The Junior Ranger Program at Yosemite National Park

Posted on May 4, 2016 | 0 comments

The Junior Ranger Program at Yosemite National Park offers the best option for family learning about Mother Nature and all of her beauty.

We had the opportunity to try out the program on our recent trip to Yosemite Madera. Not only did my kids learn a lot, but I actually discovered a few new things too!!

What is the Junior Ranger Program at Yosemite National Park?

Explore, Learn and Protect is their motto and that is exactly what you do when participating in the Yosemite National Park Junior Ranger Program.

The Junior Ranger Program is an activity based program promoting nature and instructing us how to best care for her. Upon check-in, the Ranger meets with the kids, gives them a handbook with worksheets, goes over it and then sends you out to find all of your answers together.

Once completed, you bring it back to the Ranger. He goes over it and then they do a little ceremony and award the children with a badge.

How much does the Junior Ranger Program at Yosemite National Park cost?

Entrance into the park is $20 a car – unless you have a 4^th grader. If you do, thanks to the Every Kid in a Park program, you get in free!

Find your way to the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center where the Junior Ranger Handbook for kids Age 7-13 is sold for $3.50. If you have really littles, there is a Little Cub Handbook for $3 filled with age appropriate activities for you to do with them.

How long does it take to complete the Junior Ranger Program at Yosemite National Park?

About 2 hours in all for kids aged 7-13. During this time you will interact with a park ranger and your family in a truly unique way.

That’s the where and how, read on to find out the why!!

4 Reasons to Participate in the Junior Ranger Program at Yosemite National Park

The unlimited opportunities for learning together as a family. These booklets and Rangers are incredibly informative. It addresses everything: what your favorites sights in Yosemite National Park are, a word search of local animals, a study on the rocks of Yosemite, a look into what the pioneers of Yosemite National Park went through, how to help care for the animals of the park and how to help take care of the park. I actually really enjoyed doing this with my children and seeing things through their eyes. It sparked so many conversations.
The chance for family bonding. Learning together with your children creates a bond between you that will simply bring you happiness and joy.
To become more aware of our world. Our eyes opened to several interesting things about Yosemite that we had never known before. There were a few smaller animals that I had never heard of before and now not only do we know about them, but we know how to care for them too! We discovered a few new to us plants as well!
To build your children’s confidence. Once you have completed the workbook, the Ranger awards the kids during a little ceremony among the other visitor center patrons. The kids take an oath and are then pinned with a badge and are given the responsibility to care for our earth everywhere they go. The reward and acknowledgement of their learning truly shows the children what they are capable of when they put the time and work in.

This program gives the kids a great sense of accomplishment while opening their eyes to our world – a true win-win!

If you are visiting Yosemite National Park soon with your children my entire family highly recommends the Junior Ranger Program – it is an activity not to be missed. We really appreciated meeting the Ranger and learning so much about the park.

Have you experienced The Junior Ranger Program at Yosemite National Park yet?

If not, there is no time like the present!! 😉

Malibu Mama Loves Xx