The Ranger's Almanac

"Tales from the Trails"

An annual literary journal for stories, poems, artwork, photography, and music from rangers and nature enthusiasts nationwide.

Every Great Hike Begins With a First Step.
Every Great Story Begins With an Inspiration.

This inaugural issue of the Ranger's Almanac, compiled by two Forest Rangers in Pennsylvania, features park and forest-inspired work from award-winning writers, poets, photographers, musicians, and artists. It also includes contributions from the conservation workers who protect these inspiring places.

In these pages, you'll find odes to family trips, tales of burned forests reborn, redacted Ranger reports, laugh-out-loud depictions of personified rocks, the world's greatest cookbook, stories of ghost trees… and, yes, Sasquatch. Here, you'll find a snapshot of everything the great outdoors can offer, from humorous to heartbreaking, grand to deeply personal, wild to weird to wacky, often told by those who know these places best.

This is the Ranger's Almanac, and these are Tales from the Trails…

Our Editors

Andrew Akers

Andrew Akers (He/Him) is a forest ranger and fiction writer from Pennsylvania, USA. His work has appeared in Book XI, The Daily Tomorrow, MetaStellar, and over twenty other publications. He recently published his debut novel, Tapestry, and his interactive novel, The Gatebreaker Protocol, is forthcoming. When he isn’t working or writing, Andrew runs marathons, plays Dungeons & Dragons, and raises his sons with his far more talented better half, Kylie. More information about Andrew's stories is available at andrew-akers.com or facebook.com/andrewakersauthor.

Adam Geer

Starting out as a Ranger in 2012, Adam Geer has had a fruitful career in both the state parks and state forests of Pennsylvania. Growing up in Northwest PA and attending college in Lock Haven, Adam has spent nearly his entire life in the outdoors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you accept horror or fantasy stories?

Yes! We accept almost all genres, including fantasy, horror, science fiction, adventure, suspense, thriller, humor, historical, western, crime, mystery, literary, young adult, romance, historical fiction, alternate fiction, stranger-than-fiction—you name it.

Our only exception is erotica. Please don’t send us any fan-fics of Sasquatch hooking up with Smokey.

…Unless it’s really, really good. However, our tolerance is PG-13.

Can children submit stories?

Absolutely! If we receive enough kid-friendly content, we’ll even include a “Junior Ranger” section in later issues.

Please specify that the submission is intended for children, and note that a parent or guardian must attach a signature to our contract if the piece is accepted.

I have a really neat park near my house that I’d like to write about. Is nonfiction allowed?

Please send us the love you have for your local parks. We’d be thrilled to consider publishing it.

Do you accept reprints?

We do. However, we pay a flat payment for pieces previously published elsewhere. Please see the submission guidelines for our most up-to-date payment schedule.

Do you accept international submissions?

We love getting international submissions! Send them over!

How many pieces can I send at once?

We don't have a hard limit on how many pieces our contributors can send at once. However, please try to keep it within reason. 3-5 at a time is usually a good rule of thumb. Too many at once can really slow down our response times.

How long will it take to get a response to my submission?

This can vary, but we aim to respond to most people within a week.

Where can I find/purchase editions of the Almanac?

We only publish a paperback version of the Almanac. There is no e-book or Kindle version. However, there may be cheaper versions at your local park store, visitor center, or campground. If they don't have copies, REQUEST ONE! We are currently penning agreements with locations across the country. Best of all, a portion of the proceeds made at that location will go directly back into your park!

I see that you accept music and audio/video pieces. How does that work?

Great question! All multimedia submissions will be uploaded to our Ranger's Almanac YouTube page and added to the journal as a QR code. In the future, we may also include narrations of specific pieces or include commentary from creators.

Can I use A.I. to create my story/photo/music/artwork?

No. We have a zero-tolerance policy on A.I. If we learn that you plagiarized your work with a generative A.I. tool, you will be blacklisted.

Still have questions? Reach out to us at
rangers.almanac@gmail.com