The Parks Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Maybury State Park, located right outside of Detroit, was a community created for patients with Tuberculosis. It is now a spectacular park for recreation and play for the community. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Pocahontas State Park is the largest state park in Virginia and has great outdoor recreation, camping, and conservation programs. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Biscayne National Park, off the coast of Miami, is 95% water with a rich history in farming, fishing, and conservation. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Pompeys Pillar is located just outside of Billings, Montana. This stop will show your a geological wonder, the signature of William Clark, and stunning vista of the eastern Montana plains. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Herbert Hoover National Historic Site was home to President Hoover in his youth. He reconstructed the space as a way to show American's that anyone can be successful. His home, prairie, blacksmith shop, and more will allow you to walk through history. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Recreation.gov is how 14 federal agencies — the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Army Corps of Engineers, and more — came together to give you one place to plan, discover, and book your public lands experience. More than 5,000 facilities. 121,000 campsites. 528 million acres of land. Most people use it to book a campsite. But Recreation...

Send us Fan Mail Saguaro National Park boasts a diverse ecosystem where you can experience saguaros in one area and pine trees in another. The rich cultural history is worth celebrating in this episode of The Parks Podcast. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognized symbols in the world — and most people have never really seen her. The broken chains and shackles at her feet. The torch that was swinging 12 inches off its axis when crews reached it in the 1980s. The fact that Americans almost didn't fund the pedestal at all, and it took a newspaper crowdfunding campaign to make it happen....

Send us Fan Mail Stephanie Harrison, creator of The New Happy, is launching her book "New Happy". She joins us to talk about the role nature and parks play in finding happiness. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park brings to life the story of Harriet and the hundreds of slaves she helped to find freedom. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Sky Meadows State Park is outside of the Nation's Capital and provides a great escape from the city with Dark Skies, sensory trails, rich history, and an entrance to the Appalachian Trail. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Bryce Canyon is not a canyon. It's a series of natural amphitheaters carved into the edge of a plateau — filled with the greatest concentration of hoodoos on Earth, capped by some of the darkest accessible night skies in the country, and sitting at the top of the Grand Staircase, a geological record spanning 200 million years. Peter Densmore, Visual Information Specialist at...

Send us Fan Mail First Day Hikes is an initiative of America's State Parks, created to celebrate going outside, getting exercise, and experiencing nature. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Lake Elmo, located in Billings, Montana, is home to great recreation, bird watching, and gathering with family and friends. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Belle Grove Plantation, part of Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park, is decking the halls and getting ready to kick off their holiday programs. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park was the front line of major battles in the Civil War. Learn the story of the region from Backcountry to Breadbasket to Battlefield and Beyond. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth, the lowest point in the United States, and one of the most misunderstood parks in the national park system. Drive through at noon in summer and it might seem like nothing but gray rocks. Wait for sunset — and everything turns purple, green, orange, and red. This episode was recorded in August 2023, eleven days after Hurricane Hilary caus...

Send us Fan Mail Craters of the Moon National Monument was created from lava flow over the past 15,000 years. Learn how you can experience the unique activities in the park throughout the year. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park is located between Washington, DC and Richmond, VA. Learn about four major battles of the civil war and explore the battlefields and historic homes. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is known as the "Green Desert." Learn about the animals, best time of year to plan a visit, and how to navigate a desert hike. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Shannon Jones, CEO & Founder of KeeKee's Big Adventure, will guide us on planning a trip with your family to the parks. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Just 75 miles from the nation's capital, Shenandoah National Park stretches 105 miles along the Blue Ridge Mountains — home to Skyline Drive, 516 miles of hiking trails, and a creation story most visitors never hear. The forest people fall in love with today was planted by Depression-era young men from the Civilian Conservation Corps. And before the park was established in 19...

Send us Fan Mail The deed establishing Big Bend National Park crossed President Roosevelt's desk on June 6th, 1944 — D-Day. Even on the most pivotal day of World War II, someone thought it was worth setting this place aside. Big Bend sits at the edge of the United States, sharing 118 miles with Mexico and protecting the darkest skies in the lower 48 states, more bird species than any other na...

Send us Fan Mail Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site is our first stop for The Parks Podcast. Explore the history and impact of nine children to help spark desegregation, and social change movements. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail On January 10th, 2021, Missy Rentz packed her car and hit the road. 355 days later, she had camped in bear country, hiked mountains she wasn't ready for, watched a wolf chase a fox away from a bison carcass in Yellowstone, spent an hour photographing a rattlesnake in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and found what she'd been looking for — joy hiding in the everyday. Thi...