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Mississippi National River and Recreation AreaHands holding two small fish with a river in the background.
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Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Become a Junior Ranger
A cover of the Mississippi River Visitor Center booklet, Junior Ranger certificate and badge.

To become a Junior Ranger of the Mississippi River, visit one or more of the visitor centers listed below. Ask for a Junior Ranger booklet when you arrive and answer the questions in it. To find the answers, you'll have to explore the Mississippi River and learn about some facet of Mississippi life!

When you've completed the booklet, just return it to the visitor center's front desk or mail it to the National Park Service. You will receive a snazzy badge and certificate recognizing you as a Junior Ranger.

As mentioned above each visitor center has their own booklet, but they also have a unique button. Junior Rangers can collect all of the buttons by visiting each place listed above and completing their booklet.

Junior Rangers that fill out registration forms, also available at each visitor center, are notified by the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area of future adventures. Those adventures include ranger-led canoe trips, barge rides, birding walks, or over-night camping expeditions!

 
webranger membership card

But there is still another way to become a Junior Ranger.
If you would like to join the Junior Ranger Program, but cannot travel to the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, you can become a Junior WebRanger! Just follow the link below to explore, learn about, and protect the National Parks.

http://www.nps.gov/webrangers/

Not only can you become a Junior WebRanger, but there are other fun games to play that will help you learn about the National Park Service and national park sites. Games range from easy to hard and offer a variety of styles such as matching, scavenger hunts, and storytelling.

Itasca, Headwaters of the Mississippi River  

Did You Know?
At Lake Itasca, the river is so shallow, children can walk across the Mississippi. Between Governor Nicholls Wharf and Algiers Point in New Orleans, the Mississippi is more than 200 feet deep.

Last Updated: December 12, 2008 at 10:03 EST