America’s National Parks Podcast
274 episodes - English - Latest episode: 14 days ago - ★★★★★ - 827 ratingsExplore our national parks — their history, their people, and their stories.
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Episodes
Hottest Days, Terrible Tourists, Flash Floods, and Masks (again) | National Park News
August 03, 2021 21:19 - 12 minutes - 11.6 MBHottest 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 MBSituated 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 MBThe 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...
News from the Parks | 300 Rock Cairns, 200-foot Cliff Face Breaks, and 1 New Peregrine Falcon
July 04, 2021 15:10 - 10 minutes - 9.61 MBA flash flood tears through Zion, Karens build Cairns in Petroglyph, endangered frogs are gettin’ it on without any assistance in California, Grand Teton gets one BIG Teton of a new dump truck, a drunken kayaker gets 60 days in Jail and a 5-year ban from Yellowstone, a massive bear spray recall, and more. It’s time for the latest in National Park News. Resources Mentioned: https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/inde... https://rvmiles.com/major-bear-spray-... Pictured Rocks video: https://fb....
Sleeping Bear Dunes
June 28, 2021 07:33 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MBIf you've never been there, when you think of Michigan, you may not imagine miles of sandy beaches, turquoise waters, and bluffs that tower more than 450 feet above one of the four Great Lakes that border the state. There are also inland lakes, lush forests, an island lighthouse, coastal villages and picturesque farmsteads. All of these fantastic features can be found in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
The Carriage Roads & Bridges of Acadia National Park
June 16, 2021 07:46 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBWinding through Acadia’s forests and mountains are 45 miles of historic roadways that are only for pedestrians, bicyclists, horseback riders, and carriages. These roads were carefully designed to follow the contours of the landscape and reach scenic vistas. Though enormously popular for recreation today, until recently it was not well-known who had the most prominent role in the development of these roads: John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
National Park News | Record Crowds, Biden's Budget, a Grim Anniversary
June 07, 2021 07:15 - 9 minutes - 8.34 MBYellowstone and Grand Teton shatter April attendance records, Zion sees a four-hour wait for its most popular hike, Biden’s 2022 budget sees the largest appropriation for the National Park Service ever, an Instagramer apologizes, and so much more. It’s time for this month’s news round-up episode of the America’s National Parks podcast.
Buffalo Bird Woman
June 02, 2021 19:43 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBIn the middle of North Dakota, one of the least visited states in the nation, sits one of the smallest and least visited National Park Service Sites. It’s the place where Earthlodge people, the Hidatsa and Mandan, who lived along the Missouri River and it’s tributaries, hunted bison and other game. The site was a major Native American trade center for hundreds of years prior to becoming an important marketplace for fur traders after 1750. Today on America’s National Parks, the Knife Riv...
Synchronous Fireflies in the Smokies
May 25, 2021 03:37 - 12 minutes - 11.7 MBIn 1680, one of the earliest Western accounts of coordinated fireflies flashing was recorded by a Dutch physician while traveling down the Meinam River in what is now Thailand. He wrote, “A whole swarm of these insects, having taken possession of one Tree, and spread themselves over its branches, sometimes hide their Light all at once, and a moment after make it appear again with the utmost regularity and exactness.” More than 300 years later and the synchronized flashing of fireflies is s...
Spring Migration in the Parks
May 17, 2021 06:02 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBPoint Reyes National Seashore has recorded more than 450 species of birds, including 38 that are threatened or endangered. There are multiple factors that make it such a popular and birdy destination. For one, it has many unique habitats that provide food and shelter, such as coastline, forest, wetland, and open fields. The park’s peninsula also juts out into the ocean, scooping migrants into the park as they travel along the coast. Due to these special features, the National Audubon Society...
Restore Hetch Hetchy
May 10, 2021 04:24 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBIt might not be common knowledge that the Yosemite Valley one of the crown jewels of the American landscape, known for towering natural splendor in its pristine condition, has a sister valley, within the National Park, that was flooded to create a water reservoir for the city of San Fransisco. For over 100 years, Hetch Hetchy canyon, named with an indigenous word for a type of wild grass, has been called Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. And while turning back is a real possibility one day, Hetch He...
