National Parks Traveler Podcast

Have you ever visited the "other" side of Yellowstone? Left the Old Faithful and Steamboat geysers behind, fled the conga lines of vehicles mired in bison and bear jams in the Hayden and Lamar valleys, the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds on the boardwalks ... and opted, instead, for the wild side, where you and nature can become one...if you are willing? For a few minutes Kurt Repanshek takes you to Yellowstone's other side with a kayak trip on Yellowstone Lake.

The National Park System contains more than parks that preserve incredible landscapes or moments in history. There are many units that honor an individual. Today National Parks Traveler takes a look at a national monument in southwest Missouri dedicated to George Washington Carver. Born to an enslaved young woman, Carver dedicated his life to agricultural research and science. His work helped struggling farmers in the south better their lives through better farming practices. The Traveler's Lynn Riddick talks to Ranger Curtis Gregory about this unique site in the park system, and the inspirational legacy of the 20th century's most renowned Black scientist.

Acadia National Park in Maine is a tourist magnet, a problem for those seeking a little solitude with the scenery at the park. Traveler Contributing Editor Kim O'Connell found that out first-hand during her family's visit there this summer, but did manage to find some quiet areas.

Climate change is readily apparent this year, generating surprising heat waves in the Pacific Northwest, scores of wildfires across the West, and an ongoing series of tropical storms and hurricanes spinning out of the Atlantic and barreling into the East and Gulf coasts of the United States. The effects of climate change aren't absent from Yosemite National Park. To discuss some of those impacts, we reached out to Frank Dean, president and CEO of the Yosemite Conservancy, and Cory Goehring, the conservancy's lead naturalist. We also discuss a range of Conservancy projects in Yosemite.

Across the National Park System some 2 million acres have been invaded by non-native vegetation. At Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah, crews physically cut down Russian olive trees and use Roundup to prevent regrowth of this invader.

2020 saw the largest fires on record burn in Rocky Mountain National Park, and this year Lassen Volcanic National Park has endured the flames of the Dixie Fire. To gain a better understanding of the wildfire situation in the West, and how climate change is affecting wildfires, we're joined by Robin Wills, the National Park Service's chief of fire and aviation for the Pacific West Region.

A lot is happening around the National Park System, from the nomination of a permanent director for the National Park Service and higher user fees in the parks to wildfires and ongoing crowds in some corners of the park system. National Parks Traveler's Kurt Repanshek, Kim O'Connell, and Lynn Riddick discuss those and other issues from around the park system.

The ongoing drought in the West has underscored how precious water is in that arid landscape. Photographer Colleen Miniuk explores the dilemma along the rivers that feed the Colorado watershed in a new book that is both a celebration and warning about water in the West.

How is the restoration of "the river of grass," the Everglades, coming along? Eric Eikenberg, president of The Everglades Foundation, discusses that topic on National Parks Traveler's podcast.

Mammoth Cave National Park is a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. It was designated a national park in 1926 and fully established and opened in 1941 -- 80 years ago. At 412 miles, the cave itself is nearly twice as long as any other known cave system. Geologists believe there may even be a couple more hundred miles of undiscovered passageways. The Traveler's Lynn Riddick takes us to Mammoth Cave and taps into insight and anecdotes from park personnel about the historic and geologic wonders that tell the story of this unique geological and biological landscape.

What has been your experience in the National Park System this year? Have you found lots of crowds, or has your experience been more enjoyable because you haven't encountered scores of other visitors milling about? Today we're discussing crowding in the parks with Kristen Brengel of the National Parks Conservation Association and Phil Francis of the Coalition to Protect America's national Parks. We'll also discuss why the National Park Service still is without a Senate-confirmed director.

One of the newest additions to the National Park System is the World War I Memorial in the District of Columbia. Traveler's Kurt Repanshek and Contributing Editor Kim O'Connell offer this short audio postcard from the site.

Through the efforts of the #SaveLACougars campaign, tens of millions of dollars have been raised so far to build the world's largest wildlife corridor over the 101 Freeway in Liberty Canyon, west of Los Angeles. Such a bridge would help protect mountain lions roaming the Santa Monica Mountains.

