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America's National Parks Podcast

271 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 827 ratings

Explore our national parks — their history, their people, and their stories.

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Episodes

National Park Passes Explained — 2023 Updates

November 29, 2022 00:23 - 17 minutes - 39.1 MB

In this episode, we're taking a look at all the "Interagency" America the Beautiful passes that are available to give you access to national parks and other federal lands, often with some great discounts. We'll also cover the brand-new LIFETIME military pass.  Order your passes online here: https://store.usgs.gov/recreational-passes Get the Every Kid Outdoors 4th & 5th Grade Pass here: https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens – an Urban Oasis

November 20, 2022 15:10 - 17 minutes - 39 MB

Along the Anacostia River, thousands of years ago, a vibrant Native American community thrived, relying on the natural resources of the land and the water that bisected it. Lush foliage, cattails, fish, and wild game made the region self-sustaining for the Nacotchtank people. They understood the importance of balance between using and protecting the resources of these wetlands, which fell into a devastating period of overuse with the arrival of European settlers.  However, in the 1930s, a d...

Two New Park Units, Mosquito Science, and the True Age of Yosemite | News from the Parks

October 31, 2022 07:22 - 10 minutes - 9.53 MB

It's time for our monthly park news round-up. This time, there are two new park units, a new study shares how some people really are "mosquito magnets," and some new science shows that Yosemite is much younger than we previously thought it was.    Today's show was sponsored by L.L.Bean, follow the hashtag #beanoutsider, and visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the National Parks.  And by Campendium. Find listings and reviews for thousands of campsites for your next national p...

Spooky Stories from National Parks

October 24, 2022 05:15 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MB

It’s that spooky time of year again when the leaves are turning orange and red, the days get shorter and the nights longer, and there seems to be a ghoul hiding around every bend on the trail. Which means it’s also the perfect time of year for a themed episode. Today, we will be traversing the country to hear about some obscure hauntings and a curse that has been verified by multiple visitors.   Host: Jason Epperson Narrator: Abigail Trabue Written by: Rachel Ryan Edited by: Peter Xiong...

The Endangered Species Act

October 14, 2022 14:47 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MB

Species and population declines persisted during this time despite the existence of several federal laws, including The Lacey Act, the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. A heavier-hitting piece of legislation was needed, and thus the Endangered Species Preservation Act came to be in October of 1966. Aimed at conserving, protecting, and restoring select species of native fish and wildlife, the Act and its purpose soon outgrew itself and, by 1969, wa...

The 5 Senses of Death Valley

October 07, 2022 05:51 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MB

We often think of visiting national parks as a visual experience, the scenery drawing us in, the spectacular sights, where every moment presents yet another photo opportunity. And certainly this is true, even at Death Valley National Park. Every harshly sculpted desert landscape is a unique vista, a marvel of nature. But the conditions at Death Valley in the summertime remind us that the national parks can be experienced through senses other than sight. We primarily think of parks as somethi...

National Park News | Cave Waves, False Alarm Volcano, and More

September 26, 2022 03:26 - 10 minutes - 23.7 MB

In this episode, a Mexican earthquake caused a strange reaction 1500 miles away in death valley, the longest cave in the world is officially 6 miles longer, a new policy will more closely involve indigenous people in federal land management, and a former director of the National Park Service has died.    Today's show was sponsored by L.L.Bean, follow the hashtag #beanoutsider, and visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the National Parks.  And by Campendium. Find listings and r...

Plains

September 18, 2022 16:31 - 13 minutes - 31 MB

A few million words could be written about Jimmy Carter and his influence on America and the world — but today, two of Plains, Georgia's lesser known residents, the folks that would raise or 39th president — the first to be born in a hospital.    Today's show was sponsored by L.L.Bean, follow the hashtag #beanoutsider, and visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the National Parks.  And by Campendium. Find listings and reviews for thousands of campsites for your next national pa...

Glacier Bay - Fisheries and Canneries

September 13, 2022 03:47 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MB

The pristine landscape of Alaska’s Glacier Bay stretches as far as the eye can see. Heading out from the serenity of Bartlett Cove, the bay opens into a wide waterway dotted with islands, and flanked by snow-capped mountains that disappear into the clouds, and thick forests of spruce and hemlock, cottonwood, and alder. The bay fills a basin carved out by the Grand Pacific Glacier, which has retreated north over the last two hundred fifty years, leaving behind a frigid bejeweled body of water...

