Timpanogos Cave National Monument 

Junior Ranger Activity Book 
How to Become a Junior Ranger! 

As a Junior Ranger at Timpanogos Cave, you can help Park Rangers 

protect the caves and the land around them. To become a Junior 

Ranger you must attend a ranger-led program, earn enough points 

for your age group, then have a ranger check your book with you, 

swear you in, and sign your certifcate. 

Every activity is worth 1-3 points. Points look like this: 

 One Point Two Points Three Points 

When you complete an activity, cross out the points. 

Like this: 

Ages 4-9 (Grades K-3) need 10 points or more. 

Ages 10-12 (Grades 4-6) need 20 points or more. 

Ages 13+ (Grades 7+) need 30 points or more. 

Checklist: 

Attend a ranger-led program. 

Earn enough points for your age group. 

Have the book checked and be sworn in by a ranger. 

Unable to fnish this booklet during your visit? Take it 

home, complete the activities, and mail it back to: 

Timpanogos Cave National Monument 

Rural Route 3, Box 200 

American Fork, Utah 84003 

801-756-5239

www.nps.gov/tica 

Special thanks to: Marsha Phillips, Heather Graham, and the 

Bureau of Land Management. 
About you! 

___________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________ 

My name is: _______________________________________________ 

I am from: ________________________________________________ 

I have earned ___________ other Junior Ranger Badges. 

I am __________ years old. 

At this park, I am most excited about:___________________________ 

I want to learn about: ________________________________________ 

1 
 Junior Ranger Responsibilities 

Junior Rangers have the responsibility to help protect National 

Parks. See if you can fgure out how to handle these tricky 

situations below. Circle the right answer. 

Your friend, who is hiking to the cave with you, wants to race 

up the trail! You: 

1. Take off running. You know you can beat

him.

2. Remind them that running on the trail is

not safe, and you’re supposed to stay near the

adults who brought you.

3. Decide to show off and take off running

backwards up the trail.

While snacking along the trail a cute little chipmunk starts 

begging for your food. You: 

1. Share your sandwich with the

chipmunk. There is more than enough for

both of you.

2. Watch him scamper around, but don’t

feed him. People food isn’t healthy for

wild animals.

3. Take the chipmunk home as a pet,

prepare him meals in the kitchen and

make sure he is always well fed.

2 
You are packing your backpack before you begin the hike up to 

the cave. You decide to bring: 

1. Lots of toys, a skateboard to ride

down on, a jacket, and your pet lizard.

2. Nothing. Even though the cave is cold

and the trail is often very hot you decide

you don’t want to carry anything.

3. A jacket, water bottle, your Junior

Ranger book, and a snack for the trail.

The spring fowers have begun to bloom and they’re so very 

pretty and growing everywhere! You: 

1. Look at them - but don’t pick them. You

take a picture and then leave them alone so

other people can enjoy them.

2. You stomp them down to make a new

hiking path.

3. Pick a whole bunch of fowers to take

home and give to your parents.

3 
 Interview a Ranger 

_________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________ 

Find a ranger and ask three questions. You can come up with 

your own or you can choose from the examples below. 

1. What’s your favorite thing to do as part of your job?

 2. Why did you decide to become a park ranger? 

3. What’s the most important thing you bring to work?

 4. Where is your favorite place at Timpanogos Cave?

 5. How can we help protect bats? Why is it important?

 6. Why is it important for everyone to protect the caves? 

Understanding the Arrowhead 

The arrowhead is the symbol of the National 

Park Service. It is made up of many different 

pieces that represent something that the 

National Park Service protects. Can you fgure 

out what each one is? 

The ________________ represents wildlife 

The ________________ represents plants 

The ________________ represents water 

The ________________ represents the beautiful scenery 

The ________________ represents our nation’s cultural history 

4 
Discovery Bingo 

Find as many of the things listed here as you can. Draw pictures of 

the items that you fnd that don’t already have pictures. See if you 

can fnd four in a row to make a bingo! 

Ranger Hat Stalactite Water Coral Fossil 

Squirrel Lizard Arrowhead American Flag 

Fir Tree Steller’s Jay Flowstone Park Ranger 

1/4 Way Arch Soda Straws The Great Heart Chipmunk 

5 

column 1 column 2 column 3 column 4

row 1

row 2

row 3

row 4

row/

column
Who am I? - People in Timpanogos History 

1. I discovered the frst cave in 1887 by following mountain 

lion tracks on a snowy October day. 

2. We were hunting in American Fork Canyon and discovered 

Middle cave in 1921. 

3. We were two teenage boys who frst discovered Timpanogos 

Cave in 1913. However, the location was eventually lost again. 

____________________________________________________ 

6 

4. A group of my friends and I went exploring for the missing cave in 

August of 1921 and rediscovered the cave. We all agreed to try our 

best to protect this cave.

___________________________________________

 5. I was the president of the United States who 

 signed the proclamation to create Timpanogos 

Cave National Monument on October 14, 1922. 

Martin Hansen Vearl Manwill 

Wayne & Heber Hansen Warren G. Harding 

James Gough & Frank Johnson 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________ 

____________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________ 
Find a spot to sit quietly by yourself. Try sitting without saying 

anything for 5 minutes. Think about the experiences you’ve 

had here. What did you hear? What did you see? What did 

you feel? Draw a picture or write about your experiences and 

what makes Timpanogos Cave a special place worth 

protecting. 

