Museum of the National Park Ranger

Yellowstone National Park

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The historic log Norris Soldier Station (1908), one of only three stations left from the era of the park's army control, now houses this small museum, often staffed by chatty retired National Park Service employees.

The exhibits detail the evolution of the ranger profession from its military origins, including a fun mock-up of an old ranger cabin and bunk room. See if you can guess which future US president served as a park ranger in Canyon in 1936, before entering the oval office 38 years later.

The Gibbon River flows through meadows in front of the building, making it a pleasant place to look for wildlife. Norris Campground is right next door.

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Nearby Yellowstone National Park attractions

1. Porcelain Basin

0.71 MILES

One mile of boardwalks loop through Porcelain Basin, the park’s hottest exposed basin. (The name comes from the area’s milky deposits of sinter, also…

2. Norris Geyser Basin

0.84 MILES

Norris Geyser Basin comprises Porcelain Basin and Back Basin, accessed through two connecting loops. If the world's tallest geyser, Steamboat Geyser, isn…

3. Norris Museum

0.85 MILES

This tiny museum was the park's first, opening in 1930. Displays focus on the underground plumbing that makes Yellowstone's thermal features so unique.

4. Back Basin

1.12 MILES

Two miles of boardwalks and gentle trails snake through Norris' forested Back Basin. The main show here is Steamboat Geyser, the world’s tallest active…

5. Artist Paint Pots

3.62 MILES

The multicolored springs and fountains along a pleasant 1-mile loop hike southwest of Norris are interesting, but it's the ill-mannered belching and…

6. Brink of the Lower Falls

9.97 MILES

The first of the North Rim viewpoints leads down a steep 0.75-mile trail, descending 600ft for exciting close-up views of the tumbling white water as the…

7. Canyon Visitor Education Center

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8. Lookout Point

10.46 MILES

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