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Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park doesn't look like a traditional national park — and that's intentional. Created in 2002, it's a partnership park where the federal government owns just 130 of the park's 3,700 acres. The rest belongs to private landowners, nonprofits, and organizations that have been protecting this Shenandoah Valley land for decades.

The result is a park woven into the community of Middletown, Virginia — battlefields, historic homes, hiking trails, and centuries of stories from the region's deep history. Ranger Adam Prado joins The Parks Podcast to explain how to visit a park unlike any other.

In this episode: — What a partnership park is — and why Cedar Creek and Belle Grove is one of the best examples — From backcountry to breadbasket to battlefield and beyond — the park's full historical arc — The Battle of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864 — the Confederacy's last stand in the Shenandoah Valley — The Confederate surprise attack at dawn and the woman who watched it from her window as a little girl — How to navigate a park without a traditional entrance — where to start and what to see — The 19th Corps Trenches Trail, the Morning Attacks Trail, and the driving tour — Chatham-style manor houses, enslaved history, and the ongoing archaeological work at Belle Grove — Connections to Shenandoah National Park, Harpers Ferry, Manassas, and D.C. — an entire region of history within reach

Links mentioned: — Plan your visit: nps.gov/cebe — Belle Grove Plantation: bellegrove.org — Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation: cedarcreekbattlefield.org — NPS App for audio driving tour

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Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth, the lowest point in the United States, and one of the most misunderstood parks in the national park system. Drive through at noon in summer and it might seem like nothing but gray rocks. Wait for sunset — and everything turns purple, green, orange, and red.

This episode was recorded in August 2023, eleven days after Hurricane Hilary caused unprecedented flooding throughout Death Valley National Park. Ranger Abby Wines joins The Parks Podcast while the park is still recovering — and shares the full story of Death Valley, from the pupfish with a global population of 35 to the greatest con in the history of the American West, and everything you need to plan a safe, remarkable visit.

In this episode: — The Hurricane Hilary flooding and what it did to the park — The Devil's Hole pupfish — the world's rarest fish, with a population of 35 — How Death Valley got its name — and why the Timbisha Shoshone don't like it — Death Valley Scotty — the con man whose scam became a castle — The women of Death Valley history most people have never heard of — When to visit, where to stay, and how to camp — Safety — heat, navigation, and the most dangerous thing you'll do in the park — Top things to see: Badwater, Artist's Palette, Zabriskie Point, the Star Wars tour — Stargazing at one of the darkest sky parks in the country

Important: Always check nps.gov/deva for current park conditions before visiting.

Links mentioned: 

• Current park status: nps.gov/deva
• Camping reservations: recreation.gov 
• Oasis at Death Valley: oasisatdeathvalley.com  
• Rhyolite Ghost Town: near Beatty, Nevada

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Craters of the Moon National Monument in southern Idaho looks like the surface of the moon. That's not a metaphor — it's why four Apollo 14 astronauts came here in 1969 to train for their lunar mission, learning which rock samples would be most valuable to bring back from space.

The monument is 750,000 acres of hardened lava flows, cinder cones, and lava tube caves — created by eight volcanic eruptions over the past 15,000 years. Geologists believe we may be overdue for another one within the next 900 years. Interpretive Ranger Matt Pfeiffer joins The Parks Podcast to share everything you need to know about one of the most surreal landscapes in America.

In this episode: — How Craters of the Moon was created — and why it could erupt again within 900 years — The Great Rift — what causes these eruptions and why they look nothing like a traditional volcano — The caves — 500+ lava tube caves documented, 2 open to the public, and why they matter for bats — The Apollo 14 astronaut training story — How pika survive at Craters of the Moon when they typically need high-altitude cold — Hiking, backpacking, camping, and the North Crater Trail — Winter at Craters of the Moon — skiing the loop road and snow camping — Dogs, water safety, and what to know before you go

Links mentioned: — Plan your visit: nps.gov/crmo — Backcountry camping wilderness permit: free at the visitor center — Echo Crater: the most popular backcountry camping destination in the monument

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Halfway between Washington D.C. and Richmond — between two capitals at war — four of the Civil War's most significant battles were fought within a few miles of each other over 18 months. Fredericksburg. Chancellorsville. The Wilderness. Spotsylvania Court House.

