzly bear symbolizes all that is wild in Yellowstone. The bear lives here -- roams, feeds and has its young -- and we're lucky to share its wilderness. As long as Greater Yellowstone is preserved, grizzly bears and other animals that depends on this rich habitat will survive. As a Junior Ranger, you know as long as you care about Yellowstone, you can help protect its future! We hope you'll become a Yellowstone National Park Junior Ranger, and we hope you enjoy your visit in Yellowstone.

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Become a Yellowstone National Park Junior Ranger and...

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Junior Ranger Winter Program

This program is designed for children from 5 - 12 years of age and their families. Participants explore the winter world of snow, ice and steam through activities focusing on geology, wildlife adaptations, weather, snow crystals and more. In addition to completing an age-appropriate activity paper, participants attend a program led by a park ranger, record wildlife observations, make a record of geyser and hot spring activity, and hike, ski, or snowshoe a trail.

Children can participate by requesting the program at either the Mammoth or Old Faithful visitor centers. For $ 3.00 they receive an activity paper. Requirements include attending a Ranger-led program, hiking on a park trail, and completing activities on various park resources, issues, and concepts such as geothermal geology, park wildlife, and fire ecology.

Some winter activities require the use of a thermometer and hand lens, so make sure you ask to check out a Junior Ranger Snowpack. Snowpacks are available at both the Mammoth and Old Faithful visitor centers and snowshoes may be checked out in Mammoth. Upon completion of the program, children return to the visitor center to have their work reviewed by a park ranger, and receive an embroidered patch. Fees collected through this program help maintain the program, allow for the continued development of new program components, and provide high school students summer jobs working with Junior Rangers.

This winter program was a natural offshoot of Yellowstone's well established summer Junior Ranger program, which awards 15,000 patches each summer. Most parks offer some sort of Junior Ranger program, and many children enjoy collecting the great variety of patches and badges offered.

This is a great opportunity for youth to learn about and enjoy Yellowstone's Winter Wonderland.

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Young Scientist

Young Scientist

An In-Park Science Inquiry Paper for Ages Five to Adult

Students ages 5 and up you can become a Young Scientist when you visit Yellowstone National Park! Purchase your self-guiding booklet for $ 5.00 at the Canyon Visitor Education Center or Old Faithful Visitor Center. Designed to serve three different age groups, the program coaches the young (and young at heart) to solve science mysteries by combining investigation in both visitor center and field settings. The program for 5-7 year olds is offered only at Old Faithful. Stop by the Old Faithful Visitor Center to check out a Young Scientist toolkit for use in the Upper Geyser Basin. Once your investigation is complete, you will be awarded an official Young Scientist patch (ages 5 - 13) or key chain (ages 14 and up).

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Available at Canyon

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Available at Old Faithful

The 5 through 9 year old program is offered only at Old Faithful.

If you are investigating in the Old Faithful area, be sure to check out a Young Scientist Toolkit, which has a thermometer, stopwatch, and other gear. Once your investigation is complete, you will be awarded an official Young Scientist patch or key chain.

Development of this program was funded by the National Science Foundation through a generous grant to the Yellowstone Park Foundation.

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Your Yellowstone Journal

Rangers use journals to keep a record of what they see, what they do, and what they think. Today, we still read the journals kept by early travelers through Yellowstone -- like trapper Osborne Russell in the 1830's and surveyor Ferdinand Hayden in the 1870's. Now you have the chance to record your own trip! Use the journal page to describe some of your Yellowstone experiences. Who do you think will be interested in reading your journal... today? In 10 years? In 20 years? They will ask you some hard questions like this. If you could be any animal which one would you be? Why?

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The Big Picture

If you hear people speak about Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, they're talking about Yellowstone National Park, the area that surrounds it, all of the plants and animals that live there. In an ecosystem, everything is connected to everything else, like a puzzle. If you have all the pieces to the puzzle, then the ecosystem, and all the plants and all the animals in it, will usually be healthy. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, most of the pieces to the puzzle are still here. In fact, Yellowstone is one of the most complete ecosystems in the lower 48 states. This does not mean everything is perfect though. Since not every part of the area is protected like the park, the growth of nearby cities and towns can affect the plants and animals. As humans, it is are responsibility to make sure that the ecosystem stays healthy. After all, the plants and animals have nowhere else to go.

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Wildland Fire

The summer of 1988 will probably be remembered for a long time.During that summer, fires affected about one third of Yellowstone National Park and many people though Yellowstone would surely be destroyed. What they seemed to forget was that fires were not new to Yellowstone; in fact, major fires like the ones in 1988 have occurred in Yellowstone every 300 to 400 years for the past 10,000 years!

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Letting Off Steam

As a visitor to Yellowstone, you know that Yellowstone is famous for its geysers. Do you know that:

So just how do these geysers work? Geysers all need three things: water, heat, and a strong plumbing system.

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Hot Spots

Right now you're standing on top of a volcano! Imagine yourself standing here 600,000 years ago: You hear a deep rumbling rolling across the landscape. Suddenly there's a deafening explosion! Hot volcano ash and pumice spew out from great cracks in the earth's surface. Dust clouds blacken the sky, and volcanic debris covers thousands of square miles. Abruptly, a great smoldering pit--a caldera 28 miles across, 47 miles long and several thousand feet deep-- appears. The Yellowstone Caldera is formed! Over many of the years following, the caldera is filled in by lava flows oozing from cracks in the earth's surface.

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* * Also, do not forget to check out the Star Talks * *

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Yellowstone National Park Ranger Led Activities
Bridge Bay	Junior Ranger	Star Talks
Campfire Programs	Lake	Tower Fall
Canyon	Madison	Visitor Centers
Fishing Bridge	Mammoth	West Thumb
Grant	Norris	West Yellowstone
Indian Creek	Old Faithful	Wildlife Olympics

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I n d e x
Accessibility	Earthquakes	Maps	Trip Reports
Address	Email	Newspaper	Video Page
Adult Programs	Entrances	Night of the Bear	Visitor Centers
Amphibians	Entrance Fees	Old Faithful Live WebCam	Visitor Stats
Animals	Facts & Figures	Pets	Volcano Observatory
Backcountry	Fall Closure	Phone Numbers	Waterfalls
Bear Management	Fish	Picnic Areas	Weather
Bear Sightings	Fishing Fees	Pikas	WebCams
Biking	Fishing Regulations	Ranger Led Activities	Wildflowers
Birds	Getting Here	Reptiles	Winter Closing
Boating	Hiking	Reunions	Winter Opening
Books	History	Rivers, Creeks & Streams	Winter Weather Reports
Butterflies	Junior Ranger Program	Roads	Wolf Project
Camping	Lakes	Schedule	Wolf Sightings
Campground Maps	Location	Search Page	Wolverine Help
Challenges	Lodging	Spring Opening	Yellowstone ~ the Name
Chat Page  or  Facebook Group	Lynx Help	Star Talks	Young Scientist
Clinics / Medical	Mammal List	Trip Planner pdf	Youth Conservation Corps

Yellowstone National Park WebCams
Old Faithful Live	All Old Faithful	Old Faithful Static	Old Faithful VC	North Entrance	Mt Washburn	Mammoth	YVO WebCam

Entrance Cities and Gateway Towns
Gardiner, Montana	Silver Gate, Montana	West Yellowstone, Montana	Cooke City, Montana
Livingston, Montana	Cody, Wyoming	Jackson Hole, Wyoming	Yellowstone National Park

Links
The Great Outdoors Net	Great Outdoor Recreational Places
Gardiner, Montana	West Yellowstone, Montana