Driverless Shuttles, Murder in Hot Springs, Pike Trail | National Park News
May 03, 2021 04:56 - 10 minutes - 9.82 MBDriverless National Park Shuttles are being tested, a new national trail is proposed, a homicide at Hot Springs, and more. It’s time for this month’s news round-up episode of the America’s National Parks podcast.
Kalaupapa
April 26, 2021 05:34 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBIn the late 1800s, Hansen’s disease (also known as leprosy) was reaching epidemic proportions in the Hawaiian islands. Bacteria cause nerve damage in patients and can lead to crippling of the hands and feet, paralysis, and blindness. At the time, there was no cure and no known effective treatment, and health officials had no idea how the disease was spreading. This frightened officials in Hawaii, and in a desperate act to save their native populations, isolation seemed to be the only answer....
National Parks That Need Entry Tickets or Reservations for Summer 2021
April 18, 2021 03:18 - 9 minutes - 8.48 MBSome National Parks will require entry reservations this summer — in this episode, we'll tell you which ones, and break down all the details.
The Day it Rained Rocks
April 14, 2021 07:03 - 12 minutes - 11.3 MBIt was, literally, earth-shaking; so much so that a seismometer thousands of miles away picked up the vibrations. It contained enough force to push debris a mile under water, heaving it uphill onto the opposite shore, and generate a tsunami high enough to rival Seattle’s Space Needle. But this was no earthquake. Today on America's National Parks, they Icy Bay Landslide, a 60-second deluge of boulders, earth, and trees in a remote slice of Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Prese...
Protecting Alaska for Generations to Come
April 08, 2021 07:13 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBOne of the most significant land conservation measures in our nation’s history was an act that protected over 100 million acres of land, doubled the size of the country’s national refuge system, and tripled wilderness areas. It created or expanded nine national parks and preserves, six national monuments, sixteen national wildlife refuges, twenty-five wild and scenic rivers, and two national forests, including our nation’s largest: the Tongass in Southeast Alaska. This legislation also creat...
Yellowstone Boosts Cell Service, Glacier East Opens, Condors Return to Redwood | National Park News
March 29, 2021 03:18 - 7 minutes - 7.02 MBA collared Yellowstone wolf has been killed...by the governor of Montana, Yellowstone is seeking to improve communication services, Glacier National Park has re-opened the East entrance after over a year of closure, a man is sentenced for stealing over $3000 from Grand Canyon, Wind Cave tours resume, and more. All on this episode of National Park News. Public comment on the Yellowstone communications plan can be submitted here: parkplanning.nps.gov/fiberEA
Community Science in National Parks
March 22, 2021 06:12 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBHundreds of thousands of people around the world are spending their free time counting birds, measuring water quality, or monitoring pollinators. They may also be counting asteroids, collecting bugs, measuring air quality, reporting wildlife sightings, or tracking monarch migration. The amazing thing is that these people are not career scientists. They live in the city and in the country, go backpacking or have picnics in the park. They vary in age and it doesn’t matter what their job is....
The Battle of Bunker Hill
March 16, 2021 14:27 - 13 minutes - 11.9 MBOn June 17, 1775, New England soldiers faced the British army for the first time in a pitched battle. Bloody fighting took place throughout a hilly landscape of fenced pastures that were situated across the Charles River from Boston. Though the British were victorious, the psychological toll inflicted by American soldiers from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire was staggering. Of the 2,400 British Soldiers and Marines engaged, 1,000 were wounded or killed. Today on America's Nati...
Restoring the Everglades
March 08, 2021 07:01 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBOne and a half million acres of shallow-water marine habitats, freshwater marshes and prairies, saltwater wetland forests, and pine and hardwood forests provide refuge for threatened and endangered animals in the Gulf of Mexico. The green sea turtle, American crocodile, West Indian manatee, Everglade snail kite, and piping plover all depend on critical habitat within Everglades National Park. 1.3 million acres of the park is designated wilderness, making it the largest subtropical wilderness...
