15 Our Favorite Places in Yellowstone

Few places, if any, in the lower 48 states have remained as wild and undisturbed as Yellowstone National Park. Sure, there are roads and boardwalks throughout the park to accommodate the millions of annual visitors, but its wildlife and unique landscape remind you that this part of our great country has never been tamed. Out of all the 62 national parks that we’ve visited, there is no place like Yellowstone. Because of its size and the many points of interest, to really see and experience all the wonders of this park will require more than a visit or two, preferably in different seasons. In this episode of The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, we discuss our favorite places to visit inside the park and share a few tips we’ve learned from our trips.

Some topics and places we discuss include:

  • A brief history of the world’s first national park
  • Why there are so many geysers in Yellowstone (That’s geysers, the things that shoot hot water into the air, not geezers.)
  • Best times to visit the park
  • A bit about the large mammals you’ll likely see
  • Our favorite places in the different areas of the park: North, Central West, Central East, and more
  • A few hiking tips and suggestions
  • And, in our mail bag segment, we discuss why we didn’t narrate our Dear Bob and Sue audiobooks

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14 Outdoorsy in Vegas

Come on seven! Mama needs a new pair of shoes! Yep, you’re in the right place, this is still The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast. Except, this episode has a bit of a twist. In it we explore many of the great public lands that are within day-tripping-distance from—that’s right—Las Vegas. During our many visits to Sin City over the years, we’ve managed to take a few breaks from the general debauchery of The Strip to explore some of the magnificent outdoor attractions in the area. And there are many. So leave the sequined dress and sharkskin suit in your hotel room closet and join us as we get outdoorsy in the desert just beyond the glare of the neon signs.

Some topics and places we discuss include:

  • How and why we got started collecting National Park passport stamps
  • Red Rock Canyon – a desert beauty with towering red cliffs offers an escape for hikers, bikers, horseback riders, and even drivers who just want to cruise along the 13-mile scenic drive
  • Valley of Fire State Park – this amazing park has a little bit of everything: petroglyphs, petrified wood, amazing rock formations, a slot canyon, and even an “elephant” arch
  • Lake Mead National Recreation Area – America’s first and largest national recreation area boasts two lakes and nine wilderness areas with miles of hiking trails, showcasing its spectacular scenery whether you’re on the water or on a trail 
  • Mojave National Preserve – Covering a whopping million and a half acres, this preserve has sand dunes, cinder cone volcanoes, and the world’s largest Joshua tree forest
  • And, of course, at the end of the episode we answer a question from the mail bag

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13 The Great American Bison Road Trip

Who doesn’t love an end-of-summer road trip? Few activities compare to the joy of packing a duffel bag full of stuff, filling the snack bag with Cheez-Its and animal crackers, and heading down the open road with all of your cares in the rearview mirror. It’s even better when you have a theme. In this episode, we talk about a buffalo-themed road trip we took across the northern plains states to some national and state parks where we visited as many public bison herds as we could fit into two weeks. You’ll also hear about some of the trails we hiked and places we visited along the way. 

Some topics and places we discuss include:

  • Fun facts about bison (or “buffalo” if you prefer)
  • National Bison Range, Montana
  • Theodore Roosevelt National Park, N. Dakota
  • Bear Butte State Park, S. Dakota
  • Custer State Park and the Black Hills, S. Dakota
  • Badlands NP, S. Dakota
  • Devil’s Tower, Wyoming
  • Yellowstone NP
  • Grand Teton NP
  • And more

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12 Misadventures in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

Over 120 years ago, the Klondike Gold Rush attracted more than 100,000 people from around the world with the lure of wealth and adventure. All that stood in the way of the prospectors’ dream of finding gold was a year-long journey to a remote area in the Yukon Territory, which included a treacherous 33-mile trail over a steep mountain pass in Alaska. Today, that trail—the Chilkoot Trail—lies within a national park; half in the U.S. and half in Canada. In this episode, we talk about our 2018 attempt to trace the gold rushers’ footsteps and backpack the famous trail with our friends, John and Lolly. We share the story of an epic hike in the wilderness of Alaska that turned out to be one of our biggest adventures to date.

 

Some highlights from this episode include:

  • How we got the idea in the first place to hike the Chilkoot Trail
  • A brief history of the Klondike Gold Rush and what it was like for the prospectors who braved the journey
  • Planning our trip and the logistics involved
  • What it was like hiking the trail in August during one of the most torrential rainstorms in decades
  • What went very wrong on the third day, as we attempted to summit Chilkoot Pass
  • How we made it through our ordeal with the help of three excellent NPS rangers
  • And hear from our special guests, John and Lolly, who join us on this episode 

 

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11 Beyond Utah’s Mighty Five National Parks

The five national parks in Utah are spectacular and draw millions of visitors each year for a good reason. But the public lands surrounding these parks are also packed with natural wonders worth experiencing. You could spend countless days visiting the national monuments, state parks, and tribal parks in southern Utah, gazing at their one-of-a-kind rock formations, hunting for ancient Puebloan ruins, and hiking through pristine landscapes. In this episode, we talk about some of the sites you should consider adding to your itinerary on your next road trip to the Southwest.

Some of the places we discuss include:

  • Monument Valley
  • Goosenecks State Park (SP)
  • Valley of the Gods
  • Hovenweep National Monument (NM)
  • Natural Bridges NM
  • Bear Ears NM
  • Goblin Valley SP
  • Dead Horse Point SP
  • Grand Staircase Escalante NM
  • Cedar Breaks NM
  • And more…

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10 Trailer Tales from California’s Desert Parks

Teardrop trailers sure look cute and romantic, but what’s it like actually sleeping in one? Today we’re sharing what we learned as we camped in a teardrop trailer in three parks in southern California. Find out what additional equipment you may need to bring with you, the best situations to use a teardrop, and whether we liked it in the end. We also talk about the best seasons for visiting different parks in our mail bag section. 

In this episode we discuss:

  • Picking up the trailer
  • Why winter may not be the best season for teardrop camping
  • The camping sites and hikes we enjoyed in the Mojave Preserve, Joshua Tree, and Death Valley NPs
  • Finding romance on Valentine’s Day in the national parks
  • The importance of researching what season is best in what park

Links:

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