Theodore Roosevelt National Park rangers hope binoculars and backpacks will lure visitors off the scenic loop drive.

The park introduced family hiking kits last month to encourage engagement with the scenery.

Tourists can borrow back packs filled with binoculars, nature guides and games at the visitors center in the park's south unit in exchange for drivers licenses.

"It's almost like having a park ranger in the vehicle with you," said ranger Joe Camisa.

The packs are targeted at families and include activities for explorers of various ages. Younger hikers can mark sightings of bison and other animals on bingo cards.

Books in the kit identify plants, wildlife, tracks and droppings. Binoculars and hand lenses allow for close-up inspection along trails.

Ranger Mary Brazell brought the idea to the park after using educational fanny packs on guided hikes for children at Rock Creek National Park in Washington, D.C.

Donations to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park visitors centers paid for the pack materials, which Brazell selected based on her own ranger kit. People can go for a stroll anywhere, Brazell said, but with these packs they can identify nature in person and remember it on later hikes.

"Yesterday, some kids came in and they had a track and scat book," she said. "They said they were able to identify all the different types of scat in the park."

Brazell recalls her unmatched ability to identify birds as a young girl when she stumbled upon her mother's bird guides and started taking nature trips.

"When you're a child, your brain is developing and you seem to be able to catch on a bit faster," she said.

The kits at the park were pared down to be light enough for children to carry, though some adults without kids have borrowed them.

Camisa estimateds about 15 groups borrowed packs so far in June. All three were checked out Tuesday afternoon.

"We would love for all of them to be checked out every single day," said Eileen Andes, chief of interpretation and public affairs at the park.

If the project is deemed a hit, the park may expand the hands-on education with kits at the park's north unit.

"I remember my experiences as a child and Ithink it's important that these children today have a positive experience in nature," Brazell said. "This is our country, and it's not just a picture in a text book."

(Reach reporter Rachel Albin at 250-8253 or rachel.albin@;bismarcktribune.com.)