100.Years of Hot Springs, New Filming Rules | National Park News
February 28, 2021 07:16 - 8 minutes - 7.59 MBVisitor statistics have been released for 2020, and visitation to parks was down about 1/3, thanks to park closures. There's a new National Park Service app, new rules for anyone taking video in parks, and Hot Springs National Park is about to celebrate a huge milestone.
Scandal and Special People of Effigy Mounds
February 21, 2021 04:45 - 16 minutes - 15.5 MBMore than a thousand years ago in the Upper Midwest, indigenous people were moving mountains—literally. The Mound Builders changed the landscape by piling earth into tall shapes that could only be truly appreciated from up above. In our time, one Ho-Chunk woman lived a special life in this area, and one National Park Service superintendent went to prison for stealing the bones of her ancestors.
100 Years at Mount Rainier
February 15, 2021 08:30 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBThis week on America's National Parks, a great mountain of the west, and conservation lessons learned over the course of a century.
Digging Up Dinosaurs
February 06, 2021 06:38 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBMuch of the western United States was once blanketed in hundreds of feet of sand. The unforgiving sun beat down on the landscape for 20 to 30 million years during the early Jurassic period. Thin layers of rock allowed water to collect even in the dry desert, though sometimes it was hidden a few inches below the surface. Dinosaurs and other animals were able to survive the harsh conditions, and as the sand slowly turned to sandstone, traces of these animals were caught and preserved in the ro...
Mask Mandate, Commercial Filming Permits Struck Down | National Park News
January 31, 2021 01:47 - 14 minutes - 11.7 MBIt's time for this month's "news from the parks" episode. Today, we cover President Biden's new executive order requiring masks-wearing on federal lands, and a landmark ruling from a judge striking down the National Park Service's commercial film permit rules.
Wolves of Isle Royale
January 27, 2021 06:43 - 19 minutes - 18.3 MBWith wolves decreasing at Isle Royale, the moose population could decimate the forest and vegetation communities. Neither species is native to the island, but a multi-agency wolf translocation strategy may save Isle Royale.
Little American Island
January 17, 2021 06:56 - 16 minutes - 13.1 MBSwirling between the borders of Canada and Minnesota is a vast maze of interconnected water highways – a wild space comprised of lush forests and isolated islands. Its history is fueled by the Native Americans who called it home, and the french fur traders known as Voyageurs. Peaceful islands dot the waters, but they also hold a secret. A golden secret. On this episode of America's National Parks - the story of Voyageur's National Park's Little American Island and the 1890's Gold Rush.
St. Croix Heroes and Mussels
January 10, 2021 09:12 - 18 minutes - 15.1 MBIn the heart of our nation lies a riverway that has been federally protected for more than 50 years and stewarded by Native Americans for thousands of years before that. ItThis river carried logs piled so high they caused jams two miles long. It witnessed the first steamboats, a Minnesota firestorm, and even a briefly booming pearl button factory. The onset of the fur trade, European settlement, and urban development began to threaten these once-pristine waters. The unique habitat for aquati...
The Steel Driving Man
January 06, 2021 03:33 - 12 minutes - 10.3 MBIf you take the time to stop in West Virginia's New River Gorge, our newest national park, and listen, you may hear intertwined within the sound of birdsong, flowing water, and the wind billowing through the trees the whistle of a train. Today on America's National Parks, the legend born from the Gorge that would echo through generations to come. A man named John Henry.
Our 63rd Park | National Park News
December 28, 2020 07:39 - 9 minutes - 7.33 MBNew Lava eruptions in Hawaii have people doing dangerous things, a harrowing evacuation of the records of two national parks in danger of being lost to wildfire, and our 63rd National Park.
Surviving Winter in the National Parks
December 20, 2020 08:51 - 15 minutes - 12.4 MBThis week on America’s National Parks, we journey to Gates of the Arctic, Yellowstone, and Glacier for three stories of survival from the wildlife that call them home: Arctic Ground Squirrels, Bison, and Clark’s Nutcrackers. Should the whitebark pine be listed as a threatened species? The USFWS will consider public comments received by Feb. 1, 2021. Comments may be submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov by searching under docket number FWS–R6–ES–2019–0054 and clicking on the “comme...