National Geographic’s ”America’s National Parks”: Interview With the Creators

September 03, 2022 04:55 - 24 minutes - 57.2 MB

Anwar Mamon is an award-winning Executive Producer with over 20 years’ experience in TV production who has filmed in some of the most remote locations on the planet, pushing the boundaries of technology to bring viewers closer to nature and our planet than ever before.  And Ben Wallis has made films all over the world for prestigious outlets such as BBC, Disneynature, Netflix, Discovery and PBS. Anwar and Ben are a part of Wildstar Films and the team behind National Geographic’s new series...

The Year Of Water In America’s National Parks | National Park News

August 24, 2022 05:31 - 12 minutes - 28.4 MB

Our new book, the National Parks Journal for Kids!: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1685394477?maas=maas_adg_2783358EB9FED180A107AAC11500D118_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas In this episode, we cover the big reductions in water allocations to several states in order to save two of America's biggest dams, we update you on closed parks due to water damage, and so much more!

National Park Trip Planning with Jennifer Melroy of National Park Obsessed

August 17, 2022 22:32 - 30 minutes - 69.7 MB

For the new explorer, planning a visit to a national park, or even several on a big road trip can be a daunting task. Today on America’s National Parks, we're talking with Jennifer Melroy, a national park lover who has visited nearly all of the 63 main parks and shares her tips and advice over at NationalParkObsessed.com. I talked with Jennifer about the broad strokes of planning a national park visit, pitfalls to avoid, and her resources for helping you get the best out of your trip.  Make...

Hampton - Enslavement and Manumission

August 14, 2022 05:24 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MB

Amidst the rolling hills of Baltimore County, a two-lane road cleaves the sixty-two acres that remain of a former grand estate and plantation that once covered twenty-five thousand acres. The mansion sits on the north side and the remnants of the farm to the south. It’s a storybook picture, set in the middle of what is now a busy suburb of Baltimore. But, as most plantations go — the horrific enslavement of humans mars the earth that helped a new nation prosper.  Today's show was sponsored ...

National Park News | Access To Tallest Tree Blocked, Mobsters In The Bottom of Lake Mead

August 04, 2022 14:26 - 8 minutes - 19.6 MB

In this episode, we share the news about Hyperion, the world's largest tree, and the attempts at Redwood National Park to keep people from making the dangerous trek to visit it. Plus, Lake Mede is receding, which is creating some interesting surprises, including possible bodies of mobsters at its depths. All that and more on this edition of our National Parks News Roundup. Today's show was sponsored by L.L.Bean, follow the hashtag #beanoutsider, and visit LLBean.com to find great gear for e...

This Contested Land with McKenzie Long

July 29, 2022 19:37 - 21 minutes - 48.4 MB

National Monuments are some of our nation’s most controversial lands. On April 26, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order to review twenty-seven national monuments, calling them “superstitious land grabs” and “an abusive use of the Antiquities Act,” suggesting he might reduce or abolish them completely. He went on to issue proclamations that reduced two national monuments, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears, and shortly thereafter, President Biden reinstated the former boundar...

The Failed Gold Rush

July 18, 2022 17:50 - 17 minutes - 39.3 MB

Skagway earns its fame in an enthralling story, as the gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush, nearly fifty years after the California Gold Rush of 1849. It’s easy to get caught up in the daydream of the myriad pioneers and adventurers who made their fortune passing through Skagway to the abundant troves of gold waiting in the wilderness beyond. But the story didn’t actually unfold that way. Today, Skagway is home to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The Visitor Center resides in ...

Restoring Yellowstone

June 28, 2022 15:10 - 12 minutes - 27.9 MB

Yellowstone National Park turned 150 this year, but of course, the national park moniker is just a human designation for this exotic landscape.  a massive Caldera formed from a volcano that last erupted 631000 years ago. There are few places on Earth that display the power of nature so eloquently as Yellowstone. A place where the only constant is change. That power recently showed its face in the form of devastating floods that ravaged much of Yellowstone and beyond. On this episode of Ameri...

News From the Parks | Yellowstone National Park is CLOSED, Plastic Sales Banned in Parks & More

June 13, 2022 20:46 - 10 minutes - 23.4 MB

In this month's edition of News from the Parks, a late-breaking story out of Yellowstone, all 5 entrances are closed due to flooding and dangerous conditions. Also, the Interior Department is banning the sale of single-use plastics, a woman gets gored by a bison, and more. The America's National Parks Podcast episode on California Condors: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/california-condors/id1353308883?i=1000409126037

Grand Register of the Yo-Semite Valley

June 04, 2022 06:30 - 15 minutes - 34.8 MB

Yosemite was once a wild land ruled by grit. In the 1870s and 80s, only the hardiest of travelers braved the rumbling wagon road and the twenty-mile trek into the valley on mule or horseback. These were folk acclimated to the wild, people who had lived in mining towns or mountain villages their entire lives. Yet, tucked away in the packs of some of these rugged, hardened adventurers was beautiful, delicate china, artisan soaps, fragile full-length mirrors, and fresh crisp towels. Across the ...

