Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#18: Winter in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

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 picture perfect. In this episode, we talk about many of our experiences in these two parks during the magical winter season, as well as the thrills and challenges of staying in rustic Forest Service cabins when the temperature dips well below freezing. Spoiler alert: walking through the snow to a pit toilet in the middle of the night with only a headlamp to scare away the bears is both a thrill and a challenge.

Some topics we discuss include:

Matt’s latest obsession with organizing all of our travel gear
Our experiences snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park during the winter
How Karen’s desire to get into the holiday spirit created our new tradition of visiting national parks every December
How to find and rent a Forest Service cabin
What it was like staying in a Forest Service cabin near Yellowstone with no heat, electricity or indoor plumbing, in December
What activities are available in Glacier National Park in the winter
Spending a few days in a Forest Service cabin near Glacier National Park
Our snowshoe experiences in and around Glacier
Would we rent a Forest Service cabin in the winter again?
And in our mail bag segment, we answer a question about whether we ever practiced shooting our expired bear spray, and if so, what did we learn.

Links to more information:

To see photos from our travels, visit our
Instagram account, or
TikTok account
Recreation.gov listing for Big Creek Cabin
Recreation.gov listing for Zips Place Cabin
Where to learn more about our books and travels
Join the conversation on Facebook

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#17: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Sep 24, 2020

Show notes

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 everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. And the trees in the parks are not the only natural wonder. As John Muir observed over 100 years ago, the valley of Kings Canyon, surrounded by its towering cliffs, is as equally breathtaking as Yosemite. Yet today, only a small fraction of the number of people who visit Yosemite make it to Kings. In this episode, we talk about our visits to these parks and what it’s like to spend a few days walking amongst giants.

Some topics we discuss include:

When our Photo of the Day Contest began and how Karen ended up becoming the sole judge of our travel photos
How we found out that Sequoia and Kings Canyon are managed as one unit
Matt’s filing system for all of our park literature
Hiking to the largest tree in the world in The Giant Forest in Sequoia NP
Other must-see sites close to The Giant Forest like Moro Rock and a tree you can drive through
Staying at the Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia and what Matt tried to buy in the gift shop
Visiting Grant Grove in Kings Canyon NP and the 2nd-largest tree in the world
Camping and hiking deep in Kings Canyon
And in our mail bag segment, we answer a question about which is better for hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park, trekking poles or one of those long, wooden poles you rent from a local outfitter.

Links to more information:

To see photos from our travels, visit our
Instagram account, or
TikTok account
Sequoia and Kings Canyon official website.
Where to learn more about our books and travels
Join the conversation on Facebook

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#16: The Wave in Northern Arizona Sep 10, 2020

Show notes

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 changed all of that. The adventure to this spectacular rock formation was as awe-inspiring as we’d heard it would be, and in this episode, we describe our experience at The Wave in January 2020. And if you think the excitement was over at the end of the hike, it wasn't. The drive back to civilization on the half-frozen dirt road was an adventure all its own.

Some topics we discuss include:

What it’s like to participate in the walk-in lottery for permits in Kanab, UT
The process for applying for a permit online, and a few tips on how to increase your chances of winning
How to prepare for hiking to The Wave in different seasons of the year—spoiler alert: it can be dangerously warm in the summer with no shade
Advice on navigating the sometimes-dicey House Rock Valley Road on the 8-mile drive to the trailhead
What to expect if/when you finally make it to The Wave
And in our mail bag segment, we share some tips about how we’ve reduced the weight in our backpacks on overnight trips, including some of the gear that goes into our packs and what we leave at home.

Links to more information:

To see photos from our travels, visit our
Instagram account, or
TikTok account
Bureau of Land Management site for The Wave where you can learn more about the site and find information about how to apply for a permit
Where to learn more about our books and travels
Join the conversation on Facebook

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Bonus Episode: How much it costs to visit all 62 national parks Aug 13, 2020

Show notes

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. While we know everyone’s expenses will be different based on where they live, where they stay in and around the parks, how they get there, and how long they spend in each park, in this episode we discuss what it cost us to visit them. We also provide some tips on how to plan a journey to all the national parks and a few ways to save money along the way.

Some topics we discuss include:

Brief overview on the categories of costs incurred when visiting the parks
How we planned our journey to all the parks
How much it cost us to visit all of them
A discussion of another couple’s accounting of their costs when visiting all of the parks (see link below)
Some ideas about how to group parks together into a single trip to save on travel costs
How we find lodging, hikes, and hidden gems along the way
And more!

Links to more information:

Map showing the order in which we visited the 59 national parks (We completed our tour in 2012 when there were 59 parks; today there are 62.)
NPS map of all the National Park units
Link to the NPS map site with further links to many of the NPS publications
Blog post where Lauren and Steven provide details of how much it cost them to visit all 62 national parks in 2019
Where to learn more about our books and travels
Join the conversation on Facebook - we want to hear from you!
Check out our Instagram account

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#15: Our Favorite Places in Yellowstone Jul 23, 2020

Show notes

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

Links to more information:

To see photos from our travels, visit our
Instagram account, or
TikTok account
Yellowstone National Park’s website
Map of the park
Link to the free National Park Service interactive mobile app
Where to learn more about our books and travels
Join the conversation on Facebook

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#14: Outdoorsy in Vegas Jul 09, 2020

Show notes

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

Links to more information:

To see photos from our travels, visit our
Instagram account, or
TikTok account
Link to our blog post Outdoorsy in Vegas
Red Rock Canyon homepage
Valley of Fire State Park homepage
Lake Mead NRA homepage
Mojave NP homepage
Where to learn more about our books and travels
Join the conversation on Facebook

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#13: The Great American Bison Road Trip Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

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

Links to more information:

To see photos from our travels, visit our
Instagram account, or
TikTok account
National Bison Range homepage
Learn about Custer State Park’s annual buffalo roundup festival
Where to learn more about our books and travels
Join the conversation on Facebook

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#12: Misadventures in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Jun 11, 2020

Show notes

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

Links to more information:

To see photos from our travels, visit our
Instagram account, or
TikTok account
NPS site for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Seattle Unit and Skagway Unit
Where to learn more about our books and travels
Join the conversation on Facebook

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#11: Beyond Utah’s Mighty Five National Parks May 28, 2020

Show notes

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...

See all our links here

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#10: Trailer Tales from California’s Desert Parks May 14, 2020

Show notes

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: