The Ranger Desk

An interpretive park ranger conveys a park's story. Every park has a story, a reason that it was protected and staffed with park rangers.

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

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.