Category: Uncategorized

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45 Badlands National Park

The southwest corner of South Dakota has an incredible variety of National Park Service sites to explore, and one of our favorites is Badlands National Park. From its mixed-grass prairie to its jaw-dropping geologic rock formations, this is a must-see park. In this episode, we talk about ways to explore the area on foot, by driving along the scenic road and by stopping at the numerous overlooks. You’re likely to spot the resident wildlife: bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, and lots of prairie dogs welcoming you to the park. Plus, we offer suggestions on where to stay and how much time to allot for your visit.

Some of the topics we discuss in this episode:

  • Other amazing public lands to explore near Badlands NP
  • Why there’s a chance you could find a million-year-old fossil in the park
  • How Badlands got its name
  • When and how bison were returned to the park
  • How black-footed ferrets were saved from extinction
  • Our favorite hikes in the park
  • What it was like to stay in a cabin at Cedar Pass Lodge
  • Why Wall Drug is worth a visit
  • One perfect day in Badlands National Park

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44 Mailbag!

It’s time again for our monthly mailbag episode where we answer questions from our listeners about national parks and other public lands, as well as questions about gear, hiking trails, and a broad range of travel-related topics.

Some of the questions/topics we discuss in this episode:

  • What kind of backpacks we use on our hikes
  • Whether or not mosquito headnets really work
  • Why we don’t use hydration bladders in our backpacks
  • Which parks are good for small children
  • Why we each have our own passport stamp books
  • Whether or not we’ll be heading back to the Chilkoot Trail again this summer
  • Driving a remote and rugged dirt road in Capitol Reef National park
  • Advice and tips for older hikers

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43 North Cascades National Park

Only a three-hour drive from Seattle, North Cascades National Park looks like you’ve traveled all the way to Switzerland. With its 300 glaciers and soaring mountain peaks, North Cascades is a wilderness park best explored on foot during the summer months. We discuss our favorite hikes, as well as a unique park lodge in the tiny town of Stehekin that can only be reached by boat, seaplane, or on foot. And we share a story about a frightening night we spent in a remote backpacking campsite. 

Some of the topics we discuss in this episode:

  • The three NPS units that make up the North Cascades park complex
  • Where the Visitor Centers are
  • The best time to visit for hikers
  • Why this is one of the least visited national parks
  • Where we like to stay when we visit the park
  • Our favorite hike in the national park 
  • How to get to North Cascades Lodge in Stehekin
  • Fun things to do and see in the Stehekin area
  • What happened to us during our backpacking trip to Stehekin

Links to more information:

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42 Crater Lake National Park

In the third episode of our series about volcano parks in the Pacific Northwest we’re featuring Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park, which has one of the most stunning scenes in any national park: a sapphire-blue lake situated in the middle of a collapsed volcano’s caldera. Reaching a depth of almost 2,000 feet, Crater Lake is the deepest and most pristine lake in the country. What is there to do in this park besides gaze in awe at this incredible view? A lot, actually. On this episode we talk about the wide variety of activities available, plus lodging options in the park, and the best seasons to visit.

Some of the topics we discuss in this episode:

  • Where the only place to swim in the lake is located
  • Why there is no limit or license needed to fish
  • The different boat tours available
  • Who the Old Man of the Lake is
  • Why Matt wants to be a trolley captain
  • Our favorite hikes in the park
  • What gives the lake its deep blue color
  • Things to do in the park in the winter

Links to more information:

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41 Mount Rainier National Park

Rising more than 14,000 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. In this episode we discuss this active volcano and the incredible national park that surrounds it, one of the oldest parks in the national park system. With 97% designated as wilderness, we share tips on how to visit some of the developed areas, with information about what to see, where to stay, when to go, and our favorite hiking trails. 

Some of the topics we discuss in this episode:

  • Why it’s called Mt. Rainier and the controversy surrounding its name
  • How to visit the park in the winter
  • Why you might want to wait until July for your summer visit
  • What the five different developed areas of the park are like
  • What it’s like to stay in Paradise Inn, one of the great lodges of the West
  • Our favorite hike in the park
  • Information on summiting Mt. Rainier
  • Other things to do and see in the park

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40 Climbing Mount St. Helens

What’s the most difficult day hike we’ve ever done? Without question it was climbing to the top of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in WA state. Mount St Helens is part of the Cascade Range: 13 volcanoes that lie in an 800-mile chain from British Columbia to northern California.

Seven of these thirteen volcanoes have erupted at least once in the past 200 years, one of those being the most catastrophic and deadly volcanic event ever experienced in the United States: the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. In this episode we’ll discuss the details surrounding the eruption, as well as our grueling hike to the rim of the volcano.

Some of the topics we discuss in this episode:

  • What happened in the months leading up to the eruption
  • What kind of devastation the blast caused 
  • Why so many people died as a result of the eruption
  • Why the area was made a national monument
  • Tips as to how to prepare for your climb to the rim of the volcano
  • What it was like to stand on the edge of the crater
  • Other things to do and see in the park

Links to more information:

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