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PODCAST

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast

Matt and Karen Smith

In Dear Bob and Sue, authors Matt and Karen Smith share stories of their travels to all of the U.S. National Park as well as other spectacular public lands. From adventures gone awry to memorable moments and Q&As from readers, get to know the couple behind the books and get inspired to go on some adventures of your own.

society & culture places & travel

All Episodes

65:18

#171: An Epic Road Trip Along California’s Highway 395

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2025/10/24

#171: An Epic Road Trip Along California’s Highway 395The 150-mile stretch of Highway 395 from Bridgeport to Lone Pine takes travelers through a landscape of wide valleys, alpine lakes, volcanic wonders, and Old West history. Running along the eastern edge of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, this is one of the most scenic drives in the West. On our recent trip, we revisited some of our favorite places along the route, including towns and landmarks that feel like the land that time

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50:52

#170: Yosemite’s Curry Village: The Good, The Bad and...

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2025/05/19

Nestled below the granite cliffs of Yosemite Valley is a village bustling with visitors year-round. For over a century, Curry Village has welcomed guests who want to stay in this magnificent valley yet are looking for an affordable option to the other pricier accommodations nearby, namely The Ahwahnee Hotel and Yosemite Lodge.With over 500 rooms and tents, several eating options, a grocery store, a mountain outfitter, and more, visitors have everything they need to enjoy the valley without having

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40:38

#169: Our Most Excellent Northern Arizona RV Adventure

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2025/04/17

This episode is sponsored by GO RVING™Nothing says “All American Road Trip” more than loading up an RV, hitting the road, and having an adventure. And that’s exactly what we did recently with the help from our friends at GO RVING™ In the spring of 2025, we rented an RV in Phoenix and drove up to Page, Arizona where we spent five days and four nights enjoying the Roam America Horseshoe Bend campground and exploring this incredible part of the Southwest. The trip was an epic adventure, and in

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53:39

#168: Mailbag!

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2025/03/10

In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.In this episode, we cover these topics: · An alternative to visiting the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park while the road is closed due to flood damage, · Road trip suggestions for visiting the Washington and Oregon coasts, · How to deal with crowding in the parks and

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58:22

#167: Three Perfect Days in Sedona, Arizona

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2025/02/25

Visitors flock to Sedona, Arizona, for a multitude of reasons: the red rock landscape, the concentration of incredible hiking trails, the culinary scene, and the focus on spiritual wellness. In this episode, we'll share some of our favorite experiences on our recent trip.We'll give you an overview of Sedona, including where it's located, the optimal times to visit, and some great food we discovered, like the best donuts, margaritas, and pizza. But the main attraction, where we focus much of our

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52:08

#166: Five More Phenomenal State Parks

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2025/01/30

National parks, forests, and other federal lands are not the only incredible outdoor destinations in America. Wherever we travel, we make a point to check out the state parks along the way, and we’re constantly amazed at the ones we find. In episodes #30 and #121, we discussed some of our favorite state parks. In this episode, we bring you five more we’ve visited recently. From a spectacular cave in Montana to a dramatic rock spire on the edge of the Columbia River in Washington state, these five

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67:15

#165: Olympic National Park: Top Ten Things to See...

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2025/01/16

There’s a reason to visit Olympic National Park any time of year. While summer is best, each season offers visitors a chance to enjoy this incredibly diverse natural resource. Regardless of how often we visit Olympic we always leave wanting to go back as soon as we can find another couple of free days.Olympic National Park might be more popular than most people realize. In 2023, it was the tenth most visited U.S. national park, with 2,947,503 visitors. Yet despite the number of visitors, it doesn't

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45:59

#164: An Epic Winter National Park Road Trip in the...

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2025/01/09

Are you looking for a break from the cold, gray days of winter? We have a perfect solution: a road trip loop through the American Southwest that will take you to four national parks with some bonus stops along the way.We start and end the road trip at the Las Vegas airport. From there, we drive east to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park before heading south to the red rocks of Sedona for a couple of days. Continuing on, we make our way down to the Tucson area, where Saguaro National Park

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50:49

#163: Mailbag: Our Trip to Italy’s Dolomites and More!

