America’s National Parks Podcast

In this episode, we're taking a look at the new EXPLORE act, passed by the US House of Representatives and on its way to the Senate, that will establish new bike trails, new accessible trails, ease concessionaire permitting in National Parks, and more, along with revamping the rules that pretty much shut down filming videos in national parks over the past few years. Use code PARKS30 for $30 off of a $500 or more booking at www.rvshare.com.    

In this episode of America's National Parks, we embark on a journey of comparison and discovery, exploring the grandeur of the natural world through the lens of America's most treasured landscapes. From the towering sequoias of California and the vast expanse of the Grand Canyon to the cliffs of Zion and the shifting sands of the Great Sand Dunes, we compare these natural wonders to man-made marvels, offering a unique perspective on scale and the awe-inspiring power of nature. Hosted by Jason Epperson Use promo code PARKS20OFF to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

An entire food chain lives in the Everglades. But throughout its coexistence with man, the Everglades have been threatened by poachers, who disrupt the delicate balance of this important ecosystem.  By Lauren Eisenberg Davis Hosted by Jason Epperson Use promo code PARKS20OFF to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

The Zion Canyon Visitor Center is one of the greenest buildings in the National Park Service inventory. In this episode, we take a look at how it cools without air conditioners, heats without a furnace, and more. Plus, as park visitation grows, how a second visitor center on the other side of the park could improve the visitor experience.  Use promo code PARKS20OFF to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

In this episode, we look at the final National Park visitation numbers for 2023, a new budget for the NPS from the White House, an employee housing crisis in the National Park Service, a new look at Gateway Arch National Park, and more. Use promo code PARKS20OFF to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

In this episode, we delve into the untold stories of the women who lived in the shadows of America's majestic landscapes, their lives intertwined with the national parks we cherish today. The wives of National Park Rangers played a pivotal role in the early days of the National Park Service, yet their contributions have largely gone unrecognized. As we explore the isolation, challenges, and the remarkable resilience of these women, we uncover how they not only supported their families in the most remote wildernesses but also served as de facto rangers, contributing significantly to the operations and development of the parks. From leading tours to pioneering educational programs, their legacy is an integral part of the national park experience.   Hosted by Jason Epperson With Narration by Abigail Trabue Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20OFF to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

Dive into the heart of Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park, a landscape where the Painted Desert's kaleidoscopic hues meet the ancient, stone-cast logs of the Petrified Forest. This episode takes you through the mesmerizing colors and geological wonders that define the park, from the brilliant reds and oranges sculpted by mineral sediments to the fascinating process that transformed wood into quartz over millions of years. Explore the rich tapestry of past life, the deep human history etched into the land, and the strict conservation efforts preserving this unique ecosystem. By Lauren Eisenberg Davis Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20OFF to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

In this month's national park news, new-to-science fossils have been uncovered at Mammoth Cave and John Day Fossil Beds, a rabies scare is taking hold at Saguaro National Park, a man gets convicted for diverting the Platte River at Sleeping Bear Dunes, and more. Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20OFF to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

Set against the backdrop of Miami’s skyline, six structures rise from the turquoise waters of Biscayne Bay. Rugged and isolated, these houses on stilts are an unexpected site in the midst of a national park water world that was designated to preserve the coral reefs, seagrasses, mangrove forests, and other natural features. Cormorants and herons perch on the houses' roofs, railings, and pylons. Dolphins and manatees swim between them.  Together, these six structures are all that remain of Stiltsville's whimsical history, although none are among the original twenty-seven that formed this curiosity in the midst of a national park that is ninety-five percent water.  How did such a village come to exist and what does the future hold for these few relics that remain? By Lauren Eisenberg Davis Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20OFF to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

Salem Maritime is not just any National Historic Site; it’s the first place the National Park Service was tasked with preserving that wasn’t about nature, scenery, or wildlife. Over 160 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, It was time to preserve our history. Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

In this month's news round-up, we take a look at some concerns about the ranks of National Park Service employees: morale is lower than that of other federal employees, and Park Service criminal investigators are down by nearly half. Plus, actor Pierce Brosnan has been busted for going off-trail in a thermal area of Yellowstone, a Mexican Wolf has been spotted in Valles Caldera after nearly 100 years away, and more.  Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

Gold Mining drew the world's eye to the wonders of Alaska. Some of our most treasured landscapes were explored in the first place in the effort to strike it rich. But what are the ramifications of gold mining in our national parks? Even in places where it ended a century ago? In this episode, we explore the effects of gold mining in the Kantishna hills of Denali National Park. Find the Alaska Park Science Journal here: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/alaskaparkscience/index.htm Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

George Rogers Clark, the twenty-six-year-old commander of the Kentucky Militia, petitioned Virginia governor Patrick Henry to be allowed to take 500 American troops into Kentucky (already annexed to Virginia) to conquer the Northwest for Virginia, and increase the footprint of the state and its aspiring country. He proposed to claim the key towns and forts for America, on a march to ultimately conquer Fort Detroit. Patrick Henry agreed. The 500 troops never materialized. Instead, Clark found a mere 130 or so men at his disposal. Young, persistent, bold, and innovative, he was undeterred, never considering the possibility of abandoning his plan, despite floods, starvation, and the constant threat of his scant troops slipping off in the night to scramble for home. Clark and his men accomplished one of the greatest underdog victories by means of deception.  Written by Lauren Eisenberg Davis Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com. "George Rogers Clark and the Winning of the Old Northwest" can be found here: https://amzn.to/3RZGXGj

In this episode, we share all the ins and outs of Yosemite's new returning reservation system; we share the news about three new National Park Service sites; two motorcyclists took a closed road in Death Valley and had to be rescued by the US Navy, and more. Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

The defacement at National Park sites goes beyond graffiti, and each layer peeled back raises more questions about what destruction is vs. what a historical artifact is. Somewhere in between the ancient rock markings from the Native Americans and the brash, purposeful defacement by current-day visitors, lies an entire spectrum that comprises a a very grey area for interpretation. Written by Lauren Eisenberg Davis Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

For this holiday season, we thought it’d be great to revisit short stories we told way back in 2018 about magical Christmases in America’s first national park. Hear the splendor of the holidays in early years at Yellowstone, and discover how three 6-year-olds saved Christmas from an impending disaster.  Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

At the 125th anniversary of the Battle at Gettysburg, Nearing the end of the Cold War, famous scientist Dr. Carl Sagan would re-dedicate the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. The speech, co-written with his wife Ann Druyan, juxtaposed the weapons of the Battle of Gettysburg with the weapons of subsequent wars, highlighting the increased potential for destruction with each war.  Sagan used the platform he was given to call for nuclear disarmament, underscoring the need to recognize our humanity as brothers and to work toward peace.    Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.  

From the reintroduction of timed entry systems at Arches, Glacier, and Rocky Mountain National Parks for 2024 to the National Park Service's commitment to increasing female representation in law enforcement roles, a lot is happening across the country's parks. We also dive into the concerning discovery of chronic wasting disease in a mule deer at Yellowstone National Park, the heroic rescue of an entangled humpback whale at Glacier Bay National Park, and the groundbreaking for the Texas White House Rehabilitation Project at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, and more. Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.    

Imagine the crunch of rock and the creak of leather, the clatter of horse hooves against the stone, and the warm breeze that carries the scent of pine through the open plains. You're not just stepping into Yellowstone National Park; you're rolling back the curtains of time to an era when travel was as much about the journey as the destination. On this episode, we'll journey through the storied paths of Yellowstone, not on foot or by the modern comforts of our cars, but alongside the historic vehicles that have traversed this wild landscape for 150 years. Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.

In the northeast corner of Utah, the westernmost entrance to Dinosaur National Monument welcomes visitors along the banks of the Green River, the road separated from the water by desert scrub foliage. The Fossil Discovery Trail snakes through the rugged landscape. The trail erupts in the colors and textures of the desert. Don’t be distracted by the scenery to discover the ultimate reward. A far cry from standing in the rotunda of a museum face to face with a dinosaur skeleton too big to miss, here the thrill is in the chase, the chance of finding dinosaur fossils embedded in the rocks.   By Lauren Eisenberg Davis Hosted by Jason Epperson Visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks.  Use promo code PARKS20 to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.