National Junior Ranger Day at Pipe Spring National Monument
Fun Activities for All Ages

On Saturday April 25 from 9 AM to 3 PM (AZ time) Pipe Spring National Monument will be celebrating NATIONAL JUNIOR RANGER DAY with a series of fun demonstrations and hands on activities to offer opportunities for Junior Rangers of all ages to make their own connections to the resources preserved at Pipe Spring National Monument. Some of the traditional skills being demonstrated after lunch include; blacksmithing (forging metal into tools and nails on a hand forge) and flint knapping (making arrowheads and tools from stones). One of our newest programs is on drop spindle yarn production. You will learn how people for hundreds of years made yarn from sheep and cotton without the use of a spinning wheel. A demonstration that is interesting to everyone is traditional firestarting. These traditional crafts will be demonstrated by rangers using techniques for starting fires such as flint and steel and bow/drill.

Nature hikes along our scenic ½ mile Ridge trail will be offered to groups who want to participate in an enthusiastic hike to the top of the ridge behind the Pipe Spring’s historic fort structure. Visitors will learn about the geology of the area, why the water comes out of the ground here at Pipe Springs and the many traditional uses of the diverse plants that grow on the hillside. As usual we offer 30 minute ranger led tours of the 1870’s historic fort that we call Winsor castle. These informative tours begin every 30 minutes from 8:30-4:00. A walk through the museum explains the history of the many different cultures that have lived here and used the waters of Pipe Springs.

A special seasonal opportunity will be our spring garden planting. Visitors are invited to help us plant our demonstration summer garden. This garden area helps us to demonstrate the agricultural accomplishments of farmers using the waters of Pipe Spring for more than 1000 years. Colonial pioneer crops, Kaibab Paiute traditional crops and the wonderfully different corn, beans, squash and cotton of the ancient Ancestral Peubloean people will be planted to help visitors understand the many cultural uses of the land. We will be planting the garden area on both Saturday and Sunday.

Entry fees to the monument are $5/adult or free if you have any of the America the Beautiful federal park passes. Come visit history and immerse yourself in the past. Walk around the grounds of our historic ranch, visit our long horned cattle and ponder the stories of the people who have lived here at Pipe Springs National Monument. Call 928-643-7105 for more information.

Chandler Johnson, a recent visitor to Pipe Spring, with her 235 Junior Ranger Badges.