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/10/01

In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.In this episode, we cover these topics: · An overview of recent national park news, · A discussion about our trip to Italy and our experience in the beautiful Dolomites, · Our opinion about what not to miss on a visit to Cuyahoga National Park, · Whether it’s worth

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54:48

#162: Glacier National Park Planning Guide

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/08/29

Glacier National Park is considered the “crown of the continent” because of its pristine beauty, rugged wilderness, and magnificent wildlife. While the park is open all year, summer is the primetime for visitors. However, the window to visit while the park is relatively snow-free and the main roads are open is narrow.With a limited number of days to experience all the park offers, competition for lodging and activity reservations is keen. In this episode, we give an overview of what you need to

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51:06

#161: Mailbag: Petrified Forest National Park and More!

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/07/22

In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.In this episode, we cover these topics: · Zion National Park is working on a new visitor use management plan, · Issues related to Mount Rainier National Park’s new timed-entry system this summer (2024), · Tips on making the most of a visit to Petrified Forest National

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63:49

#160: Bucket List Adventures in the National Parks

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/06/27

What’s on your bucket list? It’s a topic everyone is talking about these days, and we have a few suggestions for anyone who loves our national parks and public lands.Back in the day, our list was simple; visit all the U.S. national parks. But once we checked them all off, we realized our list was longer than when we started. In this episode, we talk about some of the most popular places to see and things to do that people put on their bucket list; what they want to do before they kick the

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56:17

#159: An Epic Colorado National Park Road Trip Loop

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/06/13

Join us as we take you on an epic road trip to all four of Colorado’s national parks!These four parks are incredibly diverse, and this trip will have you driving through alpine forests in the Rocky Mountains, hiking up the tallest sand dunes in North America, climbing ladders as you explore cultural treasures, and standing on the rim of a seemingly bottomless dark canyon. We’ve organized this episode with the road trip starting in Denver and driving clockwise around the state, but you can pick

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59:11

#158: Three Perfect Days in the Columbia River Gorge

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/05/02

Carved by the once-wild Columbia River, the Columbia River Gorge is a dramatic canyon that snakes through the Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest on its way to the Pacific Ocean. It's an area of stunning natural beauty with endless outdoor adventure options.Using the town of Hood River, Oregon, as our home base, we recently visited the gorge in search of waterfalls. (The area has nearly 100.) And being that it was spring when we were there, the waterfalls did not disappoint -- especially the

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58:22

#157: Celebrating National Park Week

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/04/18

Each year, the National Park Service celebrates National Park Week in April. And this year, they’ve planned events from April 20th through April 28th. In this episode, we highlight some of the activities that will happen during National Park Week, give a brief history of the creation of the NPS, and interview our special guest, Jacob Wolfley, who recently spent a summer as an intern park range at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. Jacob will enlighten us on what it takes to score a job or

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59:34

#156: Mailbag: Visiting Guadalupe Mountains National...

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/04/04

In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.In this episode, we cover these topics: · An overview of some of the closures within the national parks this year, · Suggestions for hikes in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, · Tips for avoiding altitude sickness when traveling to high-elevation parks, · Common

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64:51

#155: Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National...

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/03/21

One of the most frequent questions we get from travelers is how to plan a visit to Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton NPs in a single road trip. In this episode, we cover all the details you’ll need to do just that.Without a doubt, these three parks are at the top of our “most spectacular” list. Each has its unique history and landscape, yet they’re all great places to witness once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounters. The other thing they have in common is that they all have mountainous

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56:18

#154: Mailbag: Visiting Virgin Islands National Park...

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/03/07

In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.In this episode, we cover these topics: · News about a faster way to enter Rocky Mountain National Park this summer, · Update about cabin demolitions within Olympic National Park, · Travel advice for a listener wanting to visit the Pacific Northwest this fall to see the

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49:20

#153: The Legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers in Our...

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/02/29

Long before the National Park Service was founded, the U.S. Army was put in charge of protecting America’s national parks. One of the groups that played a crucial role in fulfilling this invaluable service to our country was the Buffalo Soldiers: African American officers and enlisted men serving in the Army.When the regimen stationed in San Francisco was tasked with protecting and developing infrastructure in Sequoia and General Grant (now Kings Canyon) National Parks, these incredibly

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33:50

#152: Dry Tortugas National Park Update

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast ·

2024/02/26

Dry Tortugas National Park is in a category of its own: pre-civil war fort, 70 miles out to sea with nothing else around it, incredible history, beautiful tropical keys with campsites, and right in the path of the most powerful hurricanes on the planet. Nowhere else can you visit a place with world-class snorkeling and see the rooms where they held the most dangerous civil war prisoners. In this episode, we discuss some recent updates about the park, provide details about visiting and camping

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174 results

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