Name:____________________ Age:_____

Death Valley National Park

Junior

Ranger
rev. 06/10

1 Complete the right number of activities for your age. 

•	 Ages 6 and under - do at least 4 activities

•	 Ages 7-10 - do at least 6 activities

•	 Ages 11 and above - do at least 9 activities

2 Attend a ranger-guided program.

Program Title:_______________________ Ranger Signature / Date:_______________________

What did you learn at the program?__________________________________________________

OR, if you are unable to attend a ranger-guided program: 

Interview a Ranger: ask these questions

•	 Why did you become a ranger?

•	 What do you like best about Death Valley?

•	 AND ask your own question

Ranger Signature:___________________________________________________________________

3 Complete ONE of the projects listed below.

Circle the project you chose. Get an adult’s signature when you complete the project.

•	 Pick up 10 pieces of litter and put them in a trash bin. Don’t forget to recycle! 

•	 Reuse something you have already used in a different way (for example: reuse your 

empty soda bottle as a water bottle or reuse paper to draw a picture).

•	 Recycle items your family used in the recycle bins at the visitor center, campgrounds and 

resorts. Be sure to separate items and place them in the proper bins. 

Adult’s Signature:___________________________________________________________________

4 After you complete steps 1, 2, and 3: 

Go to a Visitor Center or Ranger Station in Death Valley National Park. 

A ranger will check your work and give you a Death Valley Junior Ranger Badge!

To buy a Junior Ranger Patch take your signed certificate to a visitor 

center bookstore. 

How to Become a Junior Ranger

printed on recycled paper
Packing for a Hike

What should everyone take on a hike in Death Valley?

 ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

Are you and your family planning to hike in Death Valley National Park? 

To have a safe and fun hike you must take the right things with you. 

Water is very important and should always be carried, even on short hikes.

Help Maria pack the right things for her hike. 

Circle the things that she should pack.
Junior Ranger Bingo

Junior Rangers are always watching the world around them. Some of the animals, plants, and 

other things you may see while visiting Death Valley National Park are shown on this page. 

Some are hard to find, so keep your eyes open. 

Circle what you see on your visit. 

Connect 4 in a row across, down or diagonally to complete the activity.

ZABRISKIE POINT JOSHUA TREE GROUND SQUIRREL WAGON

LIZARD CANYON PUPFISH DESERT HOLLY

SCOTTY’S CASTLE RAVEN ARROWHEAD COYOTE

ROADRUNNER RANGER HAT CACTUS BATS
Dot-to-Dot

Pupfish are tiny fish found in some of the springs and creeks in 

Death Valley. Many pupfish are ENDEMIC to their spring or creek. 

This means they can only be found in that place and nowhere else. 

The Salt Creek pupfish are only found in Salt Creek and the 

Cottonball Marsh pupfish are only found in Cottonball Marsh.

The pupfish at Devils Hole are an endangered species;

 there are very few of them.

Connect the dots to see what pupfish look like.
“Aiyee! This cool night breeze tells me 

all is good. All is good with the land. 

And I am good, good, good. 

Visit the south, the Newe (American Indians) 

and the waters that I smell from the spring. 

I am the one who walks the land, 

All is for me, me, me.” 

Coyote is saying this as he admires his tail. 

He twirls his tail around and around. 

“My power is in my tail,” he says loudly.

“I see the Newe and the waters. 

Newe are dancing and singing, also drumming.

I shall dance also, better than the Newe.” 

Coyote goes side to side, back and forth. 

He twirls his tail around and around. 

“Thanks to the land I walk upon with my power, 

my power, my power,” he sings as he dances.

The Newe danced ‘til dawn. 

Coyote’s eyes were closing; he was falling 

asleep. “I can’t have Newe see me asleep. 

I’ll roll my eyelids back and up so I can see.” 

Coyote danced and danced.

He then saw the tules swaying like dancers 

Tree leaves were singing and clapping 

together sounding like drums. 

Coyote’s eyes were wide open. 

He then twirled, chasing his tail and nipping 

at it and howling. 

He howls at the dawn, howls and howls.

The Newe talked to the Great Spirit, 

of the Creator. 

Singing and drumming from the trees. 

Some Newe will hear the whispering of the 

tules in time with song. 

Some songs were given to them from the 

Coyote’s trips to the springs.

The Newe will teach 

Do not be vain like the coyote. 

Do not have pretenses of power. 

The singing and drumming within the trees 

and other growing forms were left by 

Newe’s ancestors in spirit. Respect this!

The waters of the spring Coyote smelled is 

now known as Tule Spring.

A Timbisha Coyote Story

Draw a scene from the story.

This is a very old story told by the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe. 

Read it out loud with your family. 
What would it be like to live in one of the hottest places in the world during the middle of July? 

Temperatures often get above 120° Fahrenheit (48° Celsius) in the shade. When would you be 

active? Some animals have adapted to the heat by adjusting their schedules.

Which of the terms below best describe these desert animals’ activity?