In this, the first segment of a two-part series, the Traveler's Lynn Riddick talks with Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation to dig deep into the life of a mountain lion and find out why fragmented habitats are so destructive to their survival. They'll also discuss the immense outpouring of support for urban wildlife conservation efforts in general and this corridor project in particular.

To celebrate Independence Day and our hard-fought freedoms, National Parks Traveler's Lynn Riddick takes on us a visit to Fort McHenry National Monument and Shrine to learn more about its history and the story behind the poem that was inspired by the Battle of Baltimore.

When traveling to a national park, not everything goes as planned. Maybe you've been disappointed about the crowds. Or maybe couldn't find lodging. Or maybe you weren't able to squeeze in everything you wanted to do. But have you ever found yourself complaining about scenery that you determined to be substandard…or dismissing the exact feature for which the park is known? Today the Traveler's Lynn Riddick -- with voice talent courtesy of Susan Emerson and Stuart Eldridge -- talks to a graphic designer and illustrator who mines the one-star internet reviews from disgruntled national park goers and turns them into something we can all laugh at.

How can aspiring scientists and researchers get a hand in conducting research in the National Park System? Ryan and Julie Sharp, who both spent time working for the National Park Service, raise funds to help college students hoping to conduct research in the parks. Ryan, a professor at Kansas State University, also discusses understanding visitor behavior in parks.

Climate change is here and greatly impacting our weather and long-term climatic trends. In the Southwest, it's having a tremendous impact on water resources across the Colorado River watershed. Warming temperatures associated with climate change are affecting the Colorado River, and those impacts also are showing up in national parks along the river's path. In this episode, we look at how the ailing river is impacting Grand Canyon National Park.

Go take a hike. Wouldn't that be a great escape this weekend? Some of my most enjoyable hikes have been along the Appalachian Trail. That path was easy to reach when I was growing up in New Jersey. Now based in Utah, the A.T. is a distant aspiration. Much closer are both the Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. This is Kurt Repanshek, your host at National Parks Traveler. All three of those trails – the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail – are officially recognized as National Scenic Trails. In all, there are 11 trails across the United States that carry that designation. Are they all treated equally when it comes to funding, maintenance, and even completion of an uninterrupted path? Not at all, and we'll dive into those issues and why they are what they are.

The National Park Service could be seen as one of the country's most science-focused agencies, as it deals with all sorts of "ologies" – biology, paleontology, archaeology, sociology, ecology, cetology, bioecology, and, in light of the popularity of dark night skies, even planetology. But is science properly guiding its mission? Former Park Service scientists Michael Soukup and Gary Machlis discuss those questions.

Kurt Repanshek and Joe Miczulski, whose friendship dates back more than 50 years, take time from their sea kayaking trip on Lake Powell at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to discuss the recent rush to public lands by Americans yearning to get outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic.

As glorious as Grand Canyon National Park is, the national park faces a number of significant issues. National Parks Traveler Editor Kurt Repanshek, along with Special Projects Editor Patrick Cone and Jess Repanshek, Traveler's sound recording engineer, headed to the park in late April to get a better sense of some of the issues that park managers are grappling with and which could alter, possibly significantly, how we experience the canyon. The following podcast previews those issues.

Yosemite National Park is one of the jewels in the crown of the National Park System. It has soaring walls of granite, feathery waterfalls, and high country that takes you into a transformative realm of nature. This week podcast writer/producer and Yosemite first-timer Lynn Riddick -- along with her traveling companion Michele Hogan -- take us on a trip to this national park, which offers more than 800 miles of hiking trails. They share their light-hearted impressions as they hike along three of the more popular of Yosemite's trails, and the conversations they strike up with some interesting people along the way.

There's a lot to see in our national parks and historic sites, including some pretty interesting things underwater. Lynn Riddick takes a look at the Submerged Resources Center, the arm of the National Park Service that locates underwater resources – whether sunken ships or planes, old ranches or train tracks, coral reefs or kelp forests -- then documents and interprets them. Always with an eye toward their preservation. And with 3.5 million acres of Park Service land underwater, it's an immense yet intriguing responsibility.

