National Parks Traveler Podcast

National Parks Traveler Podcast

Author: Kurt Repanshek Language: English Episodes: 383
There's a world of stories waiting beyond the park entrance sign, and the National Parks Traveler Podcast is your audio guide to them. Led by Kurt Repanshek, this series goes deeper than trail maps and visitor statistics. It connects the natural wonder you experience firsthand with the crucial, often unseen work happening behind the scenes-the science informing conservation, the cultural histories embedded in the landscape, and the policy decisions that will shape these places for future generations. As the audio companion to the editorially independent nonprofit media organization, this podcast delivers a thoughtful blend of on-the-ground reports, interviews with researchers and park staff, and nuanced discussions about the challenges and triumphs in managing protected areas. You'll hear the sounds of the parks and the voices of the people dedicated to them. Each episode is an invitation to better understand the complex tapestry of ecology, history, and society that makes every national park far more than a scenic destination. Tune in for a regular dose of insight that will deepen your appreciation and perhaps even shape your next journey into America's most treasured public lands.
Episodes
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Music Inspired by the Parks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:52
With March madness down to the Sweet 16, and Opening Day of Major League Baseball having arrived, we're going to take a break this week and dive into our podcast archives for this week's show. This is Kurt Repanshek, you…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Padre Island's Sea Turtles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:41
One of the most popular public events in the National Park System was the release of sea turtle hatchlings, shuffling off into the Gulf of Mexico at Padre Island National Seashore. I say was, because the number of those…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Polluting the Parks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:17
Air pollution and climate change impacts can have outsized effects on the National Park System, as well as lesser noticed but just as concerning effects. But are those impacts spread across the entire park system, or clu…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | State of the Parks 2024 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:50
While most visitors to the National Park System view the parks as incredibly beautiful places, or places rich in culture and history, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes within the parks, and with the National P…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | National Park Guidebooks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:05
With nearly 430 units in the National Park System, of which 63 are National Parks, we all probably could use a little help in planning our adventures into the park system. But do you simply visit a park's website to plan…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Staying Safe At Hawai'i Volcanoes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:01
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is such a unique destination in the National Park System. Located on the Big Island, it's surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, it has rainforests, and it boasts two active volcanoes in Mauna L…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Vanishing Treasures [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:32
From the Rocky Mountains to the West Coast and up to Alaska, there are thousands of historic structures and archaeological sites on National Park System landscapes. They range in variety from homesteader cabins to pre-hi…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Coming to the Aid of Giant Sequoias [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:11
Stand before a giant sequoia tree in Sequoia or Kings Canyon national parks or nearby Yosemite National Park and you're overwhelmed by their size, and assume they're impervious to anything that might be thrown at them. B…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | California Mountain Lions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:59
Mountain lions are an incredibly charismatic animal on landscapes within, and adjacent to, the National Park System. But they're seldom seen because of their nocturnal tendencies. There recently was a new report that foc…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Manassas Battlefield Threats [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:00
Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia protects one of the defining battlefields of the Civil War. It was there that the first battle of the war was waged, in 1861, it was the scene of a second battle a year late…