Everybody's National Parks

Everybody’s National Parks returns to family park travel and with that, the podcast after a long hiatus during the pandemic. Hear what we’ve been up to and upcoming episodes to look forward to including Cuyahoga Valley, Indiana Dunes and Glacier National Parks.

Yes, you can enjoy the national park system and stay safe during a pandemic. Danielle celebrates the 104th birthday of the NPS with guests Jason Everson of RV Miles Network and Bradley Kerouac of Hello Ranger. The trio explores pragmatic strategies for family travel in an otherwise unpredictable year. Discussion includes the following: [00:02] Introduction: National Parks Service Founders Day, Bradley Kerouac/Hello Ranger, Jason Everson/RV Miles, Soul Trak Outdoors [03:39] Reports from the road: Dinosaur National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, Saguaro National Park, Mount Lemmon, Yellowstone National Park [08:17] Logistics and locations: Glacier National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Canaveral National Seashore, Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Arches National Park [11:37] Choose your (safe) adventure: Yellowstone National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak, Garden Of The Gods, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Curecanti National Recreation

Nicole Jackson of #BlackBirdersWeek and the brand new @blackinnpsweek talks about Black in National Parks Week 2020 this upcoming week. Listen to this joint interview phone call with @everybodysnationalparks and @hellorangerusa. ⁣Official Hashtag ⁣#BlackInNationalParksWeek⁣IG⁣: @blackinnpsweek⁣ Twitter: @BlackInNPSWeek⁣   Actions: Subscribe to our podcast. Tell your friends about Everybody’s National Parks Visit our website https://www.everybodysnationalparks.com/ Send us your national park stories, recommendations, comments, or questions to Hello at everybodysnps.com. Support us on Patreon Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook Please tag us from the parks you are visiting at #everybodysnationalparks and @everybodysnationalparks

For the third in our Big Bend National Park series, Bryan takes an epic trip through eons with Dr. Thomas Shiller, assistant professor of geology at Texas' Sul Ross University. From uplift to erosion, inland seas to volcanic action, the pair discuss this desert park's changing topography and its once-thriving dinosaur population. The hardest hitting questions, however, came from Everybody’s National Parks’ junior geologists, making this episode a real family affair. Discussion includes the following: [00:02] Introduction: ENP Big Bend National Park Series, Dr. Thomas Shiller [01:13] Geological timeline of Big Bend, Chisos Mountains, Santa Elena Canyon [12:03] Night Skies program [12:30] Big Bend: The once-great western interior seaway [13:15] Big Bend’s rich deposit of fossils [17:17] Digging deeper into the park’s Cretaceous Period [17:40] Big Bend’s unique flora and fauna fossils [19:50] Old school tricks of the geologist trade [20:26] Big Bend fossil stewardship [24:21] ENP Grand Canyon geology episode [2

For the second in our Big Bend National Park series, Danielle chats with Courtney Lyons-Garcia, executive director of Big Bend Conservancy, a major advocate for the park. From scenic drives to family-friendly hikes, and fossil experiences Courtney shares practical tips and activities suited to every kind of traveller Discussion includes the following: [00:02] Introduction: HelloRanger [02:22] Guardians of Big Bend National Park: Courtney Lyons Garcia and Big Bend Conservancy [03:15] Getting acquainted with Big Bend: An overview of the park and its conservancy [05:35] Getting to the park: Interstate travel, suggestions for East and West Coast visitors [09:03] Stocking up: Advice on retail options and supporting special dietary needs [10:53] Best times of year to visit Big Bend [13:21] Seasonal explorations [16:28] An itinerary overview [17:51] Perfect pairs: Suggestions for combining Big Bend with other areas of interest Big Bend State Park, Balmorhea State Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, White Sands Na

The world may have changed since Danielle, Bryan, and the girls took their early February trip to Big Bend National Park in Texas, but hope for future family adventures springs eternal. With those eventual vacations in mind, Everybody’s National Parks presents the first episode in its Big Bend roundup. Painted landscapes, dark skies, and lessons in border policy await at the stunning junction where the US and Mexico meet. And this wouldn’t be a family trip roundup without eyewitness reports from Everybody’s National Parks junior ranger correspondents. Discussion includes the following: [00:01] Introduction to Big Bend podcast series. [01:14] Danielle & Bryan set the scene - with a little help from TripPossible: Big Bend National Park, ENP Yosemite National Park series, ENP Yosemite TripPossible episode [06:01] Know before you go: gateway cities El Paso, TX and Midland-Odessa, TX [07:50] Know before you go: car rental issues, Avis [08:40] Oil country: reflections on a drive through the permian basin [1

