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 87: High Heat At Death Valley National Park

In this week’s show, we look at one of the hottest places on Earth, Death Valley National Park in southeastern California and western Nevada. And this summer was especially hot. The park broke records in a number of categories as it experienced some of the hottest days ever recorded on Earth.

October 11th, 2020 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 86: Roundtable Discussion On National Park News

The National Park System doesn’t pause for the upcoming presidential election. Throughout the summer it has been surprisingly busy, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, at many units of the park system. Indeed, there are many issues across the parks to pay attention to and discuss. To help us with that task, we’ve invited Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, and Sheridan Steele, who spent nearly four decades with the National Park Service until 2015, when he retired.

October 4th, 2020 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 85: Visiting The Blue Ridge Music Center

In this week’s show, we look at a national park site that celebrates distinctly American music -- the Blue Ridge Music Center along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Galax, Virginia. Traveler’s Lynn Riddick visits with Richard Emmett, director of the Blue Ridge Music Center, to find out what’s happening in the interpretation, presentation, and promotion of traditional American mountain music.

September 27th, 2020 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 84: Fall Lodging In The Parks And Migratory Acadia

We welcome you to fall with a conversation with lodging experts David and Kay Scott on where best to relax and enjoy the fall foliage in the National Park System. And Lynn Riddick catches up with Seth Benz, the bird ecology director at the Schoodic Institute, to talk fall migrations at Acadia National Park.

September 20th, 2020 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 83: Put Parashant NM On The Bucket List | What's Gone From The Parks?

We’re going to dream a little bit about places in the National Park System we’d like to visit with hopes we can help you discover a new park destination. To launch this audio bucket list, we’re looking towards Arizona and Parashant National Monument, which despite its more than 1 million acres seems to fly below most park visitors’ radar. Following that, we’re going to continue to ponder the topic of species extinction, and whether national parks can help slow the sixth mass extinction.

September 13th, 2020 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 82: Covid-19's Impact On Outdoor Rec, & Outdoor Afro Fundraiser

In this week’s show, we take a look at the outdoor recreation industry and how it has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Overall, the industry has been hard hit, but there are some bright spots. Jessica Turner, executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, and the organization's vice president, Lindsey Davis, discuss the state of the industry amid the coronavirus pandemic. We also take a look at the upcoming fundraiser for Outdoor Afro. Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson will host the fundraiser for the organization that inspires and facilitates the connection of Black Americans to natural spaces everywhere.

September 6th, 2020 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 81: Yosemite Turns Into Assateague, And Species Extinction

In this week’s show, we question whether national parks can serve as a barrier to slow the sixth mass extinction.

Certainly, the large landscape parks such as Yellowstone and Yosemite and Grand Canyon offer the habitat many species require. But parks are slowly being hemmed in by development, making it harder and harder for species to follow their natural paths across the landscape.

So can they slow the sixth mass extinction? We’re going to be taking a look at that in the coming weeks and months, and today we’ll lay out that proposal in an essay.

August 30th, 2020 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 80: Pandemics And The National Parks

In this week’s show, we’re focusing on the current coronavirus pandemic as well as the 1918 flu pandemic and how those diseases impacted national park visitation. After discussing those two pandemics with Professor Terence Young from California Polytechnic State University, we visit with contributing writer Rita Beamish, who tried to escape the current pandemic by taking to the John Muir Trail for nine days. She found that many other hikers were being careful by keeping their distance and wearing face masks when necessary, while others were more cavalier.

August 23rd, 2020 Read More

INN Member

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

National Parks Traveler

Search