Big Bend Digital Junior Ranger

A circular patch that says "Web Ranger National Park Service" around the outside of a globe. The globe has a ranger hat in front of it.

Have you wanted to explore Big Bend from home? Now you can!
Learn about the park's geology, paleontology, ecology, human history, and night skies with our online Digital Junior Ranger program.

To begin, scroll down to the button below and click "Let's Go!" From there you can start reading and enjoying the images, videos, and maps in any section that you'd like. Afterwards, you can scroll down to the quizzes below and see what you learned by answering the questions. To see if you're right, click on the question to reveal the answers.

Once you've finished the quiz, you can claim your prize!
Each section has its own official certificate.
 

 

Junior Ranger Quizzes

Geology, Fossils, Animals, Plants...
See how much you learned about Big Bend National Park!

  • Earn your official certificates
 

Geology

 

False! Volcanoes make igneous rocks.

False! What we now call the Big Bend was once under a large inland sea.

Plate tectonics is a term used to describe the movement of plates on the Earth's crust. 

The southern-most expression of the Ouachitas, the Appalachians, and the Rockies can be found inside the park!

Volcanic activity.
 
A certificate of completion with a junior ranger badge in the middle. The background image is of some caprock formations. The Junior Ranger badge has a drawn image of the Chisos Mountains in the center.
Big Bend Digital Junior Geology Ranger certificate

NPS/MDolan

To claim your certificate, right click on the image and select "Save image as."
 

Fossils

Quetzalcoatlus, named for the Aztec flying serpent god Quetzalcoatl.

130 million years.

False! By 10,000 years ago mammals had taken over after the dinosaurs went extinct. 

A large, early crocodile.

Coprolites, permineralized bone, and impression fossils are examples of what we find in the park.
 
A certificate of completion with a junior ranger badge in the middle. The background shows a picture of a petrified wood, and the badge has a drawing of a flying dinosaur in the center.
Big Bend Digital Junior Fossil Ranger certificate

NPS/MDolan

To claim your certificate, right click on the image and select "Save image as."
 

Ecology

A biome.

The Rio Grande.

The roadrunner.

Because there are so few of them left in the wild with limited places they can survive. 

Because they are an example of how a species that has been pushed out can return to their natural habitats. 
 
A certificate of completion. A junior ranger badge sits in the middle with a picture of the Chisos Mountains in the background. The badge has a family of black bears on it.
Big Bend Digital Junior Ecology Ranger certificate

NPS/MDolan

To claim your certificate, right click on the image and choose "Save image as."
 

Human History

13,000 years.

Mercury.

The Spanish.

World War 1.

The Concha, the Jumano, and the Patarubueyes. 
 
A certificate of completion with a junior ranger badge in the center. The background has an image of an old adobe building surrounded by palm trees and other plants. The badge has a woven basket in the middle of it.
Big Bend Digital Junior Human History Ranger certificate

NPS/MDolan

To claim your certificate, right click on the image and select "Save image as."
 

Dark Skies

All of them! Plants and animals need darkness to bloom on time, for migration, and to stay healthy.

False! There are many ways we can protect our night skies, including using night sky friendly lighting.

The Mexican Long-Nosed Bat.

They've been used as navigation aides, been markers for important dates, and have inspired many stories.

The rods.
 
A certificate of completion with a Junior Ranger badge in the middle. The background image shows a starry night sky behind a rock formation. The badge has glowing dots on the outside like stars, and a glowing circle in the center
Big Bend Digital Junior Night Sky Ranger certificate

NPS/MDolan

To claim your certificate, right click the image and select "Save image as."

Last updated: April 29, 2024

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

PO Box 129
Big Bend National Park, TX 79834-0129

Phone:

432-477-2251

Contact Us

Tools

Stay Connected