Nocturnal (nock-tur-nal) animals are most active during the night, usually staying in burrows 

during the day to stay out of the heat. 

Diurnal (die-yur-nal) animals are most active during the day, though most of them find a shady 

place to rest when the sun is hottest.

When Do You Wake Up?

Name two other nocturnal 

Death Valley animals.

______________________

______________________

Name two other diurnal 

Death Valley animals.

______________________

______________________

Zebra-tailed lizards warm up their bodies 

by basking in the morning sun. To avoid 

heat, they run as fast as 18 mph (29 kph) 

to shady areas.

Zebra-tailed lizards are:

 NOCTURNAL

 DIURNAL

Scorpions hide from the light under rocks 

and bark. Their eight tiny 

eyes are so sensitive they 

can see by starlight. They 

hunt their prey by feeling 

vibrations.

Scorpions are:

 NOCTURNAL

 DIURNAL

Coyotes hunt small animals in the 

moonlight, drink from desert 

springs during the day, and can 

be heard singing 

anytime in a 24-

hour period.

Coyotes are:

 NOCTURNAL

 DIURNAL

Desert tortoises live in underground 

burrows. If they come out during the hottest 

part of the year, it is in the morning and 

late afternoon.

Desert tortoises are:

 NOCTURNAL

 DIURNAL

Kangaroo rats have large eyes to help search 

for seeds in the dark. When the moon is bright 

they stay in their burrows to avoid predators.

Kangaroo rats are:

 NOCTURNAL

 DIURNAL
How would you like to be like a jackrabbit? 

They have long ears that shed heat to help 

keep them cool. 

They can make speedy 

escapes on their long 

legs to keep themselves 

safe from other 

animals. To help see 

danger all around, 

they have eyes that 

stick out of the sides of 

their head.

Imagine what you would want to be like if you were an animal in Death Valley. You could fly, 

run, hop, or slither. You could have night vision, great hearing, or a perfect sense of smell. The 

animals that live here have special ADAPTATIONS to help them survive in the hot and dry desert. 

Build an Animal

Bats are the only mammals 

that fly. They are not blind. 

Many bats can hunt in complete 

darkness by sending out highpitched 

sounds that 

bounce off its 

prey and back 

to the bat. Bats are 

able to detect a moth 20 feet 

(6 meters) away, and one bat can 

eat up to 600 small insects a night! 

In the warm season, chuckwallas sit on rocks 

during the day and eat plants. When they are 

in danger, 

they sneak 

into a crack 

in a rock 

and puff up like 

a balloon, making it 

difficult for predators to 

pull them out. This helps 

save chuckwallas from being 

eaten by larger animals.

Sidewinders are a type of rattlesnake. 

They leave J-shaped tracks on the sand 

as they move. They lift part of their 

body off the 

ground to cool 

it while the 

other part is 

pushing on 

the ground 

to move.

Desert tortoises spends up to 95% of their 

lives underground. Tortoises stay in their 

burrows during the winter, hibernating until 

spring when wildflowers may bloom and food 

is available. 

Their 

burrows 

also help to 

keep them 

cool in the 

summer.

Kangaroo rats can live their entire lives 

without drinking water. They do not need to 

drink water because their bodies use a special 

process that creates water out of the seeds 

they eat. They use their large hind feet to 

jump like a kangaroo. Their large feet also 

keep them from sinking into 

soft sand, just like snow 

shoes keep us from 

sinking into soft snow.
Answer these questions about the adaptations your animal uses 

to survive in Death Valley. 

What is your desert animal called?__________________________________________________________

Where does it live in the park?_____________________________________________________________

How does it survive extreme heat? _________________________________________________________

How does it get water?____________________________________________________________________

How does it protect itself from enemies?____________________________________________________

Use your imagination to invent a desert animal.

Draw a picture of your creation and its home below. 
Scotty’s Treasure Hunt

Death Valley Scotty told stories about finding treasures including a gold mine. He didn’t find 

a real gold mine, but there are many treasures to be discovered at Scotty’s Castle. 

Find 10 of these treasures. 

Write the treasure’s number on 

the map where you found it.

Remember to leave things 

where you find them for the 

next Junior Ranger to discover.

1...... WATER WHEEL

2...... WINDY

3...... BLACK TOWER

4...... WAGON

5...... J & S

6...... RAILROAD TIES

7...... ARROWHEAD

8...... FLOWING WATER

9...... ANIMAL (what?)__________________

10.... RANGER (name?)__________________

11.... PETROGLYPH

12.... RED NECKTIE

13.... BRIDGE

14.... SUN DIAL

15.... WISHING WELL
A Wilderness Park

Death Valley National Park is 95% WILDERNESS—a special place where humans no longer are 

allowed to change the landscape. When you are exploring the wilderness, you should leave it 

the way you find it. 

About one million people visit Death Valley every year. Even little changes made by each visitor 

can make a big impact all together.

If each

park visitor 

scratched 

their name on 

the walls of 

the canyons......

Draw or describe the impacts these changes would make on the wilderness.

 ...what would happen?