Medgar Evers
December 14, 2020 06:02 - 12 minutes - 9.78 MBShortly after midnight on June 12, 1963, civil rights activist Medgar Evers was assassinated in the carport of the home that he shared with his wife Myrlie and their three young children in Jackson, Mississippi. His death, the first murder of a nationally significant leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, heightened public awareness of civil rights issues and became a catalyst for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Today on America's National Parks, our newest National Park...
Humpbacks
December 06, 2020 08:10 - 18 minutes - 14.7 MBMountains that tower over beaches, temperate rainforests, ice fields, tidewater glaciers, and marine depths welcome the visitors that make the trek to visit this off-the-beaten-path destination. These habitats provide homes for mountain goats, moose, shorebirds, salmon, and bears, but the easiest way to get around in this national park is not by foot. Nearly 1200 miles of shoreline curve around inlets and islands. One endangered animal has thrived in this environment, swimming here to feed f...
The Obelisk from Nowhere, Park Projects Funded, $270 Million Lawsuit | News from the Parks
November 30, 2020 07:48 - 9 minutes - 8.01 MBHiking has arguably become the most popular activity in 2020, but as more and more people take to the trails, rescues are on the rise in National Parks putting a strain on resources, In Utah, a mysterious monolith appeared sparking all kinds of theories, and just as people were rushing to be some of the first to snap a photo with it, it disappeared. The National Park Service finds itself in a 270 million dollar wrongful death lawsuit after a woman lost her life in one of the most shocking wa...
Pipestone
November 23, 2020 06:15 - 13 minutes - 9.2 MBThe “peace pipe,” as it’s often called by those who only know it as a symbol of the hundreds of peace treaties signed between the federal government and Native American tribes, is a valued tradition that dates back thousands of years. And today, on a 1-square-mile plot of land, that tradition continues in the modern world, ever changing yet firmly rooted in the past. Today on America’s National Parks, Minnesota’s Pipestone National Monument.
Wild Horses
November 16, 2020 05:39 - 11 minutes - 7.58 MBThere are about 60,000 free-roaming horses in North America, and while we call them “wild,” they more accurately fit the definition of feral, which means they are free-roaming descendants of domesticated horses. Regardless, their majesty is impressive to behold anywhere you find them. Domesticated horses were introduced into North America beginning with the Spanish conquest. Escaped horses then spread throughout the Great Plains. But it’s clear that centuries of domestication didn’t alter ...
Ring, Grandfather, Ring
November 09, 2020 08:41 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MBToo often we look at our symbols and see them as the enduring legacy of our past, when in reality, symbols have always been mirror for us to reflect our current moments in, in order to inform our life’s direction. In the united states, the American Flag gets a lot of play, as does the Statue of Liberty, and the bald eagle. But there’s one symbol that we all know, but doesn’t always immediately come to mind as a representation of the American experience. And that’s a shame, because it’s a be...
Changes to Free National Park Admission,World's Longest Fossilized Footprints | National Park News
October 31, 2020 16:09 - 12 minutes - 8.65 MBThe world's longest fossilized footprint tracks have been uncovered in the White Sands of New Mexico, the National Trail system has grown by more than 1300 miles, two YouTubers are fined $1000 for filming in parks without a permit, a hiker lost in Zion for 12 days has been found, but questions abound about her disappearance, and a big change in policy will allow America’s more than 20 million veterans access to National Parks for free. It’s time for this month’s National Park News.
Nevermore
October 26, 2020 07:03 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBWhen you ask Americans to list some of our country's most famous poets and short story tellers, you’ll rarely hear mention of one of the most well-known authors of all time. Perhaps it’s because most think he was British, or perhaps it’s because most of his macabre stories seem a genre all of their own. Today on America’s National Parks, Philadelphia’s Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, and his masterpiece, "The Raven," just in time for Halloween.