Searching for the door that opened Westward Expansion? Find yourself at Fort Laramie National Historic Site in eastern Wyoming. The history to find across the historic site's grounds, its restored buildings, and in the surrounding countryside, is deeper than first glance might indicate. It's not just a military relic. Fort Laramie truly was an iconic milepost in the nation's history.

Fort Laramie National Historic Site is a rare, overlooked outpost in the National Park System. It's not the only 19th century fort in the system, but it is richly steeped in Western history, from the fur trappers and the cavalry to the Oregon Trail and the Pony Express. During a recent visit, Kurt Repanshek and Fort Laramie Ranger Clayton Hanson walked the grounds. In this week's episode, they started at the approximate site of original Fort William and headed over to the sutler's store.

It's a sound you instantly recognize, and one you hope isn't coming to your location. It's the wailing siren of an ambulance responding to an emergency. In the National Park System during the height of summer, the sound can be very familiar. Kevin Grange, a seasonal paramedic in the parks, discusses his job. It's a conversation that will leave you with a better understanding and appreciation for the vital role these individuals serve in seeing that national park visitors who are injured or come down with a debilitating illness receive prompt care and are able, if possible, to resume their vacation.

How is life on Cape Hatteras National Seashore these days? We sat down with Superintendent Dave Hallac for a wide-ranging conversation about the national seashore, touching on topics ranging from beach access to wildlife and even pirates.

At Capitol Reef National Park, you'll find 100 acres of orchards and pastures, most of which were established more than 100 years ago by Mormon settlers and where present-day park visitors are still invited to pick and eat the fruit. Over the years, about 1,000 trees have been lost to poor soils, disease, and old age. The Traveler's Lynn Riddick reached out to two park officials to get some historic perspective on the orchards…and the details of the substantial rehabilitation project.

Just off the coast of Maine lies anchored the oldest national park east of the Mississippi, a park with an artistic flair and blue blood in its founding. Though Acadia National Park is small, coming in around 35,000 acres, it plays much bigger, as they might say in golf. You can explore more than 40 miles of bucolic carriage roads, hike to the top of Cadillac Mountain, search tide pools for marine life at low tide, or kayak the waters surrounding Mount Desert Island. Kurt Repanshek sits down with Acadia Superintendent Kevin Schneider to talk about his park, the challenges it faces, and how they're preparing for your visit this summer.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an ideal place to see bear, elk and other mammals, large and small. But too often the place these wild animals are seen most is dead along the side of Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge, victims of a fragmented habitat combined with an increasing number of motor vehicles. A collaborative effort to study wildlife mortality from motor vehicle collisions and find solutions for wildlife to safely cross this winding highway along the Pigeon River outside the national park is fully underway with nearly 100 stakeholders in North Carolina and Tennessee. The Traveler's Lynn Riddick reached out to Jeff Hunter, facilitator of the project, to learn how it will come to fruition and the greater benefits to us all when we create safe places for animals to cross roadways

Contributing editor Kim O'Connell joins me to discuss some of the stories from across the country that we're working on at the Traveler and will be rolling out on the Traveler in the weeks and months ahead. And Lynn Riddick has a short story about a unique fundraiser that's giving Wind Cave National Park new tools to manage and learn about the genetically pure bison herd there.

Coral is a foundation species, one that creates the habitats that support biodiversity and provides essential shoreline protection. The waters of Dry Tortugas National Park are home to some 30 species of coral. One type –- Elkhorn Coral -- rises above the rest, literally and figuratively, for its importance in the region. It also happens to be the most threatened. A team from the U.S. Geological Survey looked into whether Elkhorn Coral grown in nursery conditions could be transplanted in Dry Tortugas National Park and other areas of the Florida Keys.

This week we our conversation with Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly on the state of his park. We discuss efforts to greatly reduce the number of invasive lake trout in Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone's infrastructure needs, and some of the conservation projects park staff is working on. And we also voice Traveler's position that the National Park Service needs to conduct an environmental impact statement, not a less rigorous environmental assessment, on plans to drill for oil in Big Cypress National Preserve.

As Covid-19 swept across the country last year, it created challenges for the National Park Service. Once parks opened, people flocked to them. But many parks were short of staff. Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly discusses the challenges his staff faced with Covid. Plus, Alison Kelly from the Natural Resources Defense Council brings us up to speed on a proposal to drill for oil in Big Cypress National Preserve.

