National Park After Dark

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in America. When park rangers discover a jeep that has crashed off the side of the road and find a man inside who is deceased, they immediately suspect foul play. Their investigation brings them down a long family line of money, drugs, and death. In this twisted tale of a horrible fate - greed is the motive. For the latest NPAD...

Bundle up it your warmest gear, because today we head to Alaska to discover the roots of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. Currently most infamous for “The Last Great Race on Earth” this trail was blazed by courageous people and our most loyal companions. The Iditarod is synonymous with sled dogs, but you may be surprised to learn the origin story you remember – isn’t entirely accurate. Come a...

Originally posted last month to Patreon for February’s bonus episode, in honor of Black History Month, we dive (literally) into an important and heartbreaking story which has been largely lost to time. This week we bring it to the surface, have difficult conversations and discuss the efforts the NPS, independent diving groups and historians have taken to rediscover what was lost to history and to...

In June of 1967, ten people journeyed into the Mossdale Caverns, a cave system known for being dangerous and unexplored. These caver's mission was to explore unmapped passages and reveal new caving systems. When thunderstorms and torrential down pours suddenly flood the tunnels, the largest rescue mission in Britain's history ensues. Tickets to Spirited Stays: The Crescent Hotel HERE! (momenthouse...

As humans, we have spent millennia advancing to this very moment. We have more collective knowledge and advancements in technology today than we ever have before. We have a lot of things figured out. We are comfortable, and for the most part, we are in control. But what if that all changed? What if something came along that flipped your world and the understanding of it upside down? Today we head...

Join us this week as we venture around the US to different National Parks. First stop is Cuyahoga National Park. A park that holds a lot of history and is a staple for conservation and restoration of its resources. Here lies an abandon ghost town, where people were forced to vacate. Now all that is left are their homes and businesses, boarded up and abandon. Next we head to Wrangell St. Elias Nati...

Today’s stories include bones in the desert, how mountain biking solved a cold case, witnessing a volcanic eruption, a run in with a serial killers long lost friend, disembodied chants, an unwelcome nightly visitor and signs from the universe. All tales shared with consent. We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back....

For our second installment of People of the Parks, we sit down with Andrea Lankford to discuss her career in the NPS in units including The Grand Canyon and Yosemite, her celebrated literary works such as Ranger Confidential and her astonishing outdoor accomplishments. We chat about what it is like being a woman in the outdoors and how to be safe. An avid believer in outdoor exploration, Andrea is...

Who doesn’t love a good legend? Stories of vanished civilizations, ancient beasts and long-lost gold sink their hooks into us and leaving us wanting more. Legends that allude to things that are lost are exciting because they suggest at one point, they must have been discovered … and could quite possibly be found once again. This week we are back in Canada in one of the most beautiful and least vis...

The West Coast Trail on Vancouver island is a beautiful trail that attracts backpackers from all over the world every single year. But this trail wasn't created for them. It was created for a different reason, to rescue survivors of shipwrecks off the coast from some of the most dangerous waters in the Pacific. In 1906 one of the most devastating shipwrecks occurred. Due to bad weather conditions...

Today's stories include glitches in the matrix, near misses with cougars, disembodied screams in an archeological site and potential Bigfoot encounters.  All stories shared with consent. We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Becom...

National Parks were created “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people”, but what happens when that enjoyment is restricted? BASE jumping is the most dangerous sport in the world, but that doesn’t stop people from wanting to pursue it. National Parks are some of the best (and safest) places to enjoy the sport, but it’s illegal. Today we talk about the history of the sport, the reasons the NPS ha...

Grab your sunscreen, cameras and hiking shoes, this week we are heading to the incredibly diverse and magical landscapes of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. As we walk into these rainforests and barren volcanic landscapes, you can feel the mana, spiritual power, that lives here. Pele, the most revered goddess of Hawaiian Mythology, is to thank for the creation of these islands. She has the power t...

In 1836 a discovery of 17 miniature coffins in Holyrood Royal Park in Scotland sparked a heated debate. Who created them, and what did the represent? Theories abound, but one of the most widely accepted theories out there is a wild one- that they represent the victims of the famed serial killers William Burke and William Hare. For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, foll...

Follow along as we are introduced to freedom seekers Ellen and William Craft on their 1,000 mile journey to the north. After being enslaved their entire lives, they decide to risk it all to find freedom and create a life they always wanted. It's not an easy journey, as Ellen disguises herself as a white male and William's enslaver. They face many challenges and people who would go to extreme lengt...

This week we cover the story of the Champawat tiger, the most deadly animal on record. In this week's episode Danielle tells us the tragic tale of this tiger, the lives she claimed and how it all began. A morbid story no doubt, but there is so much more to it than that. Underneath its terrifying outer skin, this story has layers of discussion regarding the repercussions of irresponsible wild land...

This week we are heading back to our home state of New Hampshire. This little state is full of big surprises as it is known for the worst weather on the entire planet. In January of 1982 two teenage climbers headed out to ice climb and summit but a horrible storm rolled in bringing snow, 140 mph winds and negative temperatures. When the Mountain Rescue Service goes out to help them, they find them...

the Hawaiian island of Molokai is home to one of the most remote peninsulas in the world. For over a century, thousands of people suffering from ma'i ho'oka'awale, or the “separating sickness” were ripped from their families and forced to the Kalaupapa peninsula, doomed to spend their lives in exile. The dark history of this place is lightened by the resilience of the  Hawaiian people, their endur...

In this week's episode we head to New River Gorge National Park, the newest National Park in America. At face value, this new and beautiful park is full of fun activities and beautiful landscapes. But, if you dive deeper and really take a look at the smaller, less known areas, there are very dark stories that reside here. Red Ash Island, a place many visitors  pass by without a second thought, lie...

As a young man in the early 1980’s, Yossi Ghinsberg, was drawn to South America with dreams and desires of experiencing lands untouched by the hand of the developed world. His adventure filled trip took a turn as he struggled alone, clinging to life in the depths of the Amazon. His amazing story of survival is brimming with inspiration, heartbreak, loss and mystery. Come along with us to Bolivia’s...

Our mix of stories today include a spirit on the trail, amazing animal rescues and a tragic death by animal, stumbling across skulls on the trail and surviving a glacial fall. All stories shared with the permission of submitting partiesWe love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscr...

When a family of 4 travel all the way from Germany to the US for a national park trip, they head into Death Valley National Park during some of their hottest days. While on a mission to look for illegal drug activity in the park, a ranger discovers their abandoned vehicle in an extremely remote area. A massive search ensues, but some believe they may have vanished on purpose. Check out Andy Tate's...

Forty-one years ago, the Chamberlain family went on holiday to the Australian outback. Their idyllic getaway turned to tragedy when their young child was taken in the night from their tent. What ensued was a modern-day Australian witch hunt, one in which a mother was vilified – and painted by the media as a monster. For thirty years Lindy Chamberlain and her family stood firmly in their account of...

In the summer of 1910, the United States saw the worst fire in history. It burned over 3 million acres of the Rocky Mountain ranges and killed over 80 people. In this episode we follow Ed Pulaski, an assistant ranger for the U.S forest service, as he attempts to save his fellow firefighters when they get caught in the midst of the flames. He will go to any means necessary to get them out alive, ev...

Alcatraz Island is synonymous with prison. Almost every book, TV show and movie portrays this rocky island in San Francisco Bay as a place where big name gangsters like Al Capone or Alvin Karpis were locked away.  But what you may not know is that this same location renowned for violence and incarceration also served as a beacon of peace and symbol of regaining freedom. After hundreds of years of...