Stephanie McCullough, Author at The Ranger Desk

How to Become a National Park Ranger

As a former ranger, I’m often asked how to become a national park ranger. These are my tips for prospective park rangers.

Some people speed along trails; I meander. If I went any faster, I would miss out on so much. Here is why I love hiking slowly.

Time in nature is my favorite way to practice mindfulness. Learn to be fully present with these five ways to be mindful in nature.

A few years ago in a grad class, a fellow student made a statement that floored me: “LGBTQ people can’t work in national parks.”

Read a former Zion park ranger’s answer to the question of what to do in Zion. Here are five ranger tips for Zion National Park.

Research shows that children benefit in countless ways from exploring the natural world. But how do you get kids to love nature?

Read the story of why I love field guides, and how that love shaped the person I am and the park ranger I became.

In the early days of US national parks, rangers did it all–built trails, fought fires, caught poachers. What do park rangers do today?

Many people have asked why I became a national park ranger, but I never had a story to tell. Until now. Here is my park ranger origin story.

In the winter of 1811-12, earthquakes caused the Mississippi River to rush backwards and onto nearby land, creating a new lake named Reelfoot.