What's the state of national park philanthropy? The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic a year ago impacted nonprofit organizations that work to support national parks. Many organizations that rely on retail sales for revenues had to close their outlets and layoff staff. How are things today?

The country's largest tribal national park has been authorized and is now in the early stages of development. The Ioway Tribal National park will sit on 564 acres along the Missouri River on the border of Nebraska and Kansas. The Traveler's Lynn Riddick spoke with a tribe member who is on the front lines in the development of the park. He shared his thoughts about the park, how it will help the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska… and the history it will honor.

What drove the name change for New River Gorge National River and how does the expansion of Saguaro National Park benefit the park? We discuss those issues this week with Joy Oakes and Kevin Dahl from the National Parks Conservation Association.

This week we're talking search and rescue in the National Park System. Each year, there are thousands of search-and-rescue incidents logged across the park system. The Intermountain Region of the National Park Service is the largest in the agency, and is home to many of the most beautiful, and dangerous, national parks. Yellowstone has boiling waters and grizzly bears, Grand Canyon has that deep canyon, and Rocky Mountain has alluring, and rugged, backcountry. We're joined by search and rescue experts at Rocky Mountain National Park

In this week's show, our 100th podcast, we take a look at endangered and threatened species that call the National Park System home and the legal battles that swing to and fro over gaining them Endangered Species Act protections. Joining me for this discussion is Noah Greenwald, the endangered species director for the Center for Biological Diversity.

2021 marks 100 years since forester and planner Benton MacKaye conceived a trail connecting farmlands, mountain ranges, camps and towns along the Appalachian Mountain range. Sixteen years later, the Appalachian Trail was completed. Each year an estimated 3 million people take to the trail. In honor of this anniversary, Lynn Riddick met up with one A.T. enthusiast who has experienced the colossal physical and mental challenges of tackling the entire trail…and its immense rewards.

In this, our last episode for 2020, we look back on the past 12 months in the parks with Phil Francis of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks and Kristen Brengel from the National Parks Conservation Association. And we also take a peek at the task ahead for the Biden administration in the realm of parks and public lands.

Year after year, a little more of the visual history of Cape Lookout National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is lost. Hurricanes and nor'easters take their toll on the structures in two small villages there, slowly erasing the reminders of what was once a thriving shipping and fishing hub. The Traveler's Lynn Riddick spoke with Cape Lookout National Seashore superintendent Jeff West to learn about the efforts to save whatever historic structures they can.

This week's show is going to the birds. Counting, birds, that is, what with the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count officially kicking off Monday and running through January 5. We sat down with Geoff LeBaron, who long has overseen the annual count for the National Audubon Society, to discuss the program.

If you're a truly devoted national parks traveler, you don't let political boundaries get in your way when you consider which national park to visit. With that in mind, we're going to look north to Canada and the incredible parks overseen by Parks Canada. There are some great destinations there, whether you're a young family traveling with kids, wildlife watchers looking for bison or birds, or more experienced travelers looking for a wild backcountry experience.

Frederick Swanson is a Salt Lake City writer who long has studied public lands issues in Utah, and his latest book delves into the history of the state's national parks and monuments. In our show he discusses the motivation that spurred "Wonders of Sand and Stone, A History of Utah's National Parks and Monuments."

Gulf Islands National Seashore is developing a Commercial Services Strategy for Crab Island due to the raucous partying that goes on there. Lynn Riddick discusses the matter with Gulf Islands Superintendent Dan Brown.

Estee Rivera, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, discusses the damage wildfires inflicted on Rocky Mountain National Park and the role the conservancy is taking in helping park staff rehabilitate areas impacted by the fires and interpret the intense fire season. And Kurt Repanshek visits with Kim Heacox, a former park ranger turned writer and photographer at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

Dr. Bryan Watts, an authority on bald eagles, discusses his research that indicates that bald eagles that utilize national park lands around the Chesapeake Bay may have a slight advantage over those that use the bay's other estuarine systems.

How might the 2020 presidential election impact the National Park Service? Former Park Service Director Jon Jarvis, Kristen Brengel from the National Parks Conservation Association, and Phil Francis, chair of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, discuss that question.