7 

 Sit & Refect 
Animal Match 

These are some of the animals that can be found here. While 

visiting the park look for these and other animals. Can you match 

the animal with its name? Draw a line from the animal to its name. 

Cave Cricket 

Mountain Lion 

 Humming Bird 

Golden-Mantled Squirrel 

Mountain Goat 

Rattlesnake 

Grasshopper 

Elk 

Peregrine Falcon 

8 
help 

clothes

mines agencies 

showing

Nose

spread

caves

value

million 

Fix the Sign 

Oh no! Ranger Andy’s new bat sign fell down and now some of the 

words are mixed up on the ground. Help Ranger Andy by putting the 

words back in their right place. 

Bats in Crisis 

White-__ __ __ __ Syndrome (WNS) has killed more than 6.7 

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ bats in the United States and Canada. WNS 

can spread from bat-to-bat, or soil to bat. 

Your __ __ __ __ is needed! 

Stay out of __ __ __ __ __ and __ __ __ __ __ where bats are 

hibernating. 

Wear different __ __ __ __ __ __ __ and bring different 

equipment to each cave you visit. 

Honor cave closures. Check with your state and federal 

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ for the status of caves in your area. 

Report bats __ __ __ __ __ __ __ signs of WNS. 

Bats help control __ __ __ __ __ __ populations. A little brown bat 

can catch 600 insects in just one hour. 

Bats also help __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ plants, like bananas and 

fgs. 

Help __ __ __ __ __ __ the word about WNS and the__ __ __ __ __ 

of bats. 

insect 

pollinate 

9 
What Lives in a Cave? 

An adaptation is a special trait which a living thing possesses to 

help it survive in a particular environment. 

• Fish have gills that allow them to breathe oxygen from water. 

• Bears have excellent noses, so they can smell and fnd food. 

• Chameleons can change color. 

• Limber pine trees have fexible branches, which bend without 

breaking under the weight of winter snow. 

Now imagine a creature which lives in a cave. Use the list below 

to remind you of what it’s like in a cave. Give your creature some 

adaptations which will help them survive in a cave. 

• Timpanogos Cave’s temperature is 45° F (7° C) all year long. 

• No sunlight reaches deep inside; it is completely dark. 

• Water from rain soaks into the ground and drips into the cave. 

• Finding food is diffcult. Plants are only found outside of the 

cave. 

Draw your creature below. 

10 
____________ _____________ ____________ 

_____________ ____________ _____________ 

_____________ _____________ _____________ 

Formation Identifcation 

Using the word bank below, label the different types of cave 

formations. 

stalactite helictite drapery 

stalagmite column shelfstone 

soda straws fowstone cave popcorn 

11 
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Caving Safety 

Whenever you go into a cave you need to remember to follow the 

“Rule of 3” to make sure you are safe and protect the cave from 

harm. Explain below why each rule is important to follow. 

1. Carry at least 3 sources of light. __________________________ 

2. Have at least 3 people with you at all times. ________________ 

3. Use 3 points of contact while in a cave. ____________________ 

Along with the “Rule of 3,” cavers need to make sure they 

have the right supplies with them. Circle six items that you 

would bring on a wild cave adventure: 

12 
Solidifying

Melting 

W

er

eathering and

osion 

e essur Heat and pr

Melting 

Weathering and 

Melting 

erosion 

and cementation

Weathering 

osion

Compaction 

and er

The Rock Cycle 

Igneous Rock 

Lava 

Sediment 

Metamorphic Heat and 

Rock pressure Sedimentary Rock 

1. ____________________ rock is formed when _________________

or ________________ rock is heated and under pressure. 

2. Weathering and erosion create ______________, which compacts

 and cements to form ______________ rock. 

3. When _______________ or _______________ or

_______________ rock melts, _______________ is created. 

4. When _______________ solidifes, ________________ rock

is created. 13 
6 7 

4 5 

2 

4 

2 

1 

3 

1 

Youngest (7) 

Oldest (1) 

Layer Upon Layer - Reading Geologic Time 

As sediment slowly builds up, layers of rock are formed. Geologists 

study the layers of rock to determine how old they are. 

The layers on top are typically the youngest layers and the layers 

found farther down are typically the oldest. 

Rock layers often form in stacks but forces such as weathering, 

erosion, earthquakes, and other major environmental events can 

make them slanted, wavy, or they can be worn away to form caves 

and canyons. 

These two diagrams show the oldest and youngest rocks in each 

formation. 

4 

3 

2 

1 

Youngest (4) 

Oldest (1) 

Based on the diagrams above show what you’ve learned about 

geologic layers and order the layers in the next two diagrams from 

oldest to youngest. 

14 
______ 

______ 

______ 

______ 

______ 

______ 

______ 

______ 

______ 

______ 

______ 

Diagram A: 

Oldest 

______ 

______ 

______ 

______ 

______ 

______ 

Youngest 

R S 

E 

Y 

A 

L 

Diagram B: 

R 

T 

A 

H 

M N M 

U 

L 

O 

C 

E 

H 

M 

C 

O 

L 

Oldest 

Youngest 

15 
Junior Ranger Pledge 

As a Junior Ranger, I ____________, 

promise to help protect and 

preserve our National Parks and 

Monuments for everyone to enjoy 

both now and in the future. I will 

always remember to respect all 

living things.

 ___________________ Signature of Junior Ranger