Teddy Roosevelt’s Namesakes: One Man, Many Parks

May 26, 2022 03:41 - 11 minutes - 26.4 MB

What do a brownstone in the heart of New York City, a site near the Canadian border in Buffalo, a forested island in Washington, D.C., and the sprawling North Dakota Badlands have in common? They are all units of the National Park Service named for Theodore Roosevelt. 

Marsh Billings Rockefeller: Conservation on a Grand Scale

May 14, 2022 02:22 - 16 minutes - 37.9 MB

On a picturesque estate in historic Woodstock, Vermont, carriage roads crosscut the property, through fields, flanked by stands of trees, providing scenic views of the estate, the adjacent farm, and the surrounding area. Historic buildings lie scattered across the estate: the mansion, the carriage barn, the wood barn, the horse shed. This idyllic setting, filled with old hardwood trees, open pastures, stone walls, and covered bridges, is the Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historical Par...

News FromThe Parks | ”Fee Free”Smokies to End, Rabbit Disease, Bird Migration & More

May 01, 2022 20:16 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MB

In this month's news, we're sharing the proposed "parking tag" that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park may implement, the Brown v. Board of Education site is expanding, and more.    You can comment on the Smokies fees here: Visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/GRSMfeeproposal2023 

Betty Reid Soskin

April 23, 2022 03:11 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MB

On Thursday, March 31, the oldest working National Park Service Ranger Betty Reid Soskin retired after a decade and a half of sharing her personal experiences and the efforts of women from diverse backgrounds who worked on the World War II Home Front.

Behind The Scene’s of Netflix’s ”Our Great National Parks”

April 12, 2022 02:43 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MB

Today on America’s National Parks, the new Our Great National Parks Series premiering April 13th on Netflix, and how these wonderful nature documentaries get made. Our guests are Executive Producer James Honeyborne, who produced the incredible award-award-winning "Blue Planet II," the most-watched wildlife documentary series for over 20 years. And award-winning fimmaker Sophie Todd, the Series Producer of Our Great National Parks. She also wrote, directed, and produced for Netflix’s "Formula...

The Women of Lowell

April 05, 2022 02:53 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MB

The dizzying thrum of the water-powered textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts drowns out everything else. It is, in a word, deafening – so much so that the floor of the mill vibrates with intense ferocity.  Set along the Merrimack River, its tributaries, and canals, the city of Lowell had easy access to great quantities of rushing water to power the many mills of the city, which led to its swift success in the early days of the American Industrial Revolution. Today on the America’s Natio...

The House on Brattle Street

March 29, 2022 01:47 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MB

Decades before Henry Wadsworth Longfellow would call the house on Brattle Street home, a General, tasked with leading the nation to freedom, would take up residency, and an enslaved couple would have a lasting and profound effect on Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

National Park News | New Mask Rules, Fewer Humpbacks, Missions Damaged, & a New Nat’l Historic Site

March 22, 2022 00:15 - 10 minutes - 9.24 MB

In this month's national park news roundup, we share info about the newest unit in the National Park Service system, the Amache National Historic Site. Plus, we cover things you might want to know about visiting a park this year — from new mask rules, to cashless payments, to prescribed fires, and we share some striking news about humpback whales in Glacier Bay National Park.

Discovering Yellowstone

March 16, 2022 04:05 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MB

150 years ago, the National Park idea was born, in a place called Yellowstone. That idea was helped along in part by a painter, Thomas Moran, who brought images of early Yellowstone exploration to the world, convincing Congress to take action. 

Steamtown and Pheobe Snow

March 03, 2022 08:29 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MB

In the heart of Pennsylvania coal country, trains had their heyday. As freight transportation matured beyond the canals of the early industrial days, railroads became the predominant means of moving goods, including anthracite coal, from the region.  The time: the turn of the twentieth century. The place: the Lackawanna Valley. The woman: a young socialite named Phoebe Snow, whose surname, Snow, conjures up the exact opposite of the black dirt of the steam railroad.  Today's Sponsors:  L....

