Two Chicks with Hiking Sticks

Chamizal National Memorial doesn't look like much — until you learn a flood moved a river, stranded a piece of Mexico inside U.S. territory, and kicked off a border dispute that took 99 years, two presidents, and a concrete channel to finally settle. In this episode, Susan and Monica dig into the 1864 flood that started it all, the human cost of relocating 5,000 El Paso residents to make the border permanent, and why Chamizal is one of only two NPS sites in the country honoring a peacefully resolved international boundary dispute (the other? Washington's "Pig War" island).📍 Featured: Chamizal Visitor Center & Museum, the U.S.–Mexico border crossing, the only NPS site flying both flags together 🥾 Also mentioned: San Juan Island National Historical Park (WA) 👟 Subscribe for more National Park history, culture, and trail adventures!#ChamizalNationalMemorial #ElPasoTexas #USMexicoBorder #NPS #HikingPodcast #TwoChicksWithHikingSticks #BorderHistory #RioGrande #SanJuanIsland Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two battles. One field. And a modern fight to keep it from being swallowed by development. In this episode of Two Chicks With Hiking Sticks, Susan and Monica head to Manassas National Battlefield Park (a.k.a. Bull Run) in Northern Virginia, site of the Civil War's first major land battle. We cover the well-to-do spectators who showed up with picnic lunches and ended up fleeing for their lives, the birth of the "Stonewall" Jackson nickname, and the Henry House, which was destroyed in the fighting and rebuilt by the family in 1870. Then we look at a side of the park you might not expect: its status as an Audubon Important Bird Area, the grassland birds it shelters, and the development pressure from data centers pressing in on its borders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denali National Park almost wasn't named for the mountain at all — the whole thing got saved because one guy in the early 1900s wouldn't stop fighting to protect the Dall sheep from overhunting. In this episode, we dig into how Denali became a national park in 1917 (as Mount McKinley National Park), how it tripled in size to over 6 million acres under Jimmy Carter in 1980, and the messy, ongoing fight over what to call the mountain itself.We also cover the wild story of the Pretty Rocks Landslide — permafrost that was moving up to 14 inches a day and swallowing the park's only road — and the brand-new bridge engineers built to span it. Plus: how to actually plan a Denali trip (spoiler: you only need one day inside the park), where to go for the best mountain views, and what to do outside the park boundary when you're done.🎒 Featured: Denali (the mountain), Denali Park Road, the Pretty Rocks Bridge, Dall sheep, sled dog kennels, George Parks Highway viewpoints🥾 Also discussed: bus tours vs. driving limits, ATV wilderness runs, river rafting, guided nature hikes, and where to actually see the mountain from outside the park👟 Subscribe for more National Park history, culture, and trail adventures — new episodes every week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two Chicks with Hiking Sticks head to Dayton, Ohio to explore the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park — the six-site park honoring Wilbur and Orville Wright AND poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. We walk the Wright Cycle Company shop and discuss where the Wrights proved flight was practical. Come with us as we uncover how a bicycle shop, a poet, and a prairie changed the world.📍 Featured: Wright Cycle Company | Huffman Prairie Flying Field | Paul Laurence Dunbar House | Wright Brothers Memorial Hill🥾 Trails covered: Wright Brothers-Huffman Prairie Trail, Eastwood MetroPark Buckeye Trail, and more easy/moderate options great for 50+ hikers👟 Subscribe for more National Park history, culture, and trail adventures!#DaytonOhio #WrightBrothers #NationalParkService #PaulLaurenceDunbar #AviationHistory #NPS #HikingPodcast #NationalHistoricalPark #TwoChicksWithHikingSticks #HuffmanPrairie #OhioTravel #HistoryPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve is the largest national park in the U.S. — 13.2 million acres that almost never got protected at all. In this episode, Susan and Monica dig into the Russian explorer the park is named after, the 1978 deadline that nearly opened the land to development, and the wild story of Kennicott: a copper mining town that made $200 million in ore and then vanished almost overnight. Plus: the infamous 60-mile, pothole-filled McCarthy Road, hiking the north side's Caribou Trail, and an honest debate about whether the trip out to Kennicott is actually worth it. Featured: Kennicott Mining Town, McCarthy Road, Caribou Trail, Wrangell & St. Elias Mountain RangesNew episodes every week. Subscribe and drop a comment with a park you want us to cover next! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.