Arches National Park National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior 

Junior Ranger Adventure Guide

your name
Welcome, 

 Explorers!

Junior rangers are park superheroes.

Arches National Park needs your help! 

Use this guide to learn, adventure, practice 

safety, and discover the ways of a junior 

ranger role model. When you are ready, 

take your work to a park ranger.

CHOOSE YOUR 

LEVEL AND...

Pebble level: 

do 5 book pages. 

Boulder level: 

do 8 book pages. 

Tower level: 

do the whole book.

...GO ON AT LEAST 

THREE ADVENTURES.

Attend a ranger program. 

Spend 10 quiet min. outside. 

Observe the night sky. 

Teach a friend or family 

member about the park.

Safely pick up litter. 

Go on a hike. 
1 READY TO GO

The best adventures begin with preparation. 

Use your park map to pick a place to explore. 

What is the weather like today? 

Below, circle what you will need for your trip. Draw a square around one 

extra item you might want too. Is it allowed in the park? 

Are you forgetting anything? List any other items you might need.
2 HEROES OF THE HEAT

Humans need to prepare for a trip 

in the desert, but the animals in 

Arches National Park are born ready. 

Draw a line from the animal to 

its desert survival super power.

BIG EARS let heat 

out of my body so 

I can keep cool. 

It is too hot in the desert 

to hunt during the day. 

NIGHT VISION lets

me pounce on my prey.

On hot days, I hide in my 

sandy den. At night, my 

KANGAROO TAIL helps 

me hop from predators.

SAND-COLORED FUR 

helps me hide from 

mountain lions while I chew 

up all the desert plants I love. 

My MULTI-USE TAIL 

stores extra fat and 

breaks away when a 

predator grabs me.

Can you identify these 

heroes of the heat? Write 

the name of the animal 

next to its picture. 

word bank: mule deer, mountain lion, desert cottontail, collared lizard, kangaroo rat 
3 UNDERCOVER HERO

Read these ‘witness statements’ about the park. Fill in the missing letters. 

National parks are known 

for the _IEWS! Visitors 

from around the world 

come to see parks!

A desert EC_SYSTEM

is a team. Animals, plants, 

water, and dirt—it is 

all connected!

_RAILS are important.

 They are pathways to safely 

enjoy national parks. 

Reveal the superhero’s identity! Use the letters you filled in above 

to solve the riddle below. 

LI_ING S_IL CRUS_

It’s alive! This secret superhero is a mix of tiny living things: algae, lichens, 

mosses, and fungi growing on the sand. Ecosystems need this tiny community 

to help plants grow. This living soil glues the ground together and helps 

prevent the dust storms that could ruin views. That’s why we stay on trails.

Lead your family in a pledge to stick to trails and not bust the crust.
4 PARK ROCKSTARS

Arches National Park is known for its geologic wonders. Over time, water, ice, and 

wind have shaped the rock into incredible shapes. Go meet these rock features. 

Read the definitions below and label each rock formation. 

ARCH: A ‘window’ or hole in rock

BUTTE: A flat topped hill 

FIN: A skinny wall of rock

SPIRE: A tall skinny tower of rock 

BALANCED ROCK: A tower with a 

bottom much smaller than its top. 

If you were made of rock, which formation would you be? Circle your choice. 
Interview a rockstar. It might take a while to get the rocks to talk back. 

For answers, try reading park signs and looking at your park map. 

DRAW THE ROCKSTAR HERE.

ASK THE ROCKSTAR...

WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

WHAT ARE YOU?

( CIRCLE ONE ) FIN SPIRE ARCH BUTTE BALANCED ROCK OTHER

WHAT MADE YOU FAMOUS?
5 TIC - TAC - GO

Ask a friend or family member to play. Choose to be X or O. Take turns 

completing the mini-adventures and marking off the boxes. See if you 

can be first to get three in a row. 

Listen to one natural sound. 

What is it? 

Draw something you saw 

in the park that’s smaller 

than your thumb.

Include the details! 

Find a juniper tree.

Where did you find it? 

Find and draw 

animal tracks.

What animal left them?

Use the park map 

to help your group 

plan an activity. 

Use your nose. 

How does the desert smell 

different than home?

Check out the visitor center. 

What did you learn?

Find a hidden shape

 in the rocks. 

What did the shape 

remind you of? 

Hold a safety meeting 

with your group. 

Check that everyone 

is prepared. 
6 JUNIOR RANGER WAY In this maze, make choices and 

follow the arrows. Good luck! 

Should you set out with 

water, food, and friends or 

alone and unprepared?

alone and 

unprepared

prepared and 

together Do you take a 

shortcut through 

soil crust?

...or stay on 

the trail?

You would love 

to see wildlife!

Do you 

feed and 

 approach

 animals?

Or do you 

observe 

quietly?

Take a 

picture or... carve your name 

on a rock?

Stack your own rock 

piles (cairns)?

Sure! No way!

Leave no 

 trace.

Hmm...

Are you sure? 

Go back, 

and think 

again.
7 STORIES IN THE SANDSTONE

There are over 2,000 arches here, each with its own story. 