Ansel Adams

February 20, 2022 07:24 - 10 minutes - 9.68 MB

For all of the heroes of the National Parks we’ve covered on this podcast over nearly 200 episodes, it’s a wonder we haven’t spent time with a photographer who brought the beauty, grandeur and spirit of nature to the world -  showing the need for preservation and curating a desire for a nation to visit them.  Ansel Adams is, to be sure, the most famous photographer ever. And his contributions to the natural world rival his innovations and artistry in his medium. 

National Park News | 2021 Visitation Shatters Records, New Park Reservations, a First for USS Constitution

February 13, 2022 16:01 - 10 minutes - 9.33 MB

Welcome to this month's "News from the Parks" our monthly roundup of top stories from the National Parks. The official overall NPS visitation number has yet to be released, but some parks have already turned in their reporting and the numbers at some of our most popular parks are staggering. Plus, project improvements continue, the sad fate of Lake Powell, Judge rules in favor of the Endangered Species Act. the USS Constitution sees a change in command and a first for the ship, Canadian doct...

Roebling’s Delaware Aqueduct

February 12, 2022 05:20 - 15 minutes - 14 MB

In the 1800s, the Lackawaxen region of the Upper Delaware River was a bustling area, punctuated by industrial transportation. The canal era provided access to water transport where there was no natural river or lake. John Augustus Roebling, a civil engineer with an innovative approach to suspension bridges, was hired to build four aqueduct bridges that became the basis for modern bridge construction still used today. 

Imprisoned at Fort McHenry

January 13, 2022 05:41 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MB

Right at the end of the outcropping where the Patuxent River meets the Baltimore Harbor sits a star-shaped fort that had been instrumental in the War of 1812, and which led to the writing of our national anthem. But Fort McHenry carries other stories, too, few more striking than its use for imprisoning prominent Southern-leaning citizens of Maryland during the Civil War, including members of the Maryland legislature and journalists.    patreon.com/nationalparkspodcast

Changes to National Parks in 2022

January 06, 2022 17:33 - 10 minutes - 9.64 MB

Will you need to make a reservation when you visit a national park this year? America’s 400+ National Park Service sites have seen a surge in visitation during the pandemic, and it’s expected that 2022 will be no different. Across the country, you may run into reservation systems, closures, increased fees, and other changes at National Parks. In this episode, Abby breaks down what you can expect in 2022.

Weir Farm

December 13, 2021 07:28 - 11 minutes - 11 MB

In Connecticut's only National Park Service site visitors have an experience unique in the system — a place to create art, steeped in over 100 years of tradition.     

National Park News | New NPS Director, 19% of Giant Sequoias Gone in 2 years, Hiker Remains Found After 38 Years

November 29, 2021 06:03 - 9 minutes - 8.3 MB

It's time for this month's National Park News episode. The National Park Service has a new director, fires have killed up to 19% of giant sequoia trees in California in just two years, the body of a man who went missing in the 80s has been found in Rocky Mountain National Park, and more. 

Mary Colter and the Grand Canyon

November 20, 2021 08:58 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MB

One of the very few women architects of her time, Mary Colter blended her lifelong love and respect of Native American arts and rustic elements with a fierce perfectionism: all to create a beautiful and singular aesthetic that left her imprint on the look of the modern American Southwest.

Badlands Symbiotic Species — Prairie Dogs and Burrowing Owls

November 03, 2021 09:55 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MB

Beneath the rolling grasslands of Badlands National Park lies an intricate housing system and social network. Black-tailed prairie dogs pop in and out of their burrows in the prairie dog towns, chattering and gesturing. But amid all the prairie dogs, if you’re a keen observer, you may also notice what appears to be a small owl emerging from the burrows. These species – the black-tailed prairie dog and the burrowing owl - have a unique type of symbiotic relationship, and ultimately may experi...

What Makes a National Trail?

October 21, 2021 07:38 - 28 minutes - 22.9 MB

In this episode, a park superintendent Aaron Mahr tells us what makes a national trail special, and difficult to manage. 

National Park News | Monuments Restored, Sequoias Destroyed, Mammoth Grows, Wolves Killed, White Sands Discovery, & More

October 10, 2021 22:21 - 9 minutes - 8.8 MB

Welcome to this month's "News from the Parks" our monthly roundup of top stories from the National Parks.

