This summer has been one of the hottest for the entire world, with temperatures rising above 100 degrees Fahrenheit quite frequently. Here in the United States, there are many places where the heat has gone well above 100 degrees. And at Death Valley National Park, the temperature this past week attracted crowds hoping to see it reach 130 degrees.
In the National Park System, there are places where summertime heat is routine, something the rangers have become accustomed to and know how to cope with it, and something not all park visitors know how to deal with.
To get a sense for conditions this past week in two of the hottest places in the park system, we’ve reached out to rangers at Grand Canyon National Park and Death Valley National Park.
By Jess Repanshek - July 23rd, 2023
:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
:52 Beyond the Reef - Tim Heintz & Grant Geissman - Seascapes: A Musical Journey
1:08 The Everglades Foundation
1:20 Grand Teton National Park Foundation
1:49 Washington’s National Park Fund
2:23 Yosemite Conservancy
2:49 Heat Week In The Parks, Part 1 — Grand Canyon National Park with Meghan Smith, the park's Preventive Search and Rescue Coordinator
24:37 Whispering Winds - Grant Geissman - Sounds of the Caribbean
24:49 NPT Promo
25:01 Interior Federal Credit Union
25:21 Great Smoky Mountains Association
25:42 Friends of Acadia
26:08 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
26:30 Potrero Group
27:00 Heat Week In The National Parks, Part 2 — Death Valley National Park with Nichole Andler, the park's chief of interpretation and education
51:52 Flamingo - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of the Everglades
52:06 Episode Closing
52:28 Orange Tree Productions
53:01 Splitbeard Productions
53:12 National Parks Traveler footer
Wolverines, the largest land-dwelling members of the weasel family, once roamed across the northern tier of the United States, and as far south as New Mexico in the Rockies and southern California in the Sierra Nevada range. But after more than a century of trapping and habitat loss, wolverines in the lower 48 today exist only as small, fragmented populations in Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and northeast Oregon.
Spur a discussion about traveling to a national park for a vacation and odds are that it will revolve around getting out into nature, looking for wildlife, perhaps honing your photography skills, or marveling at incredible vistas.
Will the discussion include destinations that portray aspects of the country’s history, or cultural melting pot?
Tens of millions of people in the United States will be able to witness a Total Solar Eclipse on Monday as the rare astronomical event cuts a path from Texas to Maine, up to 122 miles wide in some spots. This is a great opportunity to see the exact moment when the moon fully blocks the sun, creating a blazing corona visible to those observing from the center line of totality.
With March madness down to the Sweet 16, and Opening Day of Major League Baseball having arrived, we’re going to take a break this week and dive into our podcast archives for this week’s show.
This is Kurt Repanshek, your host at the National Parks Traveler. My NCAA bracket was busted the very first day, and while the Yankees won their opening day game against the Houston Astros, I don’t think they’ll go undefeated this year.
One of the most popular public events in the National Park System was the release of sea turtle hatchlings, shuffling off into the Gulf of Mexico at Padre Island National Seashore. I say was, because the number of those public events has been drastically scaled back in recent years.
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The Essential RVing Guide
The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.
This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.
You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.
So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.
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