Junior Explorers

In cooperation with the Arizona State Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Arizona Trail Association (ATA) is proud to announce the release of the Arizona Trail Junior Explorer Handbook – a virtual adventure from border to border, and each section highlights different geographical areas. The Handbook also includes Junior Explorer Questions that encourage critical thinking about natural processes, environmental issues, and how to affect positive change. These questions can be answered below and all participants receive a Junior Explorer patch for completing activities and answering questions. Patches are sent through the mail at no cost to participants along with a full-color map of the AZT.

You may download a digital version of the entire Handbook below, or request a printed version. To answer the Handbook’s questions and receive your Junior Explorer patch, follow the directions below.

Download the Junior Explorer Handbook Descarga el Manual en Español

Request a Printed Version in the Mail

Junior Explorer Patch Request

Please enter your name, address, age and email address. This information will be used to mail your Junior Explorer patch after you complete the Junior Explorer questions.

Contact Information
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Junior Explorer Questions
Fill out your contact information (above), and answer these questions after reading the Junior Explorers Handbook.
Flowing Water - Page 5
If you lived downstream from a mine, industrial facility, or large area to raise food and it rained, where do you think the runoff from these areas will travel?*
What are some of your concerns you might have about your environment?*
The Sky Islands - Page 6
What would happen if you planted a saguaro at the top of a mountain? Why?*
What do you think might happen to animals that live at the very tops of sky islands if the temperature continues to rise?*
The Gila River - Page 8
Since Arizona only has a few flowing rivers and riparian zones that are so important to plants and animals, what would Arizona be like if it had another waterway like the Colorado River?*
What would Arizona be like if one of its rivers dried up?*
Name three things you can do to help preserve what water is left in Arizona.*
Mogollon Rim - Page 10
Plates typically move about the same rate as your fingernails grow (about 2 inches per year). How long do you think it would take to uplift the Colroado Plateau along the Mogollon Rim if the elevation change from top to bottom is about 5,000 feet?*
Anatomy of a Volcano - Page 13
Based on your estimate of how tall the San Francisco Peaks were before they erupted, what would the climate be like near the summit?*
What animals could live there?*
How would the height of the Peaks affect the amount of water near Flagstaff?*
The Grand Canyon - Page 14
There are dams built on the Colorado River at each end of the Grand Canyon Thank about what dams do for people and how they affect nature. What are some of the positive and negative things about dams on the Colorado River.*
The Arizona Strip - Page 16
Why do you think the Vermilion Cliffs were a good place to reintroduce the California condors?*
Share The Trail - Page 18
The Arizona Trail needs people to help keep it maintained so other hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians can enjoy the trail. What are some ways you can help?*
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