Parkography

This week on Parkography, we look at the Trump administration’s directive that’s leading to the removal of exhibits and signs about slavery, Native American displacement, labor history, and climate change at national parks across the country. We also examine new polling showing strong bipartisan opposition in Western states to the nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management, and a lawsuit challenging new federal rules that limit public input on logging, drilling, and wildlife management projects in national forests. We’ll also cover new policies making it easier to lease public lands for oil and gas de...

When Toni Henthorn fell to her death during an anniversary hike in Rocky Mountain National Park, it was first reported as a tragic accident in rugged terrain. But almost immediately, park rangers noticed that the scene didn’t match the story. The location was far from the trail, the drop was steeper than described, and photographs taken just minutes before the fall raised troubling questions. As investigators began to dig deeper, they uncovered another death years earlier — one that had also been ruled an accident, and that now looked disturbingly similar. What followed was a long and comp...

In this episode, I'm again breaking down the various types of passes available for national parks and other federal recreation areas, now updated with the new non-resident pass and non-resident fees. We have all of the details about how that will work for residents and non-residents alike.  I'll explain the America the Beautiful Pass, the Senior Pass, the Access Pass, and the Military Pass, detailing their benefits and eligibility criteria. Learn which pass is right for you, how to obtain it, and how to maximize your visits to federal lands.  Order your passes online here: https://store.us...

The Grand Canyon's South Rim has closed lodging due to significant waterline breaks, while Theodore Roosevelt National Park completed a $51 million road rehabilitation project. The Interior Department is reviewing park merchandise to remove DEI themes, and the 'American Products in Parks Act' was introduced to mandate that all products sold in National Park Service gift shops be American-made. Additionally, Arkansas is creating a new state park at Blanchard Springs, and Florida State Parks need $760 million in repairs. New Jersey is rebranding its state parks in preparation for the USA's 250th birthday. Finally, there are concerns about reduced wildfire mitigation...

In this episode, how three young boys petitioned the Department of the Interior to open the gates to Yellowstone National Park each Christmas Eve, in anticipation of Santa's annual visit.  Find the  Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography Join the PARKography Facebook group to discuss this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parkography

In this episode: National park entrance is about to get much more expensive for foreign visitors, plus digital passes are here, and more.  Find the  Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography Join the PARKography Facebook group to discuss this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parkography The video on explaining passes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBfqPOoEu4w&t=357s  

This week: National parks reopen after the government shutdown — but not before one of them gets hit with a rash of graffiti. Winter closures are rolling in across the park system, including some big changes at Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. The Park Service is trying to hire 500 new law enforcement rangers with an eye-popping $70,000 bonus… while a new academic study shows national parks are still some of the safest places you can visit. We’ll also look at the Justice Department’s renewed crackdown on marijuana use on federal land, the controversy surrounding the nominee to lead the Bureau o...

In this episode, I'll break down the various types of passes available for national parks and other federal recreation areas. I'll explain the America the Beautiful Pass, the Senior Pass, the Access Pass, and the Military Pass, detailing their benefits and eligibility criteria. Learn which pass is right for you, how to obtain it, and how to maximize your visits to federal lands.  Order your passes online here: https://store.usgs.gov/recreational-passes Get the Every Kid Outdoors 4th & 5th Grade Pass here: https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm Find the  Slinky Stove that's right fo...

Highlights include the National Park Service prosecuting BASE jumping cases in Yosemite, the Trump administration reopening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas leasing, and closures in the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Mobile District campgrounds. We'll also cover the reopening of the Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Campground in the Grand Canyon, a new federal coal leasing plan, the loss of the National Park Service's only petroleum engineer, and a controversial owl culling plan.  Find the  Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography Join the...

“There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth; remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them…”  In this episode of Parkography, we explore Everglades National Park and the incredible life of Marjory Stoneman Douglas.  Find the  Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography Join the PARKography Facebook group to discuss this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parkography

This week’s national park news roundup covers a wave of potential job cuts across the Department of the Interior — including hundreds from the National Park Service — plus new legislation in Congress aimed at tackling wildfires and forest management. We’ll also look at wildlife making surprising moves in Yellowstone and Michigan, new state parks opening in Tennessee, major campground expansion plans in Michigan, and California’s push to bring art and culture into its parks. Find the  Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography Join the PARKography...

This week’s national park news roundup covers a wave of potential job cuts across the Department of the Interior — including hundreds from the National Park Service — plus new legislation in Congress aimed at tackling wildfires and forest management. We’ll also look at wildlife making surprising moves in Yellowstone and Michigan, new state parks opening in Tennessee, major campground expansion plans in Michigan, and California’s push to bring art and culture into its parks. Find the  Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography Join the PARKography...

On the northern shores of Minnesota lies a remote waterscape steeped in history, nature, and tradition. Named for the wild men who paddled its waterways in the Canadian fur trade, Voyageurs National Park is home to nesting bald eagles, moose, grey wolves, black bears, loons, owls, otters, beavers, and a vast array of other wildlife. Most of its hidden waterways remain untouched, and pristine boreal forests cover the landscape, where on a cloudless pre-dawn morning under the northern lights, you can almost hear the echo of the songs sung by fur traders traveling in their massive canoes.  F...

One week in, we have a clear as mud idea about which National Parks and areas of parks are open and which aren't. In this episode, I'll show you where to find the most up to date info, and former National Park Superintendents share with us some more details about how a shutdown works and the concerns over protecting parks during one. Find the  Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography Join the PARKography Facebook group to discuss this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/p...

This week’s National Parks & Public Lands News Roundup covers the impending federal government shutdown and its affect on National Parks, an expansion of coal mining on federal lands, the re-opening of the north rim of the Grand Canyon, vandalism at Gettysburg, and more. Find the  Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography Join the PARKography Facebook group to discuss this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parkography Check out our other channels focused on RV travel:   @RVMiles    @RVMilesPodcast ​ 00:00 Introduct...

This week’s National Parks & Public Lands News Roundup covers some big and controversial stories: Reports that slavery- and racism-related exhibits are being removed from multiple National Park Service sites following a new Interior Department directive. A proposal to create “Florida Springs National Park” is facing growing opposition. The Interior Department’s plan to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule. The launch of a brand-new U.S. Wildland Fire Service to modernize wildfire response. A major water system failure at Mount Rainier’s Paradise Inn. A tragic fatality at Grand Canyon National Park. Zion National Park reopeni...

At the edge of Utah and Colorado, where canyons plunge and rivers carve through stone, lies Dinosaur National Monument — a place known today for Jurassic fossils and wild rivers. But hidden within its history is the story of a woman who lived on the frontier with grit, resilience, and ties to some of the West’s most notorious outlaws. This episode of Parkography explores the life of Josie Bassett Morris — rancher, homesteader, friend (and sometimes lover) of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch — who carved out a life of independence in one of the harshest landscapes of the American W...

Law enforcement rangers cleared an illegal cannabis grow in Sequoia National Park, where they found thousands of plants, toxic chemicals, and major environmental damage. A new national park could be coming to Florida—legislation has been introduced to study the creation of “Florida Springs National Park.” Workers at Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon have voted overwhelmingly to unionize, joining a growing movement across the Park Service. Plus: new hunting and fishing opportunities at wildlife refuges, the Maurice Bathhouse restoration at Hot Springs, a fruitless year at Capitol Reef’s orchards, and more. The NPS report, via National Parks Tr...

Everyone knows about America’s 13 original colonies… but did you know there was almost a 14th? In 1775, a private land deal known as The Transylvania Purchase sought to create a brand-new colony in the rugged mountains where Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee meet. Frontiersman Daniel Boone carved the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap, opening America’s first true gateway to the West. But the plan was tangled in conflict with Indigenous nations, colonial governments, and the Revolution itself. In this episode of Parkography, Jason explores the rise and fall of the Colony of Transylvania, the battle...

A ranger stabbed in a Colorado state park, hundreds exposed to rabies at Grand Teton, Isle Royale wolf put down, plus updates on hurricane closures, statue restoration, peak renaming, and more national park news. Find the  Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography Join the PARKography Facebook group to discuss this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parkography Check out our other channels focused on RV travel:   @RVMiles    @RVMilesPodcast ​ 00:00 Introduction 00:07 Colorado Park Ranger Stabbing Incident 00:59 Rabies Exposure at Jack...