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I love to explore national parks and drink in the sights and sounds of America’s best idea. From the depths of the Grand Canyon to the dizzying heights of Glacier, it’s all my favorite.
As a Park Ranger, I find much of my personal and professional fulfillment in visiting these dazzling icons. After the initial planning excitement, my mind drifts to the cost.
I love my job but it is not a position that gets a lot of monetary love. I have to get scrappy when it comes to visiting national parks.
In my profession, it’s not insider information! Amiright?
Route Planning
How a Park Ranger saves on entrance fees is by buying a pass.
America the Beautiful passes are an all-access VIP ticket into any federal land including the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Wildlife Refuge, and so many more!
If it’s federal land with an entrance fee this pass will cover it. It’s like an annual all-I-can-eat buffet of federal land. It is a far better deal than the $109 one-day pass for The Wizarding World and I’m saying that as a proud Ravenclaw member!
Visiting the magic at Universal was epic but it was only 24 hours. This pass is a year’s worth of beauty and access to America’s best attraction.
Lodging Field Notes
How a Park Ranger saves on lodging is by going camping.
Many, if not most, National Parks have camping but Mr. Bull and I rarely take advantage of it. We camp in the less pressured, more scenic and cheaper, National Forest Service.
Forests have more relaxed camping rules called dispersed camping. Which is forest speak for – when there is no designated camping area, camping is allowed a hundred feet away from a road, water, or trail. We follow this up with a healthy dose of research too, because just like tree bark, every forest is different with its own set of rules.
Plus, getting a ticket from a fellow Ranger for not following the rules would be as delightful as a friend saying they’re going to a funeral and reflexively saying, “Have fun!”
Mr. BuLL and I default to the leave no trace standard, which is fancy gov lingo for whatever is brought in comes out.
We are weekend wilderness campers too which suits our lifestyle. All the pains and discomforts of hiking and sleeping on the ground are worth it.
Each morning, I open our tiny tent flap to a beautiful view of wilderness. It also helps that it’s free 99. Outside of our deposit of sweat, steps, and tears.
As with any underlying concern with freebies, we ensure to take extra care. We don’t want to muck it up and cause a closure because of littering, vandalism, or strewn poop paper.
Exploring Food
How a Park Ranger saves on food is by byof – bring your own food.
Our default food of choice is freeze-dried. Our backcountry exploits demand that we bring the lightest food possible because carrying around a fridge on your back is quite possibly the worst.
Ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain, is a frequent saying we stole borrowed from our fellow Army comrades.
There are instances when we aren’t hiking 15 miles a day and don’t need to be concerned about extra weight. But it’s hard to beat risotto with chicken after a long day of visitor center exhibits, wayside vistas, and ranger-guided tours.
I’m a Park Ranger which means my DNA demands that I listen with rapt attention to every talk about carnivorous plants, crab migrations and the goats in trees phenomenon.
As a ranger, I have to support my fellow cohorts by participating in everything our public land offers, from land access to tours. If I am not doing it and following all the rules, with an extra heaping of common curtesy, how can I expect anyone else to?
