146 episodes
Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast Matt and Karen Smith
-
- Society & Culture
-
-
4.9 • 1.1K Ratings
-
In Dear Bob and Sue, authors Matt and Karen Smith share stories of their travels to all of the U.S. National Park as well as other spectacular public lands. From adventures gone awry to memorable moments and Q&As from readers, get to know the couple behind the books and get inspired to go on some adventures of your own.
-
Mailbag: Where to See Moose in the National Parks, and More!
In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.
In this episode, we cover these topics:
· Glacier NP announced their vehicle entrance reservation plan for 2024,
· Grand Canyon NP is temporarily closing a stretch of Bright Angel Trail until mid-April 2024,
· We answer a question about where some of the best places in the national parks are to see moose,
· Our opinion on which airport is the best to fly into when visiting the Grand Canyon,
· Whether we have a goal to visit all the national parks in Canada,
· And more!
A few links related to the topics in this episode:
· Glacier NP’s 2024 vehicle entrance reservation plan,
· Detail about Grand Canyon NP’s Transcanyon Waterline Project, including the the 2024 Bright Angel Trail closure,
· And for all you Dirtlander fans, here is a link to our Bandana Moose t-shirts
The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.
And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com.
Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.
Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.
To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
20 Incredible Things to See and Do in Southern Utah, Outside the National Parks
Southern Utah is home to five must-see national parks, but if you’re traveling to this part of the American Southwest, you won’t want to miss the other incredible things to see and do.
In this episode, we take you to 20 of our favorite places we’ve discovered over the years. Each site is worth exploring, from slot canyons to one-of-a-kind landscapes to priceless cultural treasures.
Places we discuss in this episode:
· Kanarra Falls
· Cedar Breaks National Monument
· Willis Creek Narrows
· Kodachrome Basin State Park
· Hole in the Rock Road
· Lower Calf Creek Falls Hike
· Goblin Valley State Park
· San Rafael Swell
· Dead Horse Point State Park
· Corona Arch
· Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument
· Hovenweep National Monument
· Bears Ears National Monument
· Natural Bridges National Monument
· Moki Dugway
· Goosenecks State Park
· Valley of the Gods
· Monument Valley
· Rainbow Bridge National Monument
· Buckskin Gulch
The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.
And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com.
Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.
Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.
To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Utah’s Remote and Remarkable Rainbow Bridge National Monument
Find a comfortable seat and sit back as we take you with us on our boat tour to Rainbow Bridge National Monument, located just steps away from Lake Powell in a remote corner of southern Utah. On a recent road trip earlier this month, we were lucky enough to snag a reservation for a boat tour. And while the temps in early November can get downright cold on the lake, we had beautiful weather for our trip to this jaw-dropping national monument.
Revered by the Navajo as a sacred site, Rainbow Bridge's remote location makes it accessible only by a multi-day backpack trip or boat ride. This remarkable natural wonder, famous for its impressive size and striking geological formation, is a majestic sandstone arch. Carved by erosion over millions of years, it stands as one of the world's largest known natural bridges, spanning 275 feet and reaching a height of 290 feet.
In this episode, we talk about our experience visiting this natural wonder, stories of the early explorers to the area, and a bit of history about the formation of Lake Powell.
Links we discussed on this episode:
· Our 2023 Holiday Gift Guide,
· Where to get more info or to sign up for the Rainbow Bridge Boat Tour
The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.
And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com.
Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.
Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.
To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Northern California / Southern Oregon National Park Loop
Listeners frequently ask us to create episodes about road trip itineraries, and in this episode, we outline a stunning 8-day driving loop through public lands in northern California and southern Oregon. On this journey, you’ll visit three national parks and two national monuments, while driving 800 miles through a beautiful swath of the American West that’s off the beaten path.
Starting in Redding, CA, we take you to Lassen Volcanic NP, Lava Beds NM, Crater Lake NP, and Oregon Caves NM before wrapping up the trip in Redwoods National and State Parks.
From some of the most dramatic volcanic landscapes in the country to the world’s tallest trees along the Pacific Coast and more, this road trip is everything public lands and nature lovers would want.
All this and more, coming up next!
A link we discussed on this episode:
· Where to watch Ken Burn’s documentary The American Buffalo
The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.
And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com.
Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.
Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.
To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Ghost Towns of the National Parks
It’s that time of year again, so get ready to be scared out of your wits! Just kidding, but we do have a fun lineup of stories in this episode about ghost towns in the national parks. While you can find deserted towns, remnants of bygone boom/bust cycles, in many of our national parks, today we will focus on just a few.
From once thriving mining towns near Death Valley, to the site of a now-defunct copper mine in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska, to the Thurmond Ghost Town in New River Gorge National Park, we share the history and the stories of paranormal activity in these historic places.
But no episode would be complete without a mention of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, so imagine how happy Karen was when she learned that this week marks the Centennial of this natural wonder. And fittingly for this time of year, we’re celebrating Bat Week. That’s right, Bat Week, an entire week dedicated each year to these flying mammals, who, as you’ll learn in this episode (spoiler alert), are NOT flying rats.
All this and more, coming up next!
The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.
And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com.
Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.
Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.
To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Mailbag! Van Life, Demoted National Parks, and More!
In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.
In this episode, we cover these topics:
· A change to the America the Beautiful park pass starting Jan. 1st, 2024,
· Whether we ever considered van life and our opinions on this lifestyle,
· Some safety considerations when camping in Big Bend National Park,
· A discussion about previously designated national parks that have since been demoted,
· And more!
The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.
And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com.
Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.
Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.
To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Customer Reviews
Best National Parks Podcast
If you are a fan of the National Parks, this will become your go to listen each week. Matt and Karen provide extremely helpful information, a healthy dose of humor, and practical tips and recommendations that have been life savers for me on numerous occasions during NP trips. Couldn’t recommend more highly!
Thank you!
This is such a great podcast. Matt and Karen are so knowledgeable and funny. They even answered a question of mine in a mailbox episode last year when our family was planning a spring break trip to Canyonlands, Natural Bridges, and Monument Valley. Their recommendations were awesome and we had an amazing trip.
Love it!
I’ve read all the books, but these are so enjoyable to listen it. Lots more details! I “made” my husband listen to the one on Carlsbad Caverns after he said he wanted to go there. I am with Matt, he’s with Karen, on that one! Keep them up! Sue (and Bob)