Climate Change and Glacier National Park

September 30, 2021 06:55 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MB

If you dare, dip your feet into the icy water of St. Mary Lake. The glacier-fed water adds a new twist to the term “refreshing.” It’s one of many sensory experiences at a park that attracts more and more people who want to see the glaciers before they are gone.  Glacier National Park, in northern Montana, is a crown jewel of the United States. Its pristine landscapes draw millions of visitors a year, to see its majestic mountains, jewel-colored waterfalls, carpets of wildflowers, and wildli...

A Music Mecca

September 23, 2021 09:26 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MB

Joshua Tree National Park in southern California encompasses parts of both the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. This unique ecosystem conjures images of the iconic trees, desert washes, wondrous boulders, rattlesnakes, and cactus blooms. But long before it became a national park (or even a national monument prior to that), this area was home to people, from Native Americans to pioneers – cattlemen, homesteaders, and miners – and where you find people, you find music.

Songs of Joshua Tree

September 14, 2021 07:51 - 12 minutes - 11.7 MB

Nestled between the San Bernardino and Coxcomb Mountains lies the confluence of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, where the wind rushes through the rocks and valleys. At night it’s the only sound, other than the occasional hoot of an owl and the sound of your own breath. This is the soundtrack of Joshua Tree National Park.

New NPS Director, More than Half of Lassen Burned | National Park News

September 06, 2021 07:48 - 8 minutes - 7.99 MB

There's a newly nominated candidate for NPS Director, a position that has been vacant for more than 4 years. Meanwhile, well over half of Lassen Volcanic National Park has been burned by the Dixie Fire. It's time for this month's National Park News.

Novarupta

August 28, 2021 21:31 - 12 minutes - 11.7 MB

In early June 1912, residents of southeast Alaska began to feel earthquakes daily. Earthquakes are common in this region, which is well-known for its geologic instability, though these were getting stronger. The remaining two families at Katmai village evacuated, and they were just in time. On June 6th, the largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century exploded. The skies darkened and the sun disappeared for more than 60 hours, and the aftermath of the explosion was felt hundreds of mil...

Mary Kwart: Wildland Fire Pioneer

August 18, 2021 21:19 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MB

  As fires rage across the west in what will likely be the worst year for wildland fires on record, brave people face them head-on, to save our structures and our lives. The fraternity of American firefighters has always been a boys club — today only about 4% are women. And wildland firefighters even more so. In the early 1980s, one woman was among the first to join the Arrowhead Interagency Hotshots, an elite National Park Service crew, stationed at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks in...

Sea Turtles of Cape Hatteras National Seashore

August 13, 2021 04:38 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MB

Under the light of the moon, shelled creatures emerge from the ocean and make their way onto the sandy shoreline. They drag their bodies through the sand until one by one, they stop. Each migrant reptile will use her back flippers to dig a hole in the sand, depositing up to 100 eggs before covering them again for protection. The new mother will then follow the moonlight back into the safety of the ocean. It's early summer along this seashore, and something spectacular is occurring: it’s sea ...

Hottest Days, Terrible Tourists, Flash Floods, and Masks (again) | National Park News

August 03, 2021 21:19 - 12 minutes - 11.6 MB

Hottest days on record, new mask-wearing requirements, Congress has hearings on park crowding, lightning strikes several visitors to the Grand Canyon, and a whole slew of terrible park visitors.  It’s time for the latest in National Park News. For less than a dollar an episode you can support the America's National Parks Podcast and help us continue to produce the high-quality shows you love and increase our writing staff, ensuring we can tell ALL the stories from all the parks.  Click th...

La Casa Nevada — Yosemite's Snow House

July 27, 2021 17:11 - 8 minutes - 8.2 MB

Situated within the spray of the picture-perfect Nevada Fall stood a pioneer hotel that, for almost 20 years, welcomed guests to Yosemite National Park. Named La Casa Nevada or The Snow House, owners Albert and Emily Snow, like so many innkeepers of the late 1800s provided a valuable service to those wanting to escape city life in search of nature’s stunning beauty and peace. If you were willing to make the trek, there was a moderately comfortable bed and a warm meal waiting for you. But as ...

National Park of American Samoa

July 19, 2021 19:04 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MB

The sun can rise and set on this island nation in the middle of the Pacific. Known for its rainforest paradise and tropical reefs, these islands were originally settled by Polynesians more than 3,000 years ago, and continue to carry traditional Polynesian culture today. Colorful tropical reefs are part of the 4,000 acres of National Park that is underwater, though even reefs are threatened by human-caused climate change. Though we love to travel by RV here at America’s National Parks, this o...