You are here

Share
Camping in the National Park System/Kurt Repanshek

What will the 21st century national park campground look like? What amenities are you interested in finding when you pull into a campground? Derrick Crandall, counseler for the National Park Hospitality Association, joins us to discuss two studies that examine the campgrounds, the issues they face, and the demands today’s campers want.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
3:03 North Cascades Institute promotion
3:22 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
3:56 What Should 21st century National Park Campgrounds Look Like?
21:12 National Parks Traveler Coronavirus edition promotion
21:24 Yankee Freedom promotion
22:00 Friends of Acadia promotion
22:31 21st Century Campground Discussion With Derrick Crandall Continues
37:34 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
37:58 RVShare.com promotion
38:32 Washington’s National Park Fund promotion
39:17 Florida Impressions: A preview of upcoming stories from Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve 
48:24 Episode Closing
48:43 Orange Tree Productions promotion

Comments

Thanks for this podcast with Mr. Crandall of the camping industry.  I do need to respond to his statement about putting wifi into national park campgrounds:  "If you don't want wifi, just turn it off."  With all respect, that misses the point.  Wifi in campgrounds will allow my neighboring campers to stream movies from their picnic table, within easy earshot of my tent.  If people are going to camp in a national park campground, they should be focused on nature.  Leave the tech at home.  

This reflects a fundamental disagreement over the essential nature of the national park experience.  


Great Podcast. Thank you. 


In this episode you refernce two recent studies, where can we access those? 


Tyler, here's a link to our written story on this topic, and in it you'll find a link to the reports.

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2020/04/national-park-service-working-envision-21st-century-campground


National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 322 | Congressman Jared Huffman

The first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term might be the most tumultuous first 100 days of any president. He certainly came in prepared to move his agenda forward, no matter what barriers to it existed.

We don’t usually discuss presidential politics, but President Trump has released a blizzard of executive orders and directives touching all corners of the federal government, including the National Park Service.

April 27th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 321 | National Park Science At Risk

There has been much upheaval in the National Park Service this year, with firings, then rehires, and staff deciding to retire now rather than risk sticking around and being fired. There have been fears that more Park Service personnel are about to be let go through a reduction in force.

While Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has ordered the Park Service to ensure that parks are properly to support the operating hours and needs of each park unit,” that message said nothing about protecting park resources.

April 20th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 320 | George Wright Society

George Melendez Wright was a brilliant young scientist with the National Park Service back in the 1920s and 1930s. You could say he was ahead of his time, in that he wanted the Park Service to take a holistic role in how wildlife in the parks was managed.

April 6th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 319 | Kilauea's Unrest

One of the greatest shows on Earth has been going on now for several months in Hawaii, where the Kīlauea volcano at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park has been erupting since late December. The Kīlauea volcano is the most active volcano on Earth.

March 30th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 318 | Covering the Parks

There are more stories to be found in the National Park System than one could write in a lifetime. Or several lifetimes.

Sometimes those stories can be hard to spot. How many were aware of the factoid from Great Smoky Mountains National Park that Jennifer Bain dug up, that if you stacked up all of the park’s salamanders against its roughly 1,900 black bears, the salamanders would weigh more?

Talk about national park trivia.

March 23rd, 2025 Read More

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

FREE for iPhones and Android phones.