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 33: Washington's National Park Fund, Point Reyes Cattle, Fall Wildlife

In this week's episode, Laurie Ward, executive director of Washington’s National Park Fund, discusses how her organization manages to support not just one, but three national parks. Ken Brower, son of the late David Brower, offers his take on whether ranching should be allowed at Point Reyes National Seashore, and we point out where in the National Park System you can find wildlife this fall.

September 29th, 2019 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 32: Breaching Cape Lookout, Glacier's Shrinking Glaciers, Wintering Voyageurs

Hurricane Dorian literally sliced up Cape Lookout National Seashore, creating more than 50 breaches in the park's barrier islands. At Western Carolina University, Professor Rob Young says the hurricane's damage was astonishing. How that damage will impact recreation on the seashore remains to be seen. Traveler also discusses this summer's uproar over glacial predictions at Glacier National Park, and invites a winter visit to Voyageurs National Park.

September 22nd, 2019 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 31: Is Fall Moving, Bahama Parrots, Erasing The Maintenance Backlog

How is climate change affecting fall colors? Stephanie Spera, an assistant professor of geography at the University of Richmond and a 2019 Second Century Stewardship fellow at the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, is using citizen science to help answer that question. Erika Zambello wonders how Hurricane Dorian affected the Abaco parrot (aka the Bahama parrot) and its habitat, and we get a quick update on legislation to cut deeply into the roughly $12 billion maintenance backlog across the National Park System.

September 15th, 2019 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 30: Hiker Trash, Fishing Great Smoky, "Acting" Directors

"Hiker Trash," a new book that examines hiker life along the Appalachian Trail through the sketches of a graphic artist, is the topic of our interview with author Sarah Kaizar. We also examine the fisheries of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and comment on the long-running vacancy of a permanent director of the National Park Service.

September 8th, 2019 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 29: Refugia in Acadia, Fall Park Destinations, And eBikes

How will climate change impact plants and animals at Acadia National Park? This week we talk with Dr. Jennifer Smetzer, who has been mapping areas of the park that could serve as refugia for many native species. We also take some time to look at some great park destinations for fall, and question the process Interior Secretary David Bernhardt took to expand access for eBikes in the National Park System.

September 1st, 2019 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 28: Seven Months In The National Parks, Visiting Joshua Tree

Lauren and Steven Keys wanted to see national parks, so they took seven months off from the daily routine and headed out on a 34,000-mile journey that took them through the National Park System. We ask them how they did this, what they saw, and how they afforded it. We also take a look at visiting Joshua Tree National Park, and raise a question of why the National Park Service continues to pursue capital projects when it struggles under a roughly $12 billion maintenance backlog.

August 25th, 2019 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 27: Blue Ridge Parkway Needs, Acadia's Falcons, And Black Canyon Of The Gunnison

As with many units of the National Park System, there are many needs along the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile-long ribbon of bucolic landscape linking Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks. And without the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, many of those needs would go wanting and fall into neglect or worse.

August 18th, 2019 Read More

National Parks Traveler Episode 26: Segregation In The Parks, And Winter In Everglades

Dr. Erin Devlin, a professor of American history from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, discusses her research into sites in national parks in Virginia that were associated with segregation during the first half of the 20th century. Host Kurt Repanshek also takes a look at Everglades National Park and why it's a great park destination during the winter months.

August 11th, 2019 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.