Vernal, Utah

 

 We made a family trip out to Vernal, Utah this spring. It offered lots of opportunities for Junior Ranger programs and fun learning.

Of course, our first stop was Dinosaur National Monument. This park offered quite a few programs! They had the Dinosaur NM program, but they also offered a few specialty programs as well! We worked on our Junior Paleontologist badge, our Junior Angler badge, Night Explorer badge, & Sound Explorer program (sticker only). We visited local lakes for the Angler (which also had state park badges), and we went out and looked at the stars with a telescope to assist in the night explorer.   

 

The Vernal area also offers a lot of other programs too! We made a stop at the BLM field office and completed their junior ranger program. They only have one type of badge for all of their books so we chose the basic one. You don't have you visit any specific BLM lands for this program, but we heard great things about Fantasy Canyon which is about 1 hours from Vernal. This didn't disappoint. Definitely a must do when in the area.

 The other Vernal location you can't miss is the Utah Field House, the dinosaur museum. They do such a great job here with interactive activities for the kids and displays. They have 2 programs, one for littles and one for older kids. Make sure when you check in that you find a staff member who knows what you're talking about. When we first came they said they didn't have the Junior Scientist program, just the Pee-Wee Paleo program. But when we came back we were able to do the Junior Scientist one with a different staff member.  I believe each program costs $5 and they get a cute patch when they complete it.  This program is part of the Uinta Basin Tri Park Patch as well, so you'll want to make sure you finish it. 

 

 

Utah does amazing with their state Junior Ranger programs. Two state parks-Red Fleet and Steinaker were nearby.  Red Fleet has some great dinosaur tracks but since they share a junior ranger program, you want to grab the programs at the Steinaker ranger station. Make sure the little pink paper is included in the bag they give you. It includes a paper for the Uinta Basin Tri-Park patch! I believe Steinaker is the only park that manages this patch, I had to send them a message on Facebook to get them to send it.  

 

I couldn't believe the Junior Ranger opportunities in just one little area! There were even some sites we didn't make it out to like John Jarvie Ranch. The Moonshine Arch just north of Steinaker was well worth the hike too. Enjoy your time out in the Vernal area and collecting all sorts of Junior Ranger knowledge and badges!