National Parks Traveler Podcast

National Parks Traveler is the world's top-rated, editorially independent, nonprofit media organization dedicated to covering national parks and protected areas on a daily basis. Traveler offers readers and listeners a unique multimedia blend of news, feature content, debate, and discussion all tied to national parks and protected areas.

National Parks Traveler Episode 160: Cape Hatteras's Crowds And Collapsing Houses

We’re all aware of the rush to the outdoors that the covid pandemic has spawned. From coast to coast, national parks, national forests, and state parks are being crowded, if not overrun at times, by visitors. Whether it continues now that the pandemic seems to be easing will be interesting to watch.

March 6th, 2022 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 159: Seeking Official Big Bend Wilderness

You could say they’re not making any more wilderness across the National Park System...but that’s not to say we can’t ensure that park lands that have wilderness qualities – untrammeled forests, mountains, prairies, rain forests, places that retain their primeval character and influence, and are essentially without permanent improvement or modern human occupation – can’t be officially protected as wilderness.

February 27th, 2022 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 158: Fleeing The Crowds

How many are too many? That’s the question to mull in the wake of news from the National Park Service that nearly 300 million visited the National Park System last year. Now, to put some context into that number, it’s not the highest annual tally the Park Service has counted. Back in 2016, the agency’s centennial year, nearly 331 million people headed into the parks. But...that doesn’t mean last year’s number marked an improvement in your national park experience.

February 20th, 2022 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 157: America's Bison Herds

Bison, which in 2016 were designated as the United States' national mammal, once numbered as many as 60 million or more in North America and roamed from Nevada to Virginia and northern Canada to Mexico.

February 13th, 2022 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 156: RVing Through The National Park System

RVing – traveling by creational vehicle – has exploded along with the coronavirus pandemic. Sales have gone through the roof, inventory has been depleted, and would-be customers often have to wait months before they can hit the road with their new rig. Many, if not most, of those RV enthusiasts are heading into the National Park System. And why not? Gorgeous scenery, inspiring landscapes, relaxation. But it’s not as simple as it used to be because of that rush to hit the road with your home either being towed along or on the back of your pickup.

February 6th, 2022 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 155: How To Expand Eastern National Parks

With the great rush to the outdoors that we’ve seen since the Covid pandemic erupted, there have been many calls for more space in the National Park System. While there are places in the West that seem to be logical additions to the parks there, that's not the case in the East. So, if we want more park lands east of the Mississippi, how could we gain them?

January 30th, 2022 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 154: Chasing The Smokies Moon

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the great hiking destinations in the mid-Atlantic region, if not the entire East Coast. Across its rumpled 522,427 acres there are more than 800 miles of trails. They range from relatively short footpaths to scenic payoffs like Rainbow Falls and Abrahams Falls to the more than 70 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail that crosses the top of the park.

January 23rd, 2022 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 153: Managing Elk And Cattle At Point Reyes National Seashore

All is not well at Point Reyes National Seashore, as a years-long battle continues over ranching at Point Reyes, how it’s impacting the seashore’s environment, and how the National Park Service is trying to manage it. To sort through some of these issues, we’re joined by Laura Cunningham, California director at Western Watersheds Project.

January 16th, 2022 Read More

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The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks