National Parks Traveler Podcast | Intrepid Travel

National Parks Traveler Podcast | Intrepid Travel

Author: Kurt Repanshek July 6, 2025 Duration: 41:04

Heading into the National Park System this summer? Going it alone, or have you booked a tour company? What do you think about how the Trump Administration and Congress are treating the National Parks and the National Park Service? Have you reported any park signs to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that disparage Americans, dead or alive?

 

As you can tell there's a lot going on in the parks. Some good, some not so good, and some downright bad. It's a lot to digest, and a lot to discuss.  To help us gauge a sense of what's going on out there, our guest is Leigh Barnes, President of the Americas at Intrepid Travel, an Australian-based tour company that has been leading trips around the world since 1989. Part of their cache is keeping tour groups small, a dozen or so travelers along with the guides.

 

The company also recently conducted a survey of Americans to get their sense of how politicians are treating the Parks and the Park Service that we'll discuss with Leigh.


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.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

National Parks Traveler Podcast
Podcast Episodes
National Parks Traveler Podcast | ESA's Future [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:23
Since this past December here at the Traveler we've been bringing you a series of stories on the Endangered Species Act and the threatened and endangered species it's intended to keep from going extinct. For me, it's bee…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Rethinking Public Lands Stewardship [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:06
Public lands stewardship has most definitely changed under the second presidential administration of Donald Trump. Land-management agencies such as the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Manag…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Cook Inlet's Beluga Whales [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:36
A fast-track proposal to develop a gold mine near Alaska's Cook Inlet and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is alarming scientists, environmental groups and local communities because of the devastating effects it is…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Print Ain't Dead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:20
We're living in somewhat tumultuous times in the print media industry. Well-familiar titles are either disappearing, shrinking drastically, or shifting over to the internet. On top of that, the advent of Artificial Intel…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Chief Storyteller [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:46
National parks provide us with so many services, from providing us with inspiration, allowing us to leave our stress behind for a few hours or a few days, offering a recreational outlet, and enabling us to pursue hobbies…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Wildlife Crossings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:57
Across the United States, there are many thousands of collisions between vehicles and wildlife each year, killing people and animals and causing millions of dollars in property damages. Some solutions revolve around crea…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Polluting Parks With Light [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:35
You might not entirely appreciate the wonders and majesty of national parks unless you venture out after dark and gaze up at what often is referred to as the other half of the national park system. The view can be quite…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Florida's Ailing Reef [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:44
Warming oceans, pollution, more potent hurricanes, anchor drops, dredging and trawling. The Florida Reef struggles with a lot of impacts today. In fact, only about 2 percent of the reef that stretches some 350 miles from…
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Managing Capitol Reef's Visitors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:16
Capitol Reef National Park in Utah is one of the Mighty Five, as the state likes to say in its tourism promotions, and while it's somewhat off the beaten path, visitors are finding it. In 2024, visitation to the park was…