The Ranger Desk
Begin your outdoor journey at The Ranger Desk: a resource for parks and all things wild.
Recent Essays
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.
Learn the twelve must-haves for your wilderness first aid kit, including items not found in a traditional first aid kit.
My white privilege helped me become a park ranger. I feel safe in nature and in national parks when so many others don't.
Featured Essay
Ranger Stephanie (who started this site) recently discovered the missing piece to her park ranger origins. Find out what that is in this month’s featured essay.
Dry Tortugas National Park is both an American cultural and natural treasure. It's home to the famed Fort Jefferson.
In 2016, the Stonewall Inn was declared a national monument, making it the first US national park site dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights.
Torres del Paine National Park is one of the most popular and beautiful parks in the Patagonia region of southern Chile and Argentina.
At 1,600,000 acres (650,000 ha) Wood-Tikchik State Park is the largest state park in the US, containing 15% of all US state park land.
Crater Lake was formed 7,700 years ago when a volcanic eruption collapsed Mount Mazama, turning it into a massive caldera.
Located 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, the National Park of American Samoa is one of the most remote US national parks.
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Popular Essays
Interested in US national parks? What about living a wild life? Get started with these popular essays.
Want more? Peruse an archive of All Essays.
Stephanie McCullough
A former US national park ranger with a master’s degree in environmental education, I created The Ranger Desk to share my passion for national parks and the natural world.