Great Falls Park

Junior Ranger 

Handbook

For Ages 8-12 
Welcome to Great Falls Park!

You are invited to become a member of a very special group of people: 

the Junior Rangers.

What is a Junior Ranger?

Junior Rangers are people like you who care about our National Parks. Did you 

know that the National Park Service protects and preserves these unique places for 

everyone to enjoy? By becoming a Junior Ranger, you can help the National Park 

Service take care of over 390 of these wonderful places in the United States. 

How can I earn the Junior Ranger badge?

 First, attend either the slide show in the Visitor Center Auditorium or a Ranger 

program.

 Then make sure you have this book, a pencil, and an adult with you. Read about the 

Junior Ranger motto on the following page. 

 Complete all of the activities in the book. Remember, for some questions there are 

no right or wrong answers. You will be challenged to think and use all of your 

senses. Park Rangers and Volunteers are here to help! They can give you clues and 

talk to you about Great Falls Park and the National Park Service.

 After you have finished the activities, ask a Park Ranger to look over your answers 

with you. Talk with the ranger about what you saw, heard, and learned today. At the 

end of this booklet is a special page for your notes and sketches.

Be on the lookout for this symbol in the book. It means that there is something 

that you can do as a Junior Ranger to help the park.

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Explore, Learn, Protect

The Junior Ranger Motto

Explore 

Pick up a trail map and go for a hike, discover new things, 

and explore your National Park.

Learn 

About the plants, animals, and history of our National 

Parks by becoming a Junior Ranger.

Protect

Your National Parks by learning about them, sharing 

what you know with friends and family, and finding ways 

to protect the parks for future visitors.

Name: 

Signature:

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Important Tips on Staying Safe

As a Junior Ranger, you can help yourself and your family stay safe during visits to 

Great Falls Park. Here is a list of things to know about staying safe during your visit. 

Go over the list with an adult before you start on the Junior Ranger Trail.

1. Know how to recognize poison ivy. It can cause an itchy rash if you touch it. Be 

careful! Here is a picture: 

2. If you see any wildlife, such as squirrels, birds, and insects, make sure you stay a 

safe distance away. Do not try to feed, pet, or pick up wildlife– both of you 

could get hurt. Great Falls Park has one type of venomous snake, the 

Copperhead. It is pictured below. Be alert!

3. Use caution while climbing on rocks. There are tall cliffs here and the Potomac 

River has strong currents. No swimming or wading is permitted. Make sure to 

stay at least one body’s length away from the edge of a cliff or the river. Be safe!

4. In the summer, it can get very hot. Remember to carry water with you and to 

make sure that everyone in your group has water. Be smart!

5. Most importantly, have fun! If you have questions, or need help, contact a Park 

Ranger. Great Falls Park’s main phone number is 703-285-2965.

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The Junior Ranger Trail

Here is the Junior Ranger Trail map. Each stop is numbered on the map below 

and listed in the legend at the lower left part of this page. Bring a Great Falls Trail map and 

a self-guided tour map of the Patowmack Canal with you. You can ask for them at the 

Visitor Center desk.

Stop #3

Stop #5

Legend

Stop 1: Visitor Center

Stop 2: Overlook 3

Stop 3: Matildaville

Stop 4: Lock 1

Stop 5: Lock 3/Canal Cut

Stop 6: River Trail

Stop 7: Visitor Center

Overlook 3

Lock One

Stop #2

Stop #6

Visitor Center

Stops #1 and #7

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Stop #4
Scavenger Hunt

 A structure in the park built by people:

The type of rock most commonly found at Great Falls:

Something that does not belong in nature:

This man was the first president of the Patowmack Canal Company:

One of these can provide a home for many different types of birds, insects, 

and animals both in life and after it has died:

A spectacular river event that is marked by Overlook 3:

Your favorite thing at Great Falls:

Three popular recreation activities at Great Falls:

The total length of the Potomac River:

One of the buildings in the town that used to be here:

An animal or bird that lives in the park:

While you are on the Junior Ranger trail, keep your eyes open for the items on this 

list! Remember, use all of your senses to help you solve the clues. As you find the 

answer to each clue, write it down along with where you found it.

Help protect your National Park! Nothing may be collected from a National 

Park and taken home. Take only pictures, leave only footprints. Good luck!

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National Parks are special places for people to visit. An important part of being a Junior 

Ranger is staying safe. These rules help keep you safe, along with protecting the natural 

and historical features in your National Parks. Take a moment at the bulletin board on 

your way to Overlook 3 to look at the pictures below and write down what you think each 

symbol means.

Protecting Your National Parks

Write a safety tip here

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On your journey today, you will investigate the history and natural resources that make Great 

Falls such a special place. Your second stop on the Junior Ranger trail is at Overlook 3. 

The Potomac River is a river of dramatic changes. You can see on the ‘High Water Marks’ pole 

just how high the river gets during a flood. Imagine what the Overlook 3 area would look like 

during a flood. Then walk down to the River of Change display on the Overlook. Look at the 

pictures and compare them with what you imagined a flood looks like. Talk with an adult or a 

Ranger about how the two were alike and how they were different.

One of the reasons people come here is to see the Potomac River as it cascades over the Great 

Falls. Take a look at the waterfall and then write down some things you thought of while you 

were looking at it.

