Joe Erato and Mike Van de Bogert, hosts of the Locations Unknown podcast, join us for a lively, laughter-filled conversation. Locations Unknown is a podcast that delves into unexplained and unsolved disappearances in America's wilderness, highlighting some of the eerie circumstances that often accompany these cases, such as search and rescue efforts being hampered by storms and missing individuals being found in semi-conscious states with no memory of their disappearance. In our conversation,...

This episode features Haleakalā National Park on the island of Maui, Hawaii, from the perspective of its superintendent, Natalie Gates. Haleakalā National Park is home to the dormant Haleakalā Volcano, whose peak rises to 10,023 feet. Known for its breathtaking sunrise—described by Mark Twain as "the most sublime spectacle"—and excursions into the volcano's crater, the park is both a stunning natural wonder and a deeply sacred place for Native Hawaiians. Natalie, who has served as...

Adam Ruggiero, Editor-in-Chief and Podcast Host at GearJunkie, joins me for a riveting and wide-ranging conversation. From media trips gone wrong to how we should think about AI from a journalism standpoint, this discussion is engaging and exciting. GearJunkie is an online hub for outdoor adventure, offering expert gear reviews, the latest outdoor trends, and inspiring stories for adventurers. Adam shares his experience living and working on a coffee farm in Hawaii, makes a case for...

Check out our BRAND NEW SEGMENT, Park Enthusiasts, with Parks Project CEO and Founder, Keith Eshelman. Parks Project is an outdoor lifestyle brand with purpose. Parks Project gives back to conservation efforts focused on restoring habitats in our parklands and activates communities of volunteers to support parks. In only 7 years, what started as a one t-shirt business, has grown to an assortment of head-to-toe apparel and home goods and more than $2.6 million in donations to over 50 park...

Get a sneak peek into the hidden gem that is Lassen Volcanic National Park from the superintendent herself, Roseann Worley. Lassen Volcanic National Park is sometimes referred to as "Little Yosemite." Imagine all the geothermal and natural features of Yellowstone in a more condensed and less populated space—Roseann argues Lassen Volcanic is even better ;). Lassen Volcanic is located in Northeastern California and was the 15th national park established by Congress, in 1916, the same year the...

"Sucking Wind" is a term coined by Crater Lake park rangers to describe the moment when someone walks up to the rim of the caldera for the first time and takes a deep breath, overwhelmed by the surreal scene. Today, we have the privilege of interviewing Superintendent Craig Ackerman, the caretaker of this inspirational and sacred place, Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake National Park is located in Southern Oregon, and the lake itself is the deepest in the U.S. Known as the “Mirror of...

Rhonda Loh, a local girl from Hawaiʻi, has been working and volunteering at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park for over three decades. She has been the superintendent since 2020, with her first day on the job coinciding with an eruption—quite the greeting and way to jump into the role. In this episode, we get firsthand insight into how volcanic activity is monitored and evaluated by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and how they collaborate with the park. We also get a glimpse into how the park is...

Also referred to as the Galapagos of North America, Channel Islands is located 60 miles offshore from Santa Barbara, California and is made up of five islands. The stories Ethan McKinley, Channel Islands National Park Superintendent, shares are jaw dropping at the least -- from capturing golden eagles using helicopters and essentially pillowcases, to implementing a New Zealand designed biosecurity station, and to needing any ranger on San Miguel Island to be trained in unexploded ordnances....

Arches and Canyonlands National Parks are located in Eastern Utah and are both famous on their own accord. Arches is home to the Delicate Arch, which has become a famous symbol of Utah (it is on their license plate) and is one of the most recognized natural formations in the United States. Canyonlands is a much larger park with many opportunities for outdoor adventure through four wheel driving, challenging backpacking, etc. Today’s episode dives into the Lena Pace's (Arches & Canyonlands...

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, located in northeastern Ohio is a breathtaking expanse of natural beauty, rich history, and vibrant wildlife and is unique in its proximity and relationships with surrounding communities/municipalities and its drastic transformation from a place where the river historically caught on fire to a river rich in ecology and opportunities for humans to recreate. Lisa has been superintendent at Cuyahoga Valley since 2021 but has been working at Cuyahoga Valley for...

Kobuk Valley National Park, located in northwestern Alaska is a fascinating park, with a rich history of caribou hunting and the onion portage and a unique landscape compared to other Alaska parks we have done so far with sand dunes and vast valleys where caribou migrate. In this episode we interview Ray McPadden, Kobuk Valley (and the larger Western Arctic National Parklands) Superintendent, and his story is one for the books. Not only does he manage such a vast landscape with resiliency...

Zion National Park is globally known for its Narrows wading hike and Angels Landing, and in this interview with Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh, not only do we dive into the details behind these famous hikes (including some tips on how to best enjoy the Narrows), but we also uncover facts and stories about Zion beyond its famous hikes. We learn what soundscapes are, talk about the backcountry experiences in the park and learn more about the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service...

Close your eyes and imagine a wilderness four times bigger than Yellowstone National Park. Imagine a landscape north of the Arctic Circle with rugged mountains, vast expanses of treeless tundra, glaciated valleys, forests and many rivers and lakes. In the winter the weather can dip below -50 degrees Fahrenheit and in the month of June the sun is out for 24 hours. This vast and expansive landscape is the home of Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, where this episode hears from...

A subterranean park filled with adventures where your boots barely fit through the infamous “mole hole”. This episode explores Mammoth Cave National Park through the lens of its superintendent, Barclay Trimble. Barclay is motivated by experiencing different parts of the country and coming into places that aren’t running as smoothly as they should be. He came from a business background and has had experiences across the country, ranging from Denali National Park up in Alaska all the way to the...

“Creating memories is an act of preservation.” Grand Teton Superintendent, Chip Jenkins, is passionate about the impact us as visitors can have in the national parks. By visiting and sharing that we value the outdoors to our families and friends, we are creating stewards of the national parks for generations to come. “The National Park Service cannot care for Grand Teton entirely on its own.” Listen in to Chip’s interview to hear his heart, learn about his extensive experience across our...

How did a lawyer become the Superintendent of our nation’s second most visited national park? Listen in to hear how Ed Keable, Grand Canyon Superintendent, transitioned into the National Park Service after serving as the highest ranking civil service lawyer in the Department of the Interior. With a commute along the canyon rim everyday, the vista reminds him of his responsibilities as superintendent and of his first experience at the grand canyon many years before, where he experienced the...

The National Park Service participated in two SXSW panels & I got to go & “report” on the discussions and attend a few days of SXSW (a tech, music, film & culture conference in Austin, Texas each year) -- truly a dream come true! This episode documents the two panels plus some fun tidbits and takeaways from my experience meeting National Park Service folks and folks across other governmental agencies and partners (like L.L.Bean & the National Park Foundation). With me...

Step into the world of Glacier National Park alongside its superintendent, Dave Roemer, as he shares his deep insights into the park's rich tapestry of history and conservation efforts. Learn about his collaboration with indigenous tribes to restore the land and their cultural traditions, his “Drink Coffee with the Superintendent” initiative and his bold decisions to proactively combat climate change.

As someone whose love for the outdoors and desire to protect it for generations to come is evident, Kevin Schneider (Acadia Superintendent) gives us the inside scoop on the going-ons in Acadia National Park, from exciting housing projects, to his favorite places to ski within the park, to the various programs enabling people to spend time in Acadia (kids, teachers, etc), to the trails that were built during the late 1800s Rusticator Era, this is not an episode to miss!

BONUS EPISODE: There are over 400 National Park Sites outside of the 63 National Parks. This episode invites us deeper into the heart of the National Park Service where Eric Leonard, Superintendent of the High Plains Group (four National Park Sites across Colorado & New Mexico with a narrative arc tying them all together) shares his extensive experience across a wide array of national parks, historic sites, national monuments, etc. This episode is unique in that it doesn’t focus on a...

“Preservation of public land, an act known round the world” -- Yellowstone hails as America’s first National Park, coining what is widely known as America’s Best Idea, the National Park Service. In this episode, we are chatting with the big kahuna, Cam Sholly, Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. From heroically navigating a historic flood in 2022 (an 100% increase in cubic ft/s in the river since the last recorded flood), to both recognizing progress from a conservation perspective...

Cueing us into the ins-and-outs of desert parks, Jane Rodgers shares priceless tidbits on Joshua Tree, including how Minerva Hoyt, a marketing genius, promoted the establishment of Joshua Tree National Park, emphasizes that no park can operate as an island (highlighting the wide array of partnerships Joshua Tree has) and shares how they are working to achieve sustainable tourism amidst increased visitors and more people moving to surrounding communities.

Unveiling the wonders of Alaska’s wilderness, Susanne shares her experiences as managing one of America’s most remote national parks: commuting via plane over awe-inspiring landscapes, experiencing hair-raising encounters with coastal brown bears and navigating the challenges and preparation involved in fieldwork within Lake Clark.