Rosalie Edge may be the greatest environmentalist you’ve never heard of. In the early 20th century, she fought fiercely to protect raptors and old-growth forests and establish national parks like Olympic and Kings Canyon. So why is her story seldom told? In this episode, we’ll find out why.

It can take a strong will and a sense of purpose to unplug from our screens, put away our checklists, and enjoy time in nature. One award-winning writer did just that, taking four trips to Rocky Mountain National Park to hike a single trail in every season. I ask him how we can be more intentional about planning time outdoors and what we can gain from leaving our desks and learning how to focus.

North American bird populations have been in steep decline for decades, in part due to habitat loss. In one forest near the Blue Ridge Parkway, researchers have been putting special recording units in the trees to monitor the birds that find refuge there. Can a coalition of wildlife conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts protect this rare old growth habitat for the animals — and people — who depend on it?

Last month, officials hastily constructed a detention center, known as Alligator Alcatraz, on an airstrip in a remote part of the Everglades. This tiny jetport, surrounded by Big Cypress National Preserve, has withstood a slew of terrible development proposals. Today, we explore why people are standing up to protect this revered national park landscape — and what you can do about it.

What does it take to care for a nation’s history, piece by piece? In a little-known building off a country road in West Virginia, a small team of experts restores and preserves some of America’s most precious objects and papers. Who are these trained specialists, and why were these priceless artifacts at risk?

What is it like to be inside one of the wildest places on Earth? In a remote area of the Grand Canyon, explorers discovered two caves previously untouched by human beings, with thousands of ancient bats — some older than carbon dating can measure. We hear the latest findings and stories from the research team.

A series of staffing crises are squeezing a national park workforce that was already spread thin through years of underfunding. Now, a new reduction in force could put even more pressure on employees as we head into the busy spring and summer seasons.

We all have a place that feels like home. For park advocate Amy Hagovsky, that place has always been the woods. In this bonus episode, we're headed On the Trail with Amy.

Taking a year to visit all the national parks is the stuff of bucket lists. It’s also a logistical puzzle and a lot of hard work, especially if you’re reporting stories for an Emmy-winning news magazine and capturing the entire experience in a bestselling book. Conor Knighton did all of that, and today he shares his insights from a year on the road in the national parks.

Clara Barton was a trailblazer who devoted her life to helping people in need, and who revolutionized disaster response in the process. But the national historic site where she once lived and worked is now in serious disrepair. After pushing back on a problematic renovation plan, a small group of dedicated historians is helping the National Park Service to honor her legacy more fully.

Dinosaur National Monument preserves one of the richest collections of late Jurassic remains on Earth. But where there are fossils, there are often fossil fuels. Could a push for new drilling and mining threaten this beloved park and its prehistoric reptiles?

When night falls at a national park, many visitors pack up and head home — but dark skies offer rare wonders worth staying up to see. Get tips on where to go and ways to photograph parks after dark.

A proposed Chuckwalla National Monument near Joshua Tree National Park would protect the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise and help many other species thrive, including people.

One Minnesota family uprooted their lives to go on a year-long adventure to national parks, building an educational curriculum around the public lands on their trip, and getting a taste of the joys and challenges of “roadschooling.”

The home of trailblazer Frances Perkins could soon become our newest national park site, making it just the thirteenth devoted to women’s history. Yet few people know much about the first female U.S. cabinet secretary, who established many of the workplace protections we take for granted.

Can humans learn to coexist with some of the largest, most ferocious animals on the landscape? Former park ranger Kevin Grange has followed this question — and his love for grizzly bears — to some of the wildest lands and waters in North America, documenting ways to give humans and grizzlies a better chance at survival.

A new guide to dog accessibility at national parks can help people traveling with pets know what to expect at sites across the country. In this episode, we explore concerns, best practices — and a few horror stories to keep in mind — when visiting parks with our furry best friends.

On the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, hundreds of people gathered at Stonewall National Monument in New York to celebrate the opening of its new visitor center — the first of its kind. Everyone from President Joe Biden to Katy Perry to Elton John honored the significance of the site and its watershed rebellion for equality. Mark Segal, one of the participants in the uprising, was among the speakers. In this episode, he remembers that night in 1969 and shares how it sparked a lifetime of activism ― and how Stonewall continues to shape the LGBTQ+ movement today.

On the remote Sea Islands of South Carolina, golf courses and gated developments are changing the rural character of some of the first African American-owned lands in the country. The Gullah/Geechee, direct descendants of the enslaved people who once worked the area’s plantations, are now fighting a new threat to their land and culture, which are central to the history of the nearby Reconstruction Era National Historical Site.

Experiencing the rare but spectacular event that is a total solar eclipse requires being in the right place at the right time. For April’s eclipse, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in Texas—a place deeply connected to the night sky and space exploration—seemed to be the perfect setting... but would the weather hold?