Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast

The Narrows in Zion National Park is one of the most iconic hikes in the American West. We recently returned to the park to hike the Narrows for the third time, and it’s been a while since we last talked about it on this podcast. Our first Narrows episode was episode 6, six years ago, so we figured it was time for an update. If you would like information about other activities in the park, check o...

#175: Great Pizza Places Near National Parks   After over fifteen years of traveling to the U.S. national parks and other public lands, we’ve learned there are a few key pieces of information you need to make a road trip a success. And at the top of the list is... knowing where to find a great pizza.   We can’t claim to know where all of the best pizza restaurants are near our incredible national...

Across our U.S. public lands are more than 130 national monuments, each protecting a unique natural or cultural treasure. In this episode, we’re diving into ten that feel a lot like visiting a national park, but without the crowds. We share a mix of places we’ve visited over the years, and each one surprised us with just how much they have in terms of scenery, hiking, and overall experience. From...

We recently returned to Pinnacles National Park, a place we hadn’t visited since our first trip in 2013. Situated about 75 minutes south of Monterey, California, Pinnacles is known for its dramatic volcanic rock formations, remnants of a once 8,000-foot volcano. When we first visited, Pinnacles had just become a national park, and we stopped there as part of our journey to visit all the U.S. natio...

Having visited all 63 U.S. national parks, we felt it was time to broaden our scope and explore one of the most popular and biologically diverse national parks outside the United States: Galápagos National Park. Located hundreds of miles west of mainland Ecuador, this archipelago of tropical islands straddles the equator. Because the islands were isolated from other landmasses for millions of year...

#171: An Epic Road Trip Along California’s Highway 395 The 150-mile stretch of Highway 395 from Bridgeport to Lone Pine takes travelers through a landscape of wide valleys, alpine lakes, volcanic wonders, and Old West history. Running along the eastern edge of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, this is one of the most scenic drives in the West. On our recent trip, we revisited some of our favor...

Nestled below the granite cliffs of Yosemite Valley is a village bustling with visitors year-round. For over a century, Curry Village has welcomed guests who want to stay in this magnificent valley yet are looking for an affordable option to the other pricier accommodations nearby, namely The Ahwahnee Hotel and Yosemite Lodge. With over 500 rooms and tents, several eating options, a grocery store,...

This episode is sponsored by GO RVING™ Nothing says “All American Road Trip” more than loading up an RV, hitting the road, and having an adventure. And that’s exactly what we did recently with the help from our friends at GO RVING™   In the spring of 2025, we rented an RV in Phoenix and drove up to Page, Arizona where we spent five days and four nights enjoying the Roam America Horseshoe Bend camp...

In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us. In this episode, we cover these topics: ·     An alternative to visiting the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park while the road is closed due to flood damage, ·     Road trip sug...

Visitors flock to Sedona, Arizona, for a multitude of reasons: the red rock landscape, the concentration of incredible hiking trails, the culinary scene, and the focus on spiritual wellness. In this episode, we'll share some of our favorite experiences on our recent trip. We'll give you an overview of Sedona, including where it's located, the optimal times to visit, and some great food we discover...

National parks, forests, and other federal lands are not the only incredible outdoor destinations in America. Wherever we travel, we make a point to check out the state parks along the way, and we’re constantly amazed at the ones we find.  In episodes #30 and #121, we discussed some of our favorite state parks. In this episode, we bring you five more we’ve visited recently. From a spectacular cave...

There’s a reason to visit Olympic National Park any time of year. While summer is best, each season offers visitors a chance to enjoy this incredibly diverse natural resource. Regardless of how often we visit Olympic we always leave wanting to go back as soon as we can find another couple of free days. Olympic National Park might be more popular than most people realize. In 2023, it was the tenth...

Are you looking for a break from the cold, gray days of winter? We have a perfect solution: a road trip loop through the American Southwest that will take you to four national parks with some bonus stops along the way. We start and end the road trip at the Las Vegas airport. From there, we drive east to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park before heading south to the red rocks of Sedona for...

In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us. In this episode, we cover these topics: ·     An overview of recent national park news, ·     A discussion about our trip to Italy and our experience in the beautiful Dolomites, ·    ...

Glacier National Park is considered the “crown of the continent” because of its pristine beauty, rugged wilderness, and magnificent wildlife. While the park is open all year, summer is the primetime for visitors. However, the window to visit while the park is relatively snow-free and the main roads are open is narrow. With a limited number of days to experience all the park offers, competition for...

In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.   In this episode, we cover these topics: ·     Zion National Park is working on a new visitor use management plan, ·     Issues related to Mount Rainier National Park’s new timed-ent...

What’s on your bucket list? It’s a topic everyone is talking about these days, and we have a few suggestions for anyone who loves our national parks and public lands.   Back in the day, our list was simple; visit all the U.S. national parks. But once we checked them all off, we realized our list was longer than when we started. In this episode, we talk about some of the most popular places to see...

Join us as we take you on an epic road trip to all four of Colorado’s national parks!   These four parks are incredibly diverse, and this trip will have you driving through alpine forests in the Rocky Mountains, hiking up the tallest sand dunes in North America, climbing ladders as you explore cultural treasures, and standing on the rim of a seemingly bottomless dark canyon.   We’ve organized this...

Carved by the once-wild Columbia River, the Columbia River Gorge is a dramatic canyon that snakes through the Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest on its way to the Pacific Ocean. It's an area of stunning natural beauty with endless outdoor adventure options.   Using the town of Hood River, Oregon, as our home base, we recently visited the gorge in search of waterfalls. (The area has nearly 100....

Each year, the National Park Service celebrates National Park Week in April. And this year, they’ve planned events from April 20th through April 28th.   In this episode, we highlight some of the activities that will happen during National Park Week, give a brief history of the creation of the NPS, and interview our special guest, Jacob Wolfley, who recently spent a summer as an intern park range a...

In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.   In this episode, we cover these topics: ·     An overview of some of the closures within the national parks this year, ·     Suggestions for hikes in Guadalupe Mountains National Pa...

 One of the most frequent questions we get from travelers is how to plan a visit to Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton NPs in a single road trip. In this episode, we cover all the details you’ll need to do just that.   Without a doubt, these three parks are at the top of our “most spectacular” list. Each has its unique history and landscape, yet they’re all great places to witness once-in-a-lif...

In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.   In this episode, we cover these topics: ·     News about a faster way to enter Rocky Mountain National Park this summer, ·     Update about cabin demolitions within Olympic National...

Long before the National Park Service was founded, the U.S. Army was put in charge of protecting America’s national parks. One of the groups that played a crucial role in fulfilling this invaluable service to our country was the Buffalo Soldiers: African American officers and enlisted men serving in the Army.   When the regimen stationed in San Francisco was tasked with protecting and developing i...

Dry Tortugas National Park is in a category of its own: pre-civil war fort, 70 miles out to sea with nothing else around it, incredible history, beautiful tropical keys with campsites, and right in the path of the most powerful hurricanes on the planet. Nowhere else can you visit a place with world-class snorkeling and see the rooms where they held the most dangerous civil war prisoners.   In this...