National Parks Traveler Episode 30: Hiker Trash, Fishing Great Smoky, "Acting" Directors

By Kurt Repanshek - September 8th, 2019 7:00am

"Hiker Trash," a new book that examines hiker life along the Appalachian Trail through the sketches of a graphic artist, is the topic of our interview with author Sarah Kaizar. We also examine the fisheries of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and comment on the long-running vacancy of a permanent director of the National Park Service.

:02 Welcome to National Parks Traveler
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
1:34 Introduction to Hiker Trash
2:20 Interview with Sarah Kaizar, author of Hiker Trash
9:51 National Parks Traveler promotion
10:06 Yankee Freedom promotion
10:42 Friends of Acadia promotion
11:14 Interview with Sarah Kaizar continues
20:37 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
21:12 North Cascades Institute promotion
21:32 Interview with Daniel Drake of Little River Outfitters on Great Smoky Mountains National Park's fisheries
28:59 Washington's National Park Fund promotion
29:37 Interview with Daniel Drake continues
38:02 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
38:32 A commentary on the lack of a Senate-confirmed National Park Service director
43:19 Orange Tree Productions

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

National Parks Traveler Podcast

By Kurt Repanshek - September 8th, 2019 7:00am

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 378 | Wilderness Lost

Across the United States, from Alaska to Puerto Rico, there are about 112 million acres of officially designated wilderness. That amounts to about 5 percent of the country’s land mass. It might appear to be even smaller when you consider that more than half of those 112 million acres protected as wilderness are in Alaska.

June 21st, 2026 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 377 | Don't Erase History So Fast

It was a little more than a year ago when Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asked the public to help him identify interpretive materials in the National Park System that disparaged Americans past or living or which contained content that detracts from viewpoints of scenic grandeur.

Well, it appears that the public didn’t share his concerns.

June 14th, 2026 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 376 | ESA's Future

Since this past December here at the Traveler we’ve been bringing you a series of stories on the Endangered Species Act and the threatened and endangered species it’s intended to keep from going extinct.

For me, it’s been an eye-opening series because of what our editors and writers have learned about threatened and endangered species — from birds to trees and even to grasses — and the work being done to help them recover. It’s certainly not an easy task, and one that often takes decades before you can see progress.

May 31st, 2026 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 375 | Rethinking Public Lands Stewardship

Public lands stewardship has most definitely changed under the second presidential administration of Donald Trump. Land-management agencies such as the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management have lost thousands of employees, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is on a mission to turn the country’s public lands into a cash cow of sorts.

May 24th, 2026 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 374 | Cook Inlet's Beluga Whales

A fast-track proposal to develop a gold mine near Alaska’s Cook Inlet and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is alarming scientists, environmental groups and local communities because of the devastating effects it is expected to have on the region’s critically endangered beluga whales.

May 17th, 2026 Read More

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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.