Arches begin as giant cracks called rock ‘fins’. Over time, water seeps 

through the rock and makes weak spots that break out. Making an arch 

takes thousands of years! Arches don’t last forever. They finally break 

and fall. Put the pictures below in order by numbering them #1-4.

Can you spot the stages of arch making? On the drawing below, 

circle the arches, draw a where you think an arch might form. 

Where you think an arch fell, draw the fallen arch back in.
Bagel Arch, Bacon Arch—some arches get their name from the things 

they remind us of. Draw and name your own arch.
8 FIND YOUR POSE

Look around and you’ll see—even rocks find balance in Arches National Park. 

Find a safe place out of the way of other visitors 

and practice the following poses. Only do what feels 

comfortable.

BALANCED ROCK

• Hold the pose, 

then switch sides.

• Bonus: try grabbing your 

toes and straightening 

your leg. 

DOUBLE ARCH

• Ask a friend or family 

member to help you 

make an arch.

• Get creative! Can you find 

an arch and copy it with 

your pose?
REACH 

FOR THE

SKYLINE

• Hold the pose, 

then switch sides. 

Show us your pose! Draw yourself, have someone take your picture, or 

write a description of the pose. Bonus: teach your family or friends. 
9 DRAWN TO OUR PAST

If you’re visiting Delicate Arch, don’t miss your chance to go back in time along 

the way! Visit Wolfe Ranch and nearby Ute rock peckings. How were things 

different for kids in the past? How were they the same? 

Draw a line connecting similar things in your life and the lives of the 

Stanley and Ute children. 

Life of Esther 

and Ferol Stanley

tea parties

button 

boots

root cellar

burro

Your Life 

your pet (real or

imaginary)

what you do for fun

Life of 

Ute Children

games

storage cist

domesticated dogs

moccasins

Traditions are ways of doing things passed down through generations. 

What traditions has your family taught you?
10 DREAMY SKIES 

Half the park is after dark! Go stargazing! 

Bring flashlights and warm clothes. 

What did the moon look like? 

Draw it in the circle. 

How does the park change at night? Is the night sky 

at home different? Write, draw, or take notes below.
11 VIRTUAL PARK POSTCARD

National parks are fun to visit and even more fun to share. Who would you like to tell 

about Arches National Park? A friend, a neighbor, a relative? 

Fill out the postcard below. Need an idea? Write about or draw your 

favorite part of the trip or tell a funny story that happened in the park.

Dear 

No need for snail mail! When you get service, text or email a photo of 

the postcard you made. Add today’s date on the park stamp. 
12 SPEAK FOR THE PARKS

We all have a say in how we should protect our parks! When we talk to others 

about things we care about, we learn from each other and see how we can work 

together. Use this guide to start a discussion with your family and friends.

Work together to make a 

list of rules for discussion. 

How do we show respect for 

other opinions? 

Read this example of the three steps to 

presenting an opinion. Then, use the 

steps to practice stating an opinion.

1. ASSERTION: “We should hike the

Devils Garden Trail today...”

2. REASONING: “...because it’s the longest!”

3. EVIDENCE: “The trail is over 7 miles long!”

 Your opinion: 

Read the following questions to your group. Let everyone take turns answering. 

1. Choose three words to describe your visit here. Why those words?

2. What did you experience here that you’ve never experienced before?

3. How can we protect parks and help millions of visitors enjoy them?

4. If you wrote a letter to the director of the 

National Park Service, what would it say?
13 GLORIOUS ROOM

“Within national parks is room—glorious room—

room in which to find ourselves, in which to think 

and hope, to dream and plan, to rest and resolve.”

-Enos Mills

Use this page to reflect on your visit.

Write a story or a poem, or draw a picture.
YOUR PLEDGE

You’re about to get your badge and the responsibility that 

comes with it. National parks are counting on you! 

Write your own junior ranger pledge or promise.

What will you do to protect parks and set an example 

for others? You can use the word bank for ideas. 

protect culture national parks respect share 

conserve nature history teach explore discover

Go forth, junior ranger! 

When you’re ready, share this book with a park ranger. You’ll take a pledge 

and become a certified junior ranger! But that’s only the beginning. 

Check out these ideas for continuing the adventure.

• Learn more about Arches by visiting our

park website: nps.gov/arches.

• Check out a National Park Service site or

other public land closest to your home!

• Become a web ranger at nps.gov/webrangers.

Park Mailing Address

Arches National Park

2282 Resource Blvd.

Moab, Utah 84532

Published by 

Canyonlands Natural History Assoc.

Moab, UT www.chna.org 

Illustrations and design by

Caitlin Campbell 

caitlincampbellart.squarespace.com

Authored by

Caitlin Campbell and Arches 

Junior Ranger Committee
Arches National Park

Junior Ranger

has successfully completed THE JUNIOR RANGER PROGRAM AT ARCHES NATIONAL PARK AND IS NOW A JUNIOR RANGER OF 

THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE. 

PARK RANGER DATE

AP

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