Marconi
October 19, 2020 07:14 - 10 minutes - 7.5 MBNational Park sites, even the natural ones, have seen many uses over the history of America, often due to the unique features that make them worth preserving in the first place. From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches to its open grasslands, brushy hillsides, and forested ridges, Point Reyes offers visitors over 1500 species of plants and animals to discover. Today on America’s National Parks, the historic RCA/Marconi wireless station...
Second Century Camping
October 12, 2020 07:47 - 20 minutes - 13.8 MBOn last week’s episode, we took a look at early road planning and design in the parks, and we’re continuing with the theme this week, by looking at the history of National Park Campgrounds. You might not realize it, but so much of modern campground design, whether it be state and federal parks or privately ran facilities, was developed through the National Park Service throughout the 20th century. And now, the park service is taking a fresh look at campground design. Not to re-invent them,...
A Tale of Two Roads
October 04, 2020 06:33 - 12 minutes - 8.58 MBAs the National Park idea began to inspire Americans far and wide, a major problem arose: how to provide safe access to these often wild and dangerous places, especially as the automobile began to make cross-country travel easier and more affordable. Today on America’s National Parks, two roads that taught the National Park Service some of the major lessons that have been applied to park design over the past century: Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.
New NPS Units, Bears, Rescues, and Fires | National Park News
September 27, 2020 07:46 - 12 minutes - 8.47 MBIt's time month’s News from the Parks episode of the America’s National Parks Podcast, where we round up the latest happenings at America’s Greatest Treasures. On this episode, we have 2 new National Park Service units, bear attacks, fire & hurricanes, a terrible vandalism to a cave, news from National Parks in other countries, and so much more!
Leave No Trace (or...How to Poop in the Woods)
September 20, 2020 16:30 - 12 minutes - 8.84 MBThis week we learn about reducing impact on the environment when visiting National Parks and other public lands, along with a lesson on what to do when nature calls out on the trail from rangers at Yosemite National Park.
The Million Dollar Room
September 15, 2020 07:33 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBIn Yellowstone National Park's Upper Geyser Basin sits an unassuming store, one that's lasted for nearly all the park's human history. It's famed owner wallpapered his office in the most unusual way—with hundreds of cancelled checks. This week, the Million Dollar Room in the Lower Hamilton's Store at Yellowstone National Park
Wolverines, an Overturned Tanker, and a $500,000 Fine | National Park News
August 29, 2020 16:05 - 10 minutes - 6.96 MBA man gets jail and a $500,000 fine for sneaking into Canada’s National Parks during the coronavirus, a tanker truck overturns in Yellowstone, a veritable novel is graffitied onto a popular lighthouse, and Wolverines have been spotted in one National Park for the first time in over a century. It’s time for the latest in National Park News.
Parks During a Pandemic
August 25, 2020 05:57 - 51 minutes - 35.1 MBIt's now clear we’re dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic for the long haul, and instead of just staying inside, many Americans are wanting to figure out how to recreate responsibly. And what could be a better place to socially distance than a National Park, right? Well, it’s not so simple. This week, we’re sharing with you an episode of a different podcast: "Everybody’s National Parks." Hosts Danielle and Bryan do an excellent job taking us on deep dives into parks through their trip ...
90 Years in the West
August 17, 2020 06:21 - 13 minutes - 18.4 MBOn the border of utah and colorado sits a place where the wild rugged land has been used for centuries to carve out a modern human existence, long before it was found to contain the world’s greatest collection of dinosaur bones. Here one woman lived for nearly a century, as the world modernized, she kept this place as a link to the past.
News From the Parks: New NPS Funding, Strange Blue Squares at Zion, Cuyahoga Dams Removed
August 10, 2020 08:24 - 7 minutes - 5.38 MBIt's time for another "News from the Parks" edition of the podcast. This week, we'll learn about how the funds from the Great American Outdoors Act will be used, how the Cuyahoga River is flowing more free than ever, and some strange blue-square graffiti that has rangers puzzled and cleaning at Zion.
The Complexities of Climate Change
August 02, 2020 08:18 - 21 minutes - 29.5 MBToday on America’s National Parks, we travel to California’s Sequoia and Kings Canyon, where decades of research show us how the world is changing, and help us to figure out what to expect next.