Exploring the National Parks

Picture yourself winding down switchbacks into a gaping hole in the Chihuahuan Desert, the air cooling with every step, until the trail opens into a space so big, it takes more than a mile to walk around it. 

That's Carlsbad Caverns, and it's our favorite cave in the entire national park system. In this episode, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about paying these caves a proper visit — including how to get into the cave now that so much has changed, plus a formation-by-formation scavenger hunt for the Natural Entrance Trail and the Big Room.

In this episode, we cover:

Why Carlsbad Caverns beats every other cave we've visited (and we've been to a lot of them!)

Where to stay near a park with no lodges and no campgrounds

The three-step process to actually get into the cave (timed entry, entrance fee, and elevator vs. hiking)

Why the Natural Entrance Trail is the most dramatic way we've ever entered a cave

A 7-stop scavenger hunt for the Natural Entrance Trail and an 8-stop hunt for the Big Room

The bat flight program (and the cave swallow we DON’T love)

Which ranger-guided tours are running right now

An example day at Carlsbad Caverns

Your task for today: Head over to the @DirtInMyShoes Facebook or Instagram page and tell us which Carlsbad Caverns formation you'd put at the top of your scavenger hunt list — Iceberg Rock, the Witch's Finger, the Bottomless Pit, or the rope dangling from the Spirit World!

Don't miss the full show notes packed with all the links we mentioned so you can plan your adventures like a pro: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/exploring-carlsbad-caverns-national-park/ 

Planning your own Carlsbad Caverns National Park adventure?

5 Things You Can't Miss On Your First Visit to Carlsbad Caverns: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/5-things-cant-miss-first-visit-carlsbad-caverns-national-park/ 

Episode 105: 8-Day Spring Break National Parks Road Trip (that includes Carlsbad Caverns National Park): https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/8-day-spring-break-national-parks-road-trip/ 

Master Reservation List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/list/ 

National Park Checklist: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/national-parks-checklist/ 

Trip Packing List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/