 ...what would happen?

 ...what would happen?

 ...what would happen?

X 1,000,000 visitors

If each

park visitor 

collected 

a few rocks.......X 1,000,000 visitors

If each 

park visitor 

picked a 

plant or 

flower...............X 1,000,000 visitors

If each 

park visitor

fed the 

wild animals 

or birds.............X 1,000,000 visitors
Death Valley National Park is famous for its geologic formations. Look around as you travel 

through the park and you will see the results of many geologic processes.

Death Valley Rocks!

At Zabriskie Point, you can see stripes in the rocks that once laid at 

the bottom of an ancient lake. The process that forms these stripes is 

called SEDIMENTATION. 

The sand dunes near Stovepipe Wells 

are formed by winds that blow grains 

of sand. The sand drops into piles of 

dunes. Sand is blown up one slope then 

slumps down the slip face.

Salt is a distinctive 

feature in Death 

Valley. You can see 

it at low places, 

especially at 

Badwater or the 

Devils Golf Course. 

Why do you think we can see these layers now?

By looking at the dunes, how can you 

tell which direction the wind blows?

What carried salt to these low places? 

Hint: Think of the desert’s most precious 

resource.
Word Search

Finish the words in the sentences below, then find those words in the puzzle. 

Words may be read up, down, forward, backward, and even diagonal.

The D __ __ __ __ __ is hot and dry but full of different animals and plants. 

What was a metal that miners looked for in Death Valley? G __ __ __.

Who was the person the Castle in Death Valley was named for? S __ __ __ __ __.

What kind of pack animal did miners use in the old days? B __ __ __ __.

A C __ __ __ __ __ is formed by flash floods and is sometimes called a gorge. 

Badwater is 282 feet (86 meters) below S __ __ L __ __ __ __.

What is one type of prickly plant that grows in Death Valley? C __ __ __ __ __.

What should you always have with you when you visit the desert? W __ __ __ __.

The Desert T __ __ __ __ __ __ __ has a protective shell and is so rare it is almost 

E __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.

If you have a question about Death Valley, who can you ask? R __ __ __ __ __.

B __ __ __ fly out into the night after they sleep all day in a cave or mineshaft. 

What large black bird lives in Death Valley and makes loud calls? R __ __ __ __.

Sometimes you can see this big hairy spider as it crosses the road. T __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.

This mineral was mined in Death Valley and used in detergent. B__ __ __ __.

E L E Y Z N R L B X U C W T R

N E I V S N E W R A N G E R W

D V I M C X T U B O R A X R I

A E B U O F A O Y Z R A V E N

N L L E T C W N R J H R K V N

G A L U T N A R A T T V U Y F

E E E R Y C B C U G O L D B P

R S D D E S E R T X J I Y D D

E B L Y P T A I B U S A S I Q

D X L S V C Z B A T S O H E J
A Place to Live

Pick one species and fill in the following information.

Species / Habitat:__________________________________________________________________________

What threatens the survival of this species?_________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

How can you help protect plants and animals in this park?___________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Everyone needs a place to live. Death Valley 

National Park is home to thousands of 

species of plants and animals. Some of them, 

like coyotes and ravens, can live just about 

anywhere. Others only survive in one smaller 

HABITAT (place to live) because of their special 

needs. Bighorn sheep stay safe from predators 

by climbing high above them. Desert tortoises

are good diggers. They need open places with 

loose dirt and scattered shrubs so when they 

dig their burrows, roots will support the roof. 

Eureka Dunes Evening Primroses only live in 

the dunes they are named for. They are able 

Draw a line connecting the species with the habitat in which it lives.

 Bighorn Sheep Desert Tortoise Eureka Dunes Pupfish

Evening Primrose

sand dunes desert spring desert shrub rocky slope

to keep their heads above the drifting sand 

while other plants get buried. Pupfish are real 

survivors! Their ancestors lived here during the 

Ice Age when the climate was wetter and a 

huge lake covered the valley floor. Now Death 

Valley is the driest place in the nation, yet 

these little fish manage to live in springs and 

streams scattered across the desert. Both the 

Eureka Dunes Evening Primrose and the Devil’s 

Hole Pupfish are ENDANGERED SPECIES. They 

are better protected from extinction since 

their habitats are being preserved as part of 

Death Valley National Park.
How Old is YOUR Drinking Water?

Help the drop of water travel through time from the age of the Woolly Mammoths to Devils Hole.

Hydrologists (scientists who study water) believe that the water we drink in the park today may have traveled underground from as far away as Central Nevada. It started its journey when Woolly Mammoths roamed the area tens of thousands of years ago! ... and you thought your parents were old!We ALL need water to survive, but there is only so much for all of us to share.What can you do to conserve water?

_______________________________________________________________
Death Valley National Park

 Junior Ranger

I will help protect all national parks.I will help keep wildlife wild.I will leave rocks, plants and historic objectswhere I find them for everyone to enjoy.I will share what I learn with others.

Junior Ranger Signature / Date

Ranger Signature / Date