Now imagine that the year is 1785. You are trying to bring a boat downstream, loaded with 

goods for you to sell. What are some things you might think about the Falls now?

Let’s take a look at the solution to getting around this dangerous waterfall. Follow the Junior 

Ranger Trail down the Canal trail to Matildaville and the canal locks.

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The Town of Matildaville

Stop #3 on the Junior Ranger Trail is the town of Matildaville. Henry (Lighthorse Harry) Lee, 

who was a friend of George Washington and the father of Robert E. Lee, built the town next to 

the Patowmack Canal. He named it Matildaville, after his wife, Matilda Lee.

Now it’s your turn to design a town. Imagine you are in Henry Lee’s shoes. You have an 

opportunity to build a town next to the Patowmack Canal. There will be a demand for food, 

lodging, housing, and storage. In the space below, draw the layout of your town and label all of 

the buildings in it. be sure to include the canal To get ideas for what your town will need, walk 

around the ruins of Matildaville and read about the buildings that made up the town, . Among 

the ruins are the Superintendent’s house, the inn, and a springhouse.

What’s in a Name?

Your town will need a name. What will you call it? Henry Lee named his town 

in honor of his wife. Other towns are named after rivers, land features, or 

famous people. Towns may also have an original name that the founder 

creates. Think about what you would like to name your town and write it 

below. Talk to an adult or a Ranger about why you chose the name.

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Stop # 4 on the Junior Ranger Trail is Lock 1 of the Patowmack Canal. This canal was built 

over 200 years ago! Boatmen used it to get around the dangerous waterfall here at Great Falls.

Building the canal was hard work. Look at the stones that were used to construct Lock 1. 

People called masons cut all of these stones by hand. They would carve a Mason’s Mark into 

the stones to show who cut each block. There are several different Mason’s Marks carved into 

the stones in the Canal.

Now it is time to test your observation skills. See how many Mason’s Marks you can find in 

Lock 1, and then design your own Mason’s Mark in the blank space on this page.

It’s time for the last part of the hike! Walk over the footbridge to join the River Trail. Watch 

for blue blazes on the trees.

The Patowmack Canal

1785-1828

Stop #5 will take you down to Lock 3. Take a moment and look around at the last three locks. 

Locks 4 and 5 were built through solid rock. This meant using black powder to blast through 

the cliff. This was the first time black powder had been used in an engineering project. It was 

very dangerous. How would you have felt if it was your job to do the blasting?

A Picture of a Mason’s Mark Design your own Mason’s Mark

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Did you know that the Potomac River used to flow through what are now the hiking areas 

in Great Falls Park? Let’s look for some clues along the River Trail, stop #6, that will tell 

us where the river used to run.

As you walk, look for potholes. A pothole looks like a smooth, hollowed out bowl. They 

can be large or small and give us clues about where the river used to be. How do you think 

they formed?

River Trail Adventure

Another river effect that has an impact on the land here are the floods. Look for evidence 

of flooding on your hike and write down what you see here.

The metamorphic rock formations at Great Falls are very strong. It takes the river a long 

time to carve a path through this kind of rock. Two hundred years ago, George 

Washington probably saw the same waterfall and gorge that you are looking at today. What 

do you think Great Falls will look like 200 years from now? Do you think the Falls will be 

the same? Tell an adult or a Ranger what you think about these questions.

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What I can do to help: Finally, write down some things that you can do at home to help 

protect your environment.

My Favorite Things: Next, write down the things that you liked the most. They can be 

places, birds, animals, or natural wonders.

What I learned: Below, write down three things that you learned during your visit.

Choose a bench in the picnic area by Overlook 3 to fill out your Journal. When 

you are done, share what you have written with an adult or a Park Ranger.

Junior Ranger Journal

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There are over 390 National Park sites in the United States. Let’s look at how Great Falls 

became part of the National Park system.

For a National Park to be created, there must be something that is so special or unique that it is 

set aside as a protected area. What are some special things at Great Falls that would be reasons 

to make this place a National Park?

In some parks a piece of history, like a battlefield, can be the reason. In others, the reason is a 

natural feature, like the Grand Canyon. In some parks, there may be more than one feature that 

is protected. National Parks protect natural, historical, and cultural places. 

Junior Rangers learn about and help take care of our National Parks. Take a look at the badge 

display in the children’s area of the Visitors Center to see other parks where you can earn a 

badge. Write down two things being a Junior Ranger means to you. 

Will you journey on to other parks to earn more badges? Look at the display and choose a 

badge from the park you would like to visit next. Draw it below. When you get home, you can 

visit www.nps.gov to learn more about your next park.

Your National Parks

The last stop on the Junior Ranger Trail is #7, the Visitor Center. 

The park I chose is:

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Talk to a Park Ranger

Ask the Ranger these questions.

1. What is your name?

2. What does a Park Ranger do?

3. There is a picture of the brown patch that Rangers wear below. Each line points to a 

different part of the patch. Write down what each part symbolizes.

Once you have successfully completed the activities in this handbook, 

ask a Park Ranger or Volunteer to go over your answers with you. 

Then you will be awarded the Junior Ranger badge. Congratulations!

Trees

The Buffalo

Mountains

Lakes

The Arrowhead

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Notes and 

Observations

Sketches

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