Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast

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 …

You might think that a seashore park is just sand beaches, but Point Reyes also has open grasslands and forested ridges that are home to 1,500 species of plants and animals. And for humans, the park offers a wide …

In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us. In this …

When visiting Grand Canyon National Park, one of the world's seven natural wonders, should you visit the North Rim, the South Rim, or both? In this …

This episode is devoted to Smokey Bear, the beloved spokesanimal of the United States Forest Service, who spreads awareness about how to prevent accidental, human-caused wildfires. We discuss how and why the Smokey …

#81: Our Favorite Ranger-led Tours

National Park Service sites across the country offer a wide variety of ranger-led tours, and in this episode, we talk about some of our favorites. From Glacier Bay National Park in …

In our Mailbag episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, road trips, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us. In this episode, we share …

#79: Mailbag: Pinnacles National Park, and much more!

In our Mailbag episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, road trips, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever …

Home to one of the deepest and narrowest canyons in the world, this park in west-central Colorado is a must-see destination, even if you only spend a …

In this episode, we take you to Capitol Reef National Park, one of the most diverse national parks in Utah: it has incredible hiking trails, scenic …

In this Mailbag! episode, we share some of our hiking suggestions in Saguaro National Park and the surrounding area, how to determine if you’re ready to tackle a 10- to 15-mile hike, and how to practice shooting bear …

Who hasn’t stared in awe at the Milky Way and been lost in wonder thinking about the billions of stars that make up our galaxy? In this episode, we’re talking about a special category of public lands called Dark Sky …

With majestic peaks in every direction, wildlife roaming the valleys, and some of the most incredible hiking trails in the country, it’s no wonder …

We’re heading to the Northeast part of the country in this episode, to Acadia National Park in Maine. Called the Crown Jewell of the North Atlantic Coast, Acadia has a diverse array of rocky coastlines, granite …

In our mailbag episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, road trips, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us. In this episode, we share …

Join us for a thrilling ride as we take you on some of our favorite white-knuckle drives. These are roads we’ve discovered during our travels that …

Join us on a trip to California, to one of the country's oldest and most popular national parks, Yosemite. Home to soaring granite domes, some of the …

Today we’re taking you with us to one of the Mighty Five National Parks in Utah: Zion. In this episode, we share with you our version of how to spend …

In our mailbag episodes, we answer questions from listeners about traveling, hiking, public lands, outdoor gear, and whatever else is on their minds. In this episode, the questions are about travel: how we decide where …

In today's episode, we're discussing some of our favorite things to do and see in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. We talk about the scenic drives in the park, some of the best photography spots, and a few of our …

Arches is a red-rock wonderland of fins, spires, pinnacles, and arches -- 2,000 of them! Throw in some great hiking trails and a very scenic drive, and you’ve got a lot of choices of things to see and do throughout the …

#65: How to Plan Your National Park Trips

Planning a road trip can be as much fun as the trip itself. The anticipation and excitement ahead of time are some of the best parts of the experience. But the planning can also …

In our mailbag episodes, we answer questions from listeners about traveling, hiking, public lands, outdoor gear, and whatever else is on their minds. In this episode, we answer questions about Wrangell St. Elias …

Today we’re talking about Christmas trees. Specifically, everything you need to know about the program run by the National Forest Service, where you can buy a permit online and head out to your national forest to cut …

The island of Maui has more to offer than lounge chairs on the beach and tropical drinks. It's home to Haleakala National Park. With a 10,000-foot summit, the park is the perfect place to watch the sunrise over the …

In this episode, we talk about our recent 700-mile road trip through Northern Arizona, the perfect week-long tour of some of the most iconic sites in the American Southwest. Starting in Sedona, we worked our way …

Bryce Canyon National Park has something for everyone: hikes, jaw-dropping overlooks, scenic drives, a historic hotel, good pizza, and a cave. And with a bit of planning, you can do it all in one perfect day. We’ve been …

Shake up your Thanksgiving routine by celebrating in a national park. Many of the park lodges and restaurants offer traditional Thanksgiving feasts. …

What could be more magical than watching new land being formed as lava flows from the mouth of a volcano? Hawaii Volcanoes National Park protects and …

Give the gift of adventure. In this, our annual gear and gift guide, we talk about the gear we use, love, and in some cases, absolutely can’t live …

Are you thinking about visiting our nation’s 63rd national park, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia? Then you’re in luck. In this episode, we talk about our recent visit to New River Gorge National …

Did you know that Mammoth Cave National Park preserves the longest known cave system in the world? Here’s another fact you might not know: many people think the cave is haunted. Join us for this episode as we give an …

In our mailbag episodes, we answer questions from listeners about traveling, hiking, public lands, outdoor gear, and whatever else is on their minds. …

The trail to The Subway is one of the least traveled yet most spectacular in Zion National Park. Over countless years, water has carved a unique, …

Starting at the shore of Lake Powell in northern Arizona, Antelope Canyon stretches for over twenty miles as it snakes its way south through pristine Navajo land. Over millions of years, water and wind carved several …

In our mailbag episodes, we answer questions from listeners about traveling, hiking, public lands, outdoor gear, and whatever else is on their minds. In this episode, we’re talking about road trips, train trips, bears, …

We get a lot of questions from people asking us what parks they should visit during specific times of the year. On today’s episode we’re going season …

From historic hotels to jaw-dropping vistas to spectacular hiking trails, Glacier has it all. Because of its mountainous terrain, activities and …

The Crown of the Continent, Glacier National Park is one of the most visited and beloved destinations in the National Park System. In this part 1 of 2 episodes on the park, we discuss one of its most unique aspects: …

Over the years while we explored the national parks, we also found a lot of unique and authentic places to eat, and today we’re sharing some of our favorites. In this mid-summer bonus episode, we provide a sampling of …

Our country’s national parks are frequently referred to as “America’s Best Idea,” for good reason. There are 423 National Park Service sites that protect everything from natural wonders to historical sites to endangered …

The southwest corner of South Dakota has an incredible variety of National Park Service sites to explore, and one of our favorites is Badlands …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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

Some of the questions/topics we …

What’s in your backpack? To prevent emergencies from happening while you’re hiking, and to deal with any that might arise, it’s important to include items from the Ten Essentials list. The National Park Service …

Alaska’s eight national parks contain some of the most spectacular wilderness areas in the NPS system, but two of them, Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk …

One of the most beautiful state parks in the country, Utah’s Dead Horse Point State Park, offers jaw-dropping views and incredible hiking trails. You …

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

Some of the questions/topics we discuss in …

New Mexico has so many natural and historical wonders you’ll have to visit several times to see them all. But if you have a free week, might we suggest that you start in Albuquerque and make a big loop the way we did a …

When we set out to visit all of the national parks, we drove past countless national monuments on our quest to check all the parks off our bucket …

Who hasn’t dreamed of seeing the tallest peak in North America close up? Denali, at 20,308 feet in elevation, and its namesake national park are …

Our first all-mailbag episode. Thank you for all the questions and comments you’ve sent to us about our podcast. We thought we’d try something new and dedicate an entire show to answering your questions. It was a lot of …

In this episode we take you with us on a journey to six of our favorite state parks as we talk about what makes each of these parks unique and why we think they’re astounding. With more than ten thousand state parks …

Saddle up, partner! Apologies for the corny opening, but—spoiler alert—more horse-related puns are awaiting you in this episode. We’ve taken many …

Taking a wish out of Karen’s bucket, in 2016 we braved the hike down into the Grand Canyon to Havasu Falls with our friends John and Lolly. …

In this episode we talk about some of our favorite hikes in the national parks. It took us a couple of tries to record this one because we had too …

Despite its not-so-enticing name, Death Valley National Park is one of our favorite destinations, especially in the winter months. Being the lowest, driest, and hottest place in North America, you might be surprised …

In this end-of-the-year episode, we talk about many of the topics listeners have suggested to us that aren’t long enough for a full episode. We also …

Little did we know when we cavalierly made the announcement ten years ago that we were going to visit every U.S. national park that we had just signed up for a trip to the Southern Hemisphere. The National Park of …

In this second part of our mini-series about floating the Colorado River in a small wooden dory boat, we share stories from our second trip through …

For years we’d ask people who’d traveled the world, “What’s the best outdoor adventure trip you’ve ever taken?” To our surprise, the same answer came …

No state in the Union has more public space than Alaska; nearly 90% of the land is owned by the state or federal government, and amongst the vast, untamed lands are eight national parks. Lake Clark National Park, about …

The holidays are fast approaching, and if you have trouble finding the perfect gift for the outdoor enthusiast on your list, you’ll want to check out …

Brilliant, breathtaking, and magnificent are just some of the words we would use to describe the scenic drives we discuss in this episode. That is if …

Featuring a park in our home state of Washington on this episode, we discuss some of the highlights and must-sees at Olympic National Park. From the rugged coastline of the Pacific Ocean to the blue glaciers hanging off …

While visiting Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks in the winter can feel like stepping into a Christmas card photo, staying in a nearby Forest Service cabin with no electricity or indoor plumbing isn’t always so …

It was a close call for sure. Had the government not stepped in to protect the land that today makes up these magnificent parks, the Giant Sequoias may have been lost forever. These amazing trees are a natural wonder …

We had all but given up on ever getting a permit to hike to one of the most sought-after sites in the American Southwest: The Wave in Northern Arizona. But in the fall of 2019, an email from a kind and generous stranger …

It is by far the most frequent question we get from readers and listeners: How much did it cost you to visit all 62 national parks? This bonus episode is essentially a detailed mail bag response to this very question. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

You’ll often see the same handful of National Parks topping the “best of” lists, but there are some real hidden gems out there too that are worth …

Of all the experiences we had while traveling to the U.S. national parks, bear watching in Katmai National Park is at the top of the list. Tucked …

Join Matt and Karen as they descend 750 feet underground to explore what Karen thinks is one of the most magical places in the entire U.S. national park system: Carlsbad Caverns. Matt’s not a huge fan of dark, scary …

Standing in waist-deep water while looking up at the towering canyon walls, the scene was breath-taking. Or, maybe it was the cold water splashing …

Have you ever wanted to take an RV on an adventure into the National Parks? So did we, so we rented one in Arizona and toured the southern part of the state for a week. Join us as we explore Chiricahua National Monument …

What's it like to wake up with a view of Crater Lake from your bedroom window? In this episode, we gleefully revisit some of our favorite National …

Would you go into a fiery furnace on purpose if you knew you’d probably get lost, have to squeeze through narrow openings, and be forced to crab walk …

Join us on our backpacking trip to Sahale Glacier in North Cascades National Park. Along with our friends John and Lolly, we braved the treacherous …

It's here! Episode 1 - the very first episode of our brand new podcast. We can't wait for you to hear it!

In this episode:

• A tour of the National …

Dear Bob and Sue launches January 30th, 2020.

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