Parkography

Latest Episodes:

BREAKING: Huge NATIONAL PARK PASS Changes: Non-Resident Surcharge, Digital Passes, New Design Nov 29, 2025

Show notes

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

NEWS: NPS Offering $70K To New NPS Rangers, Graffiti at Arches National Park, Trail Runner Gets Pardon Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

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 of Land Management. Plus — a presidential pardon for a record-setting trail runner, and the unbelievable moment a man walked straight toward a pack of wolves in Yellowstone.

The full video of the man approaching wolves on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPfVXr4Ap4S/

The National Parks Traveler Article: https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/11/national-parks-are-overwhelmingly-safe-spaces-says-study

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 National Parks Reopen After Shutdown
02:36 Winter Closures and Changes in Major Parks
04:53 Recruitment Drive for Law Enforcement Rangers
07:09 Safety in National Parks: New Study Insights
08:22 Federal Cannabis Law Enforcement in Parks
09:12 Controversial Nominee for Bureau of Land Management
10:30 Call for Restoration of National Park Funding
11:36 Presidential Pardon for Trail Runner
12:16 Man's Close Encounter with Wolves in Yellowstone
13:14 Conclusion and Thanksgiving Wishes

National Park Passes Explained Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

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 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 to National Park Passes
01:29 Annual Pass: The Basics
04:03 Special Passes for Kids and Volunteers
05:07 Sponsored Message: Slinky Stove
05:46 Senior Pass: Benefits and Discounts
08:14 Access Pass for Disabled Individuals
09:39 Military Pass: Recent Changes
10:38 How to Obtain Your Pass
12:39 Frequently Asked Questions
15:33 Conclusion

NEWS: Yosemite BASE Jumping Convictions, Arctic Wildlife Refuge Opened To Oil Leasing, More Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

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 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
00:21 Yosemite Base Jumping Incidents
03:10 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Oil and Gas Leasing
03:57 Sponsored Message: Slinky Stove
04:34 US Army Corps of Engineers Campground Closures
05:29 Grand Canyon Reopenings and Waterline Project
06:34 Coal Leasing Near National Parks
07:13 National Park Service Loses Petroleum Engineer
07:58 Controversial Barred Owl Culling Plan
08:51 Utah State University's Beaver Relocation Program
09:42 Managing Feral Hogs in National Parks
10:25 Wyoming Corner Crossing Legislation
11:17 Conclusion

Grand Dame of the Everglades: Marjory Stoneman Douglas Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

“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

News: Forest Bill Advances, Jobs on the Line, and Wildlife on the Move Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

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 Facebook group to discuss this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parkography

The Voyageurs, Namesake Canoemen of Voyageurs National Park Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

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.

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

National Parks in a Shutdown: How to Visit Now—and What’s Really Going On Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

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/parkography

News: How The Shutdown Will Affect National Parks, Grand Canyon North Rim Reopened, and More Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

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 Introduction
01:48 Impact of Government Shutdown on National Parks
02:37 State Responses and Historical Context
03:30 Concerns and Appeals from Park Officials
05:44 Sponsor Message: Slinky Stove
06:22 Grand Canyon North Rim Reopening
08:18 Vandalism at Gettysburg National Military Park
09:01 White Nose Syndrome Detected in Bats
10:02 Federal Land Coal Leasing Announcement
10:26 National Park Service Concessionaire Opportunities
11:41 Conclusion

NEWS | National Park Exhibits Removed, New Fire Agency, Pushback on Florida Springs National Park, & More Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

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 reopening its Weeping Rock Trail. And finally… why Yellowstone’s geysers have coughed up more than 300 hats (plus some bizarre bonus items).

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 and Overview
00:46 Controversial Removal of Slavery Exhibits
03:37 Debate Over Florida Springs National Park
06:36 Changes at the Bureau of Land Management
08:17 New US Wildland Fire Service
09:16 Mount Rainier Water System Failure
10:11 Grand Canyon Incident
10:58 Zion National Park Reopens Weeping Rock Trail
11:44 Yellowstone's Lost and Found
12:59 Conclusion and Farewell

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