Exploring the National Parks

It’s finally October, which means it is prime leaf-peeping season!  In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are excited to talk about one of our favorite leaf-peeping parks - Great Smoky Mountains National Park!  If you are looking forward to learning five fun facts that will enhance your visit to the Smokies, this is the episode for you. Join us as we cover:  The fascinating roots of...

Is there anything more fascinating to us than falling water? We absolutely love waterfalls! So in this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are sharing some of the best national parks to visit if you want to see waterfalls and some of the best waterfalls that you can’t miss.  If you are ready to go on a waterfall-chasing adventure, this episode is for you!  Join us as we cover:  The six bes...

Is there a more life-giving place than Great Smoky Mountain National Park? We don’t think there is! This is the time of year this park really shines, so in this episode, we are exploring everything the Smokies have to offer.  We know that some of you are heading out there in the next few weeks to see the fall colors, so we are excited to talk about and celebrate this beautiful national park with y...

In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are revisiting one of John’s favorite topics- food! This is Volume 2 of our favorite food that you can find in and near the national parks.  Food is a huge part of traveling, so we want to make sure you don’t miss any of the delicious eats in the national parks you visit. Join us as we share two great places to eat and one that didn’t quite meet...

Who’s ready to learn some Rocky Mountain fun facts?! In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are sharing some fun facts about this park that you won’t find on the NPS website.  John did some digging and found some fascinating facts, particularly about the rocks and mountains in this park. Let’s discuss what makes this national park so special!  Join us as we cover:  How old these rocks...

Fall is here!  The national parks are absolutely incredible this time of year because the crowds die down, the air is crisp, and the colors are vibrant.  In this episode, we are sharing our top 10 favorite national parks to visit in the fall! *Disclaimer – this episode is heavy on the Lord of the Rings references.  If you are like Ash and can only handle so much, you can read through the full show...

Ready to get Rocky Mountain high? We are heading over to Colorado for this episode of Exploring the National Parks!  We recently got back from visiting Rocky Mountain National Park again, and we had such an amazing time. Join us as we share some of our favorite spots, hikes, things to do, and more!  Join us as we cover:  Everything you need to know about the Bear Lake area The hike that you can’t...

Let’s talk about food in the national parks! One of the top requests we have received on this podcast is to talk about food. So in this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are talking about three of the most memorable places to eat in the national parks.  Join us as we cover:  Where you can find the most heavenly blackberry butter Where to get a hearty mountain man breakfast The “famous” i...

In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are diving into the fun facts of Acadia National Park!  This park is probably cooler than you think, so we are excited to share what makes it such an incredible park (aside from the gorgeous views!) with you.  Let’s take a deep dive into the fascinating history that shaped this national park into the awe-inspiring location that it is today.  Join...

Are you ready to learn about a few more of our favorite places to cool off in the national parks?  This is part two of the best swimming holes that the National Parks have to offer. This isn’t an all-inclusive list – we truly love so many swimming places in the parks!   But today, we are sharing three more of our top favorite places to cool off after a long hike. Let’s discuss the best places for...

Let’s take a trip to Ash’s favorite national park on the East Coast - Acadia National Park! If we’re being honest, Acadia is unlike anything you can see in the West.  In this episode of Exploring the National Park, we are exploring this magical national park and all of the things that make it such an incredible place to visit.  Join us as we cover:  Our favorite spots to visit in Acadia Why we lov...

There’s never a dull moment when you’re hiking out in the national parks! In this episode, we are sharing Volume Two of our funny stories in the national parks, and this one centers around our most hilarious moments while hiking!  Let’s dive into some of our funny and embarrassing moments from the trails.  Join us as we cover:  The time we got punked while whale-watching The lengths we went to in...

Let’s head to the top of Angels Landing!  In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are covering one of the most epic and well-known hikes in the whole national park system, Angels Landing in Zion National Park!  This trail has quite a reputation, and it does not disappoint. Join us as we give you all the details and share why this trail is one you can hike with your whole group (yes, ev...

If you love to be in the water as much as we do, this episode is for you.  We are sharing a few of our favorite swimming holes in the national parks!  This is not a complete list, just a few of our top favorite places to cool off while visiting some incredible parks.  Join us as we cover:  The best jumping dock (in the world? Yes, probably!) Snorkeling on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere The...

Today, we are sharing some funny stories from our adventures! We’ve spent a lot of time camping in the national parks, and we are sharing our most humorous moments from those camping trips in this episode. Join us as we cover:  The Beetle Armageddon of Sequoia Kings Sitting in our skivvies in Big Bend Nuclear bananas and radioactive mice in North Cascades We hope you enjoyed Volume One of our funn...

How do you become a park ranger? In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are answering this question! As a former park ranger, Ash has some insight into what it takes if you want to get started in the park service.  Join us as she walks through the process of becoming a park ranger for anyone who wants to begin an exciting new career! This episode covers:  The different types of park r...

It’s time for some fun facts about Grand Teton National Park!  In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are exploring everything that makes this national park amazing.  Even though Ash was a park ranger at this park, she doesn’t know a whole lot about the geology of this incredible national park, so listen in as John teaches us about the Tetons! Join us as we cover:  The youngest mounta...

We are firm believers that the national parks are a people-watching phenomenon, and you will see things there that you won’t see anywhere else in the world. (And we aren’t talking about nature - we’re talking about stupid behavior!)  In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are discussing some of the wildest things that we have seen in the parks. Join us for National Park Visitor Bingo...

In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are journeying to Ash’s favorite national park -- Grand Teton!  Grand Teton is smaller and lesser-known than Yellowstone (its famous neighbor), but it’s gotten a lot more visibility lately and many people are discovering the magic of this gorgeous national park. Join us as we cover:  The special connection Ash has to Grand Teton The movie that wa...

Have you ever visited South Dakota?  In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are exploring one of our favorite places to visit in this state – the Black Hills! We could honestly spend so much time here because we just can’t get enough.  You will never run out of areas to explore in the Black Hills, and today, we’re talking all about our favorite places to go and things to do if you’re...

In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are sharing five amazing fun facts about Badlands National Park!  If you haven’t been here, you will want to start planning your trip when you hear about how cool this park is. Let’s dive into the history and wonder of Badlands! Join us as we cover:  The geology of Badlands National Park Why you don’t want to miss this national park The paleontol...

Let’s explore Mount Rushmore! In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are focusing on the iconic and historic Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.  We’re sharing some fun facts about Mount Rushmore and the different things you can do there beyond just parking, seeing the mountain, and leaving. Join us as we dive into this amazing, historical location!  Join us as we cover:  The goblin-like...

Let’s take a trip to Badlands National Park!  In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are diving into all things Badlands so that you can plan your next trip to this amazing national park.  South Dakota is one of our favorite places to go on family vacations because there is so much for everyone to do no matter who you are or what you like. So we are so excited to take you along today...

Let’s road trip to the national parks in the Canadian Rockies!  In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are heading up north to talk about the best Canadian national parks in the Rockies. You’ll want to set aside a couple of weeks for this trip because you definitely won’t run out of fun things to do!  This road trip covers five different Canadian National Parks, and we are so excited...

Are you ready to learn some fun facts about Glacier National Park?  In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are diving into the amazing history and interesting geology of Glacier. This park is one of the best places to get outside and have an adventure, and you’ll love it even more if you know these five fun facts!  Join us as we discuss the geology, history, and other amazing facts th...