7 Parks. 6 Days. 5 Kids. 4 States. 3 Minivan Rows. 2 Exhausted Parents. And 1 Welsh Springer Spaniel.
This is what you can achieve when you take the most southern route, hugging the Mexican border, and optimizing for national parks and monuments with unique topographical features and vegetation. From deep in the caverns of the Guadalupe mountains, to the sky islands of southern Arizona, to the organ pipe cactus of the far northern Sonoran Desert, we packed a whirlwind of adventure into just six days.
Our goal? Maximize Junior Ranger badges. Seven badges earned in a single week—including a special patch from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, not just for the kids but for the not-so-junior desert rangers among us. We found that these slightly off-the-beaten-track places offered some of the friendliest rangers and the most unique badges and programs.
Day 1: Guadalupe Mountains National Park & Carlsbad Caverns, Texas & New Mexico
We kicked things off with a visit to Carlsbad Caverns, descending into the massive underground wonder. The kids were awed by the vast chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites, draperies, soda straws and cave popcorn.
From there, we headed to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, a rugged landscape of ancient marine fossils, wind-carved peaks, and sprawling desert. The kids marveled at the three ecosystems in one place: the Chihuahuan desert, the Riparian (canyons and streams) and the Alpine forests.
Day 2: White Sands National Park, New Mexico
Imagine a desert made of snow-white dunes, soft enough to slide down on sleds. White Sands National Park was a surreal playground for the kids and a challenging place to keep sand out of our eyes and the minivan. The kids were tracking animal footprints, crushing gypsum rocks with their hands to make sand, and writing their names in the sand with sticks before the wind swept them away.
Day 3: Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona
The towering hoodoos of Chiricahua—remnants of an ancient volcanic eruption—offered a playground of rock formations that looked like they belonged in a fantasy novel. The kids loved squeezing through tight rock passages while we marveled at the “sky islands” ecosystem, where pine forests meet desert floor.
Day 4: Saguaro National Park, Arizona
It’s impossible to visit southern Arizona and not pay homage to the towering saguaro cactus, some of which have been standing longer than the United States has been a country. We timed our visit late in the afternoon, when the desert sky turned pink and orange, and the silhouettes of these giants stretched like guardians over the landscape.
Day 5: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona
This was worth the trip off the beaten track to the Mexican border—not just for its unique cacti but for the badge program, which included a special patch. The kids learned about the Sonoran Desert’s biodiversity and why this park, once considered dangerous, is now a conservation success story. The rangers here were some of the most enthusiastic and welcoming we’ve met.
Day 6: Joshua Tree National Park, California
Crossing into California, we found ourselves surrounded by the iconic Joshua trees as we passed from the Sonoran Desert (on the Colorado Plateau) to Mojave Deserts. These twisted and tangled trees point in all directions like something out of Dr. Seuss’ imagination. The kids climbed boulders, explored hidden caves, and earned their final badges of the week.
A few reflections
National Monuments have compelling Junior Ranger programs—fewer crowds, more personalized experiences, and the rangers have time to really engage.
Optimizing for geography makes the impossible possible. By staying along the southern route, we minimized long detours and maximized time in the parks.
The minivan, though crowded, is a champion. Three rows, five kids, one dog, and a seemingly endless supply of road trip snacks kept us moving.
Junior Ranger badges aren’t just for kids. Parents can learn just as much—and collect them in rare instances along the way.
No matter how tired we were at the end, the memories made were worth every dusty mile.
Seven parks. Six days. Five kids. Four states. Three minivan rows. Two exhausted parents. And one very patient dog. This was the week we squeezed the most out of the southern deserts in the southern U.S. (Chihuahuan, Sonoran, Mojave)—and found the friendliest rangers along the way.
