The Parks Podcast
The Parks Podcast will take listeners on a journey to regional, state and national parks around the United States. We will learn why the parks were created and explore planning your own visit to parks.
Episodes
77 episodes
Status Update: Bears Ears and Grand Staircase (Episode 75)
On July 13th, President Trump signed two proclamations rolling back nearly 90% of the protected boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments — three million acres of public land opened to potential drilling, mining,...
Summer in the Parks: A Collaborative Episode with KeeKee's Big Adventure (Episode 74)
Summer vacation too expensive? Too complicated? Too late to plan? Missy and Shannon Jones of KeeKee's Big Adventures are here to debunk all of it.Parks — national, state, and local — are the most affordable, flexible, and genu...
What Playing Outside Teaches Us — Resilience, Mindfulness, and the Gift of Nature (Episode 73)
Everything you learn outside follows you home. The resilience to own a mistake in front of your team. The ability to sit with discomfort without shutting down. The capacity to notice something beautiful you've walked past a hundred times.
DC Triumphal Arch — What You Need to Know Before June 15
The public comment window on the proposed 250-foot Triumphal Arch in Washington DC closes June 15. I sat down with Priya Jain, Chair of the Heritage Conservation Committee for the Society of Architectural Historians, to talk about what this pro...
Cook Park (Atlanta) - Episode 71
In 2002, a flood pushed six feet of stormwater and sewage into the living rooms of families in Atlanta's Vine City neighborhood. Sixty families were displaced. The infrastructure had failed them for decades.Twenty years later, that same ...
Leave No Trace w/Subaru "Leave No Trace" Traveling Team, Jeanelle & Rob - Episode 70
Leave No Trace comes up in almost every episode of The Parks Podcast — but what is it really? Most people think it means pack out your trash and pick up after your dog. It's so much more than that.Jeanelle Soland and Rob Pelton, members ...
Appalachian Trail with Cinda Waldbuesser (Episode 69)
Grab your hiking boots and get ready to journey through the "People’s Park." In this episode, host Missy Rentz welcomes Cinda Waldbuesser, President and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), to explore the legenda...
LGBTQ Outdoors (Episode 68)
What started as a simple Instagram account to document outdoor adventures quickly evolved into a nationwide movement. In this episode of The Parks Podcasat, host Missy Rentz sits down with Justin Yoder, the founder and ex...
Black Hill Discovery Center - Montgomery Parks (Episode 67)
"I want them to look back and say, 'This was my school'—not just a park I visit."What if a child’s first classroom wasn’t surrounded by four walls, but by 2,500 acres of wild Maryland landscape? In this episode, host Missy Rent...
Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Episode 66)
Cuyahoga Valley proves that a park doesn't have to be "untouched" to be transformative. Whether you’re there for a high-intensity hike or a quiet glass of wine at a park-hosted vineyard, there is truly something for everyone.
Crime off the Grid Podcast (Episode 65)
In this episode of The Parks Podcast, host Missy Rentz sits down with Tara Ross and Nancy Martinz, former National Park Service law enforcement rangers and the creators of the hit podcast Crime Off the Grid
Save the Boundary Waters (Episode 64)
In this urgent episode of The Parks Podcast, host Missy Rentz sits down with Sam Chadwick, Associate Director of Save The Boundary Waters, to discuss a critical and unprecedented threat to one of Minnesota’s most i...
Our Story: The President's House (Episode 63)
"How is it we hear the loudest yelps for liberty from the drivers of Negroes?" (Samuel Johnson) In the shadow of Independence Hall, where the words "We the People" were first penned, stood the executive mansion of George Washington. But ...
Our Story: An Introduction
Welcome to our story, a new series from The Parks Podcast. I'm your host, Missy Rentz. I've shared that I came to the Parks for nature, but I'm really drawn to the history and the stories that make up our parks. It may be one person whose...
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National Park of American Samoa (Episode 62)
Journey south of the Equator to explore one of the most remote and culturally rich gems in the National Park System. In this episode, host Missy Rentz sits down with PT Lathrop, the Superintendent of the National Park of American Samo...
Face Value: The Battle for the 2026 NPS Park Pass (Episode 61)
Is your park pass still valid? We’re talking with artist Jenny McCarty about the sticker that shook the Department of the Interior. As the 2026 NPS pass becomes a political lightning rod, we dive into a sticker controversy, the administration's...
Voyageurs National Park (Episode 60)
Guest: Kate Severson, Program Manager for Interpretation, Outreach, and PartnershipGrab your life jacket and your sense of adventure! In this episode, we head to Northern Minnesota to explore Voyageurs National Park, a land...
History and the Parks (Episode 59)
This episode of The Parks Podcast explores the deep connection between our national landscapes and the stories that define us. Host Missy Rentz sits down with Beth English, Executive Director of the Organization of American Histor...
Redwoods National & State Parks (Episode 58)
Step into a cathedral of giants. In this episode of The Parks Podcast, host Missy Rentz journeys to the misty shores of Northern California to explore Redwoods National and State Parks.Join us as we sit down with <...
First Day Hike 2026 (Episode 57)
Kick off the New Year with First Day Hikes - a day to celebrate in our State Parks all around the United States. In this epsiode we'll learn about the origin of First Day Hike, and all the opportunities to play in parks around the country this ...
Winter in the Parks - Indiana State Parks (Episode 56)
Indiana State Parks is kicking off winter with hikes, bird watching, light tours, and more.
Winter in the Parks - New York State Parks w/ Chris Rickard (Episode 55)
New York State Parks & Historic Sites is celebrating winter with hikes, snow and ice activities, craft & creating activities and more.
Winter in the Parks - Virginia State Parks with Katie Shephard (Episode 54)
Virginia is for Lovers...and park lovers! This winter, the Virginia State Parks have activities for all ages and abilities.