What makes the Emmy Award-winning show Rock The Park must-see tv? Bryan goes behind the scenes with Jack Steward, the show's co-creator and co-host, to find out how Rock The Park captures friendship and adventure for the camera. Then, Jack answers listener questions, including one from a 7-year-old fan. Discussion includes the following: [00:58] - Origins story: Jack Stewart and Colton Smith friendship; Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole, WY. [06:05] - Rock The Parks from idea to episodes; ENP Isle Royale [09:24] Rock The Park’s formula for adventure [10:50] Big Cypress National Preserve; Rock The Park s6 ep21 [11:55] Adventure, beauty, and danger; Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park; Carlsbad Caverns National Park [16:08] People make the park experience; Everglades National Park [18:30] Sentimental park favorites: Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Death Valley National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Virgin Islands National Park, Hawai'i Volcanoes Nati

Epic adventures require meticulous planning - and a trusted guidebook. Moon Guides author Carter G. Walker joins Danielle with recommendations for planning a two-week expedition covering three of the country’s best-loved national parks: Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier based on her book Moon Yellowstone to Glacier National Park Road Trip. Discussion includes the following: [00:02] Introduction - Carter G. Walker, Moon Yellowstone to Glacier National Park Road Trip: Jackson Hole, the Grand Tetons & the Rocky Mountain Front (Travel Guide); Suggested additional reading Yellowstone Resources and Issues Handbook (updated yearly) [01:48] Pandemic park travel planning plus additional Moon Guide resources by Carter G. Walker [04:33] Time Travel: What’s the perfect amount of time to allot for your Yellowstone-to-Glacier road trip? [06:20] Car rental tips: Montana’s gateway cities maximize your budget - Billings, Missoula, Great Falls [07:53] Stocking up: Tips for buying road trip provisions in Jackson Hole (G

Description: This is a replay. Bryan speaks with Park Ranger Shelton Johnson and Sergeant Elizy Bowman, a Buffalo Soldier in the 9th Cavalry in Yosemite (portrayed by Shelton Johnson). Sergeant Bowman discusses what it was like to be a Buffalo Soldier, the name given to African-American cavalry troops of the U.S. Army who were among the first park rangers. Ranger Shelton talks about diversity in the national parks. This is episode number 19.5. This is the fifth episode in our series on Yosemite National Park. For complete show notes, visit everybodysnationalparks.com. If this is your first time tuning in, go back and listen to the other episodes in our Yosemite series including our trip report, a conversation with park naturalist Erik Westerlund, Tom Bopp sings for us while recounting the 1903 camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, and a wonderful conversation about Ansel Adams’ Legacy with his son, grandson and internationally known photographer and Ansel’s last darkroom assistant, Ala

The reality of our new normal could spark renewed interest in an old favorite: the great American road trip. Danielle chats with Moon Route 66 Road Trip author Jessica Dunham about the allure of this iconic highway. With a focus on family fun, Jessica shares her top Route 66 picks including man-made kitschiness, scenic lookouts, and national park access. And, keep those engines revved up because Jessica gives a sneak peek into her forthcoming book The Open Road: 50 Best Road Trips In The USA. Discussion Includes the Following [0:02] Listener comment - Piñon Flats Camp Ground, Great Sand Dunes National Park [2:58] Jessica Dunham, author: Moon Route 66 Road Trip and The Open Road: 50 Best Road Trips In The USA [6:48] History of Historic Route 66: Federal-Aid Highway Act, National Park Service Corridor Preservation Program [9:58] Route 66 Family Road Trip: Overview [10:54] Midwest Region: Route 66 Association Hall Of Fame and Museum, Gateway Arch National Park, Indiana Dunes State Park, World’s Largest Route 66

Celebrate Parks to Kids Day on May 16, 2020 with the National Park Trust from your home. Due to COVID-19, the National Park Trust has developed many ways to bring the national parks to kids this year. Hear all about the activities they have available on their website and all of the virtual experiences available on the ParkPassport app. The National Park Trust teamed up with Blue Star Families to bring over 500 virtual park experiences from the app. Visit https://kidstoparks.parktrust.org Share your activities. Follow and Tag @NationalParkTrust and @everybodysnationalparks #ParksToKids #BuddyBison #everybodysnationalparks    

“Half the Park is After Dark.” Think your park day is over once the sun sets? Think again! Tyler Nordgren, PhD, joins Bryan for an illuminating look at the Night Skies program. As a Night Sky ambassador, Dr. Nordgren supports The National Park Service’s efforts to ensure that the celestial landscape remains visible to future generations. And speaking of young park-goers, stick around after the Carl Sagan story and travel tips as Everybody’s National Parks special junior ranger correspondents ask a few hard-hitting astronomical questions of their own. Discussion Includes the Following: [00:54] - Introduction: Night Skies program, Big Bend National Park [01:17] - Dr. Tyler Nordgren: Cornell University and Carl Sagan [02:46] - International Dark Sky Association and Dark Skies sites, the Milky Way, Natural Bridges National Monument [03:51] - Ancient skies, ancient stories: Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, John Muir [06:02] - Evening Ranger programs: Around the galaxy, through the seasons [08:41

Bryan speaks with Moon Travel Guide author Joshua Berman all about camping and visiting the national parks in Colorado. His book Moon Colorado Camping comes out May 12, 2020. Discussion includes the following: 0:32 Thank you to sponsor, Moon Travel Guides 2:18 Description of Moon Colorado Camping guidebook 5:20 Camping and Visiting Colorado’s National Parks 10:35 Estes Park and other Gateway Towns to Rocky Mountain National Park 12:19 Camping at Rocky Mountain National Park 14:07 Fourteeners and High Peaks of Colorado 14:58 Visiting and Camping at Black Canyon of the Gunnison 18:06 Visiting, Camping or Staying at the Lodge in Mesa Verde National Park 20:15 Dark Sky Certification 20:37 Josh’s Favorite National Monuments: Colorado National Monument and Bent’s Old Fort 23:50 Visiting and Camping at Great Sand Dunes National Park 26:27 Colorado Off-Season 28:05 RV Camping 29:28 Josh Shares a Favorite Colorado Camping Moment Resources: Get the updated guidebook, Moon Colorado Camping Follow Joshua Berman Twi

This week, we’re doing something a little different. It’s National Park Week, and we’re teaming up with other National Park podcasters, authors, bloggers, and other content creators to celebrate. The theme for Today, Thursday, April 23rd is “Throwback Thursday,” so a few of us podcasts decided to band together for a “best-of” sort of episode. We’re going to play you a clip each from, Gaze at the National Parks, Everybody’s National Parks, Parklandia, and America’s National Parks. These throwback episodes are some of our favorites. We hope you enjoy. Thank you to America's National Parks for producing this episode. Discussion includes the following: 1:25 We began with full-time RVers Matt and Brad Kirouac, who travel the county with one goal: to visit as many national parks as possible, producing the Parklandia Podcast. We threw back to Parklandia’s first episode ever as they sat down for a glass of wine made in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. 7:30 In Dustin Ballard and Michael Ryan’s Gaze at the National Par

Celebrate Junior Ranger Day at Home and in Your Own Backyard Saturday, April 18th, 2020 is Junior Ranger Day and the first day of National Park Week. Unfortunately, we are under a state home orders due to COVID-19 so this is a different sort of Junior Ranger Day and National Park Week that we will be celebrating from our homes and virtually. In this bonus episode I talk with my two little pink junior rangers about being a junior ranger. #nationalparkweek #findyourpark #FindYourVirtualPark Discussion includes the following: Why they like being a junior ranger Fun fact about palm trees Fun Fact about roadrunners Fun Fact about Javelinas Responsibilities of a junior ranger Favorite junior ranger activities Promo for upcoming episode on Night Skies with Tyler Nordgren How to celebrate junior ranger day at home Junior Ranger joke Clip from Shenandoah Trip Report from March 2017 of kids talking about astronomy program and volunteering to save monarch butterflies. National Park Creative Excha

Danielle speaks with author Jason Frye. His updated guidebook, Moon Great Smoky Mountains National Park is available starting April 21, 2020. Jason offers tips for avoiding crowds, how to see the synchronous fireflies and off the beaten path places to explore. Note: This episode is coming out in spring of 2020 during COVID-19 please be safe and follow guidelines to stay at home in social distance. If you are going to a national park, check the website for specific closures and guidelines for that park. The content of this interview is to inspire future travel once it is safe to do so. Thank you and we hope you and your loved ones stay healthy.   Discussion includes the following: 0:02 About Jason Frye and Moon Travel Guides 3:23 Jason talks about how Great Smoky Mountains National Park has not changed much since its inception. Every visit brings back memories from his youth. 4:46 Danielle recalls Ken Burns’ interview on Everybody’s National Parks (episode 13) when he talks about how it is equally important wi

Camping is not just in a tent. Danielle talks with Stephanie Puglisi of The RV Atlas podcast and co-author of See You at the Campground: A Guide to Community, Connection, and a Happier Family in the Great Outdoors, about the benefits of staying in a campground setting rather than a hotel during your national park visit. Stephanie shares how there is a camping situation to fit everyone’s needs and comfort: cabin, tent or RV. Note: This episode is coming out  March 21, 2020 during Covid-19. Please be safe and follow guidelines to  stay at home and social distance. If you are going to a national park, check the website for specific closures and guidelines for that park. The content of this interview is to inspire future travel once it is safe to do so. Thank you and we hope you and your loved ones stay healthy. Discussion includes the following: 4:25 - Why Stephanie prefers the campground experience. 8:11 - Different types of camping - Find the style that suits you. 15:13 - Staying at campgrounds right outside

Danielle chats with Grandma Joy and her grandson Brad Ryan of Grandma Joy's Road Trip. They started their national park adventure together when she was 85. They have visited 53 national parks - and counting! They share their favorite scenic drives in national parks and their top ten list of national parks for accessibility. Discussion includes the following: 0:02 - Introducing Grandma Joy Ryan and Brad Ryan: CBS This Morning Interview 1:55 - Reunited: From losing touch to regaining Joy Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Old Faithful, Redwood National and State Parks 5:08 - The adventure begins 6:47 - The life-changing magic of slowing down 10:15 - Age, accessibility, and Grandma Joy’s “best of…” list: Mammoth Cave National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park 13:10 - Shenandoah National Park 15:09 - Driver’s delight: Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona’s Painted Desert, Historic Route 66 17:54 -  Diversity in the desert: Saguaro National Park, Joshua Tree National Park 1

Bryan talks with Dayton Duncan who, along with his creative partner Ken Burns, wrote and produced The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. How has our majestic national park system faired in the decade since PBS first aired that multi-episode documentary?  The prolific author offers some insight and takes us on an emotional tour of his favorite park. Also listen to the Everybody’s National Park’s Ken Burns podcast episode 13 in your podcast app or click here. Discussion Includes the Following: 0:02 - Introduction to Dayton Duncan: The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Out West: A Journey Through Lewis And Clark's America, ENP #13 - Ken Burns Interview 2.27 - Ken Burns films Baseball and Country Music, Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980; Yosemite National Park 5:56 - Citizen Activism, Part I: Adina Emilia de Zavala, the Alamo 9:34 - The American Antiquities Act, National Park Service Centennial, national lands protected under the Obama administration 13:24 - Citizen Activism, Part II:

One of Isle Royale National Park’s most famous attractions is one that visitors rarely see: wolves. Bryan had the opportunity to speak with Park Ranger Mark Romanski, Division Chief of Natural Resources, about the park’s most elusive resident.   Discussion includes the following: 0:02 - Past episodes listening suggestions: Ken Burns interview, Biscayne National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Everglades National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Olympic National Park, Saguaro National Park, Shenandoah National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park 1:04 - Mark Romanski, Division Chief, Natural Resources, Isle Royale National Park 1:56 - When and how wolves made their way to Isle Royale 2:54 - Population Programs: From a 1948 collaboration with Detroit Zoo through today 3:55 - Shifting policies, shifting populations of an island ecosystem 6:00 - The big bear question (and answer), “Why are there no bears on Isle Royale?” 6:53 - Collecti