Most people drive past this park every time they take I-95 between D.C. and Richmond. Ranger Mary O'Neill joins The Parks Podcast to explain what's hidden in those fields and forests — and how to actually experience one of the most historically rich, most undervisited parks near the nation's capital.

In this episode: — Why all four battles happened in the same small area — geography, strategy, and two capitals at war — The Battle of Fredericksburg — and why General Burnside decided to attack anyway — The Chancellorsville campaign and what it bookends with the Emancipation Proclamation — How the park was established — and why its founding story is more complicated than most — Chatham Manor — donated to the NPS in 1975, with a view of the battlefield across the river — The Fredericksburg National Cemetery Luminaria — 15,000 candles, one for each burial, Memorial Day weekend — Driving tours, hiking trails, ranger programs, and how to make the most of a half-day or full day — Dogs at the park — what's allowed and what's not

Links mentioned: — Plan your visit: nps.gov/frsp — NPS App for audio battlefield tours — Luminaria: held Saturday of Memorial Day weekend

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Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is the only place in the United States where organ pipe cactus grow wild. It's also home to scorpions that glow bright green under UV light, bats that migrate from central Mexico following the blooming of the cacti, a great blue heron living in the middle of the desert, and some of the darkest skies in the country.

This is the Green Desert — the most biodiverse desert in the United States — and it's one of the most undervisited national monuments in the system.

Digital Interpretation and Education Ranger Kate Blanch joins The Parks Podcast to share the full story: the UNESCO designation, the ranching history, the border crossing, the campground with free solar showers, and everything you need to plan a remarkable visit.

In this episode: — What an organ pipe cactus is — and why this is the only place in the US they grow naturally — The UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation — what it means and why this park was chosen — The ranching and mining history — and what happened when the park was created in 1937 — Scorpions that glow green under UV light — and the ranger programs that make it magical — Bats that migrate from central Mexico following the blooming cacti — the nectar trail — Why summertime is actually one of the best times to visit despite the heat — The border crossing experience — what to expect at the checkpoints — Twin Peaks Campground (208 sites, free solar showers) and Alamo Canyon (4 primitive sites, stunning) — The "I Hike for Health" program — 5 miles, a photo, and a commemorative pin — Dark skies, Milky Way visibility, and telescope programs in season — Dogs at Organ Pipe — 4+ miles of pet-friendly trails — Park passes — the America the Beautiful pass, the 4th Grade Free pass, and what everything costs

Links mentioned: — Plan your visit: nps.gov/orpi — Camping reservations: recreation.gov — 4th Grade Free (Every Kid Outdoors): everykidoutdoors.gov — America the Beautiful pass: $80/year, covers all federal lands

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Shannon Jones, CEO & Founder of KeeKee's Big Adventure, will guide us on planning a trip with your family to the parks.

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Just 75 miles from the nation's capital, Shenandoah National Park stretches 105 miles along the Blue Ridge Mountains — home to Skyline Drive, 516 miles of hiking trails, and a creation story most visitors never hear.

The forest people fall in love with today was planted by Depression-era young men from the Civilian Conservation Corps. And before the park was established in 1935, approximately 500 families were displaced from the land to make way for it — a history the National Park Service is finally telling fully.

Interpretive Ranger Carl Rand joins The Parks Podcast to explore all of it: the park's complicated origin, the wildlife most visitors miss, why there's no bad time of year to visit, and everything you need to know to plan your trip — whether you're coming for a few hours or a few weeks.

In this episode: — Why Shenandoah was so important as one of the first eastern national parks — The CCC boys who literally planted the forest you're walking through today — The 500 families displaced to create the park — and the sociologists who distorted their story — Skyline Drive and why fall foliage season is unlike anything else — Wildlife you're probably missing: bobcats, bears, rattlesnakes, and the veery's two-toned call — Big Meadows, the Artists in Residence program, and the annual Night Sky Festival — Dogs at Shenandoah — what's allowed and what to know — How to plan your visit, where to enter, and what to pack

Links mentioned: 

- Plan your visit: nps.gov/shen 

- Four entrance station GPS addresses: nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/directions.htm

- Ranger programs calendar: nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/ranger-programs.htm

- Night Sky Festival: August annually

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The deed establishing Big Bend National Park crossed President Roosevelt's desk on June 6th, 1944 — D-Day. Even on the most pivotal day of World War II, someone thought it was worth setting this place aside.

Big Bend sits at the edge of the United States, sharing 118 miles with Mexico and protecting the darkest skies in the lower 48 states, more bird species than any other national park, and 10,000 years of human history in its desert, canyons, and mountains.

Tom Vandenberg, Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services at Big Bend, joins The Parks Podcast to tell the full story — the park's remarkable origin, the communities that called this land home for generations, and everything you need to know to plan your visit.

In this episode: — Why the park deed was signed on D-Day — and what that says about why parks matter — The biodiversity that makes Big Bend unlike any other park in the system — The history of the communities that lived here long before the park existed — A guide to the park's key areas: Chisos Basin, Panther Junction, Rio Grande Village, and Castolon — River trips through Santa Elena, Mariscal, and Boquillas Canyons — The darkest skies in the lower 48 — and how to plan around the moon cycle — Why birding at Big Bend belongs on every birder's bucket list — Camping reservations, peak season, dogs, and everything else you need to know before you go

Links mentioned:

Plan your visit

Camping reservations

Chisos Mountains Lodge

River outfitters

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In September 1957, nine Black teenagers walked through the doors of Little Rock Central High School — escorted by the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army. The governor of Arkansas had called out the National Guard to keep them out. The president had to intervene. And yet Ernest Green, Jefferson Thomas, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Elizabeth Eckford, Minnie Jean Brown Trickey, Melba Pattillo Beals, Terrence Roberts, and Thelma Mothershed walked in anyway.

Their story belongs in the national park system — and it is. Brian Schwiger, Chief of Interpretation at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, joins The Parks Podcast to tell the full story: the nine students most history books barely mention, the Lost Year when Governor Faubus closed every high school in Little Rock, and why a group of young women from Afghanistan knew this story by heart.

In this episode: — Why Little Rock Central High School is the only national park site with a functioning high school at its focal point — The nine students — their names, their grades, their extraordinary courage — Brown v. Board of Education and what happened in the years between 1954 and 1957 — The Lost Year — what it meant for 3,600 students when the governor closed the schools — The moment Minnie Jean Brown Trickey met a group of young women from Afghanistan — How to plan a visit — the visitor center, the commemorative garden, the Elizabeth Eckford Bench, and what it feels like to watch high school let out — The NPS audio tour recorded by Central High School students themselves

Links mentioned: — Plan your visit: nps.gov/chsc — NPS App: audio tour narrated by current Central High School students

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On January 10th, 2021, Missy Rentz packed her car and hit the road. 355 days later, she had camped in bear country, hiked mountains she wasn't ready for, watched a wolf chase a fox away from a bison carcass in Yellowstone, spent an hour photographing a rattlesnake in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and found what she'd been looking for — joy hiding in the everyday.

This is Episode 1 of The Parks Podcast — the origin story, the ten things the trip taught her, and an invitation to come along.

In this episode: — Why Missy left everything and hit the road for a year — The ten takeaways from 355 days of camping and hiking across America — What The Parks Podcast is and what you can expect every week — Missy's speed round: earliest park memory, favorite animal sightings, trail snacks, why she became a trekking pole convert, and why she thinks everyone can love the outdoors — even if they think they can't — Why hiking is just a walk and camping doesn't have to mean roughing it

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