Stephanie McCullough, Author at The Ranger Desk

How to Embrace the Inevitable Chaos of Travel

To embrace the inevitable chaos of travel, accept that something will always go wrong. And learn to roll with the changes.

The United States declared Big Cypress its first national preserve on October 11, 1974.

When you need help, tell people. When I was injured and limping on trail, I asked strangers for help. What happened next surprised us both.

Butterflies, children, and guns. How a terrified child’s question about butterflies changed the way I thought about migration and borders.

Why are there no stupid questions to ask a park ranger? Because the biggest questions provide the biggest opportunities to learn.

I quit the national park service for the same reason I became a ranger in the first place: to find and do what makes me happy.

Naturalist gatekeeping can frighten people away from trying new things. Lets encourage beginners to love what we love, not shame them.

This land tells a story: Booker T. Washington National Monument. Stand in the spot where a family of slaves learned that they were free.

Discover where to stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. Ten scenic stops and hikes along the parkway’s northern section.

Why I became a Wilderness First Responder: how a scary accident taught me that doing your best is always enough.