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Corporate Partnerships

Union Pacific Railroad

Open OutDoors for Kids supported field trip to San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
NPF Photo

Overview

Building the Next Generation of Park Explorers
As the largest private sponsor of Open OutDoors for Kids, Union Pacific Railroad is proud to encourage young adventurers to explore America’s national parks.

Overview

As a premier partner of Youth Engagement and Education and the largest private sponsor of Open OutDoors for Kids, Union Pacific is proud to encourage young adventurers to explore America’s national parks. For nearly 160 years, Union Pacific trains have traversed the beautiful scenery of our nation's western states, delivering the goods Americans use every day.

Union Pacific's history with the national parks started with creating iconic western parks like Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Canyon and Death Valley, when the railroad allowed travelers to experience the wonderment of the new national parks, working hand-in-hand to develop the infrastructure that park visitors still treasure. Today, while Union Pacific trains no longer carry passengers to national parks, the railroad remains committed to sharing the wonders of our nation with the next generation through its partnership with the National Park Foundation (NPF). The railroad's support provides national park experiences for thousands of students across the 23 states where Union Pacific operates.

Union Pacific and the National Park Foundation

The Backstory

Vintage travel brochure depicting Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks
Front cover of Union Pacific booklet "See America's Scenic Sensation" (Union Pacific Railroad Museum)

Union Pacific’s support of NPF has been decades in the making. When the National Park Service (NPS) was created, Union Pacific provided access to these landscapes by developing park infrastructure that visitors still use and enjoy today at parks. NPF’s ability to serve as a national organization that works across the National Park System has helped Union Pacific engage the very communities where the railroad operates.

The multi-year partnership between Union Pacific and NPF has focused on the core goals of access, education, and outreach and engagement. Together, NPF and Union Pacific are ensuring that everyone has access to special places in the community that celebrate cultural diversity and the natural environment.

Union Pacific is proud to support the National Park Foundation and its efforts to introduce an entire generation of America's youth to the wonders of its breathtaking parks that at times go unnoticed in the very communities in which they live and which we operate.
Scott Moore, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Union Pacific

Partnership Impact

In the distance, a group of kids walk along a beach
Open OutDoors for Kids supported field trip to Olympic National Park (NPF Photo / Dawn Kish)

With Union Pacific’s success linked to the economic prosperity and wellbeing of the cities and towns in which it operates, Union Pacific and NPF focused their partnership on strengthening and scaling NPF’s Open OutDoors for Kids program to contribute back to the communities where the railroad operates. As the largest private sponsor of Open OutDoors for Kids since 2018, Union Pacific has helped create pathways for over 300,000 kids within its communities to enjoy, understand and connect with nature through outdoor activity, experiential learning, and cultural heritage exercises. Through its long-term support extending through 2024, Union Pacific will independently build an entirely new generation of park explorers.

Union Pacific’s support to NPF also includes the release of the Junior Ranger Railroad Explorer booklet and a $1 million contribution to the establishment of Pullman National Monument.

Partner News