UPDATE: Due to weather concerns, the annual Kids to Parks Day has been moved to the Marv Teixeira Pavilion at Mills Park in Carson City. Activities will happen today, Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This will be the 7th year the event will be held, and is a celebration of parks, trails, and recreational opportunities that Carson City has to offer.
The first year’s event took place at Silver Saddle Ranch, but Carson City Park Rangers moved the event to Mills Park in 2022 for a more centralized location and larger spaces for activities.
“Kids to Parks Day is a national day of outdoor play celebrated annually on the third Saturday of May,” according to a spokesperson for the National Park Trust. “The day connects kids and families with their local, state, and national parks and public lands through thousands of park events that promote discovery and exploration in the great outdoors.”
This year, the city is bringing more activities and fun to the event with double the amount of local organizations participating according to a spokesperson for Carson City Parks, Recreation and Open Space.
The schedule is as follows:
10:00am – Mayor Lori Bagwell will proclaim official Kids to Parks Day 2025 in Carson City and begin the event
10:30am – Jr. Park Ranger Olympics Official Start
1:30pm – Jr. Park Ranger Olympics ends
2:00pm – Kids to Parks Day event ends, kids encouraged to visit other parks and keep celebrating the day
Food and Treats:
Bone Appetit Bar-B-Que Grill – Will be offering food and drink lunch options
Scoups Ice Cream & Soup Bar – Will be offering Ice Cream
Sip & Snap Co. – Will be offering a customized drink menu for kids and have a photo booth
Junior Park Ranger Olympics
All information provided by Carson City Park Rangers
This obstacle course is open to kids between grades 1st – 3rd and 4th – 6th. It is designed to test the skills Park Rangers use on a daily basis. The course consists of 5 stages and will be a racing event testing 5 Jr Rangers at a time. The top three participants from each time slot with the fast time will be awarded a prize within their grade groups. Prizes will be awarded at the Jr. Ranger Olympics booth.
1st Stage: Kids will be asked to pack their provided backpack as fast as they can with all the items given to them. There is no specific way to pack it. Some items will be used further along in the course. Once the pack is packed, kids will need to put it on and move onto the next stage.
2nd Stage: This stage will test a Jr. Ranger’s ability to clean up the trails of trash. They will use the mutt mitt provided to them in their backpack to collect a piece of trash. Once they successfully made the trash into the can, they can move onto the next stage.
3rd Stage (4th-6th graders only): As a Jr. Ranger, it’s an important ability to sort brochures to properly hand them out to visitors. Participants will use 3 of the 4 brochures provided to them from their backpack and place them in the correct location on a table. Once brochures are sorted, they must crawl under the table and move onto the next stage.
4th Stage (Parents Assist with 1st-3rd graders): This stage will test the first aide ability of Jr. Rangers. They must locate their alien, find the injuries and bandage them up. Participants will need to remember to put on their gloves before using the band aids on the aliens.
Final Stage: The final stage will test a Jr Ranger’s navigation ability. Jr Rangers must make their way through a maze in order to get to the finish line. As Jr Rangers cross the finish line, their time will be noted and written on their bib.
Rules
The course is open to kids in grades 1st-6th. All Participants must have a parent/guardian sign the waiver in order to compete.
Participants will be required to sign up for a time slot in their age groups. Sign ups are on a first come first serve basis.
Sign up slots
- 10:30am 1st – 3rd graders 5 kids
- 10:45am 4th – 6th graders 5 kids
- 11:00am 1st – 3rd graders 5 kids
- 11:15am 4th – 6th graders 5 kids
- 11:30am 1st – 3rd graders 5 kids
- 11:45am 4th – 6th graders 5 kids
- 12:00pm – 1:00pm Break
- 1:00pm 1st – 3rd graders 5 kids
- 1:15pm 4th – 6th graders 5 kids
Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 fastest times of each grade group. All others will receive a surprise.
Grade Groups: 1st – 3rd and 4th – 6th
Only a Park Ranger can be the timekeeper of the race for official course times to count.
The Following will result in immediate disqualification:
- Pushing, shoving, or any other type of aggression.
- Name calling, foul language, and bullying.
- Intentionally sabotaging another participant.
Park Rangers have the final say. Keep the competition fun and enjoyable for everyone.
Location and Parking
Kids to Parks Day 2025 will be held in the large field at the pavilion at Mills Park, which is located 1111 East William Street, Carson City.
Parking will be available within the park on Oxoby Loop off of East William Street, East William Street Parking, the Mills Park Lane parking lot, the Community and Aquatic Center parking lot.
