Celebrate Junior Ranger Day!
No matter what age you are, you are invited to explore, learn, and protect U.S. National Parks on National Junior Ranger Day. You can participate in the Junior Ranger program year-round and join this one-day celebration on August 22, 2026, that is part of the annual National Park Week.
Here are a couple of ways you can celebrate National Junior Ranger Day:
Look to see if a park near you is hosting any Junior Ranger Day activities. View Junior Ranger events by state or event type in the calendar below. For SW WA, visit Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Mt. Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument or Crater Lake National Park (OR)
Participate in an online Junior Ranger program such as Junior Paleontologist and Night Explorers (see links below).
Visit the NPS Kids Portal to plan a park experience, learn about free 4th Grader access, and groove out to Junior Ranger Radio.
Find a Junior Ranger Day Event
National Junior Ranger Day is August 22, 2026. Use the calendar below to view Junior Ranger Day programs at any of the more than 400 national parks around the country. Remember to check ahead for trip planning information and to recreate responsibly for a safe visit.
Some parks may host Junior Ranger Day celebrations on an alternate date from the official National Park Week schedule. Be sure to check the details for each park's programming.
Junior Ranger Day at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Kids can pick up a Junior Ranger scavenger hunt and set out on a journey through the reconstructed Hudson’s Bay Company Fort Vancouver, exploring the spaces where people lived and worked during the 1840s. As they move through the fort, Junior Rangers will learn about the daily lives of traders, laborers, families, and communities who helped shape this important center of the Pacific Northwest fur trade. Along the way, participants will discover historic buildings, objects, and stories that bring the past to life while completing fun challenges and activities.
Activities will be available as self-guided experiences from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.,
Be a Night Explorer J.R.!
Children can learn how to find the North Star, write their own creative mythology about the constellations, track the phases of the moon, learn about stars and galaxies, and use all their senses to explore the night environment at a national park.
Explore magnificent and beautiful caves. You will find an amazing underground world just beneath your feet! Learn about caves and karst systems and the work that cave scientists do.
Junior Cave Scientist Activity Booklet—English
Guardabosques Juvenil de Cuevas—Spanish
Become a Junior Paleontologist!
Explore the ways that paleontologists work, and the methods and tools they use to understand ancient life. Learn about Earth's history, ancient plants and animals, and changes to past climate and environments.
Junior Paleontologist Activity Booklet—English
Paleontólogo Juvenil Libreto de Actividades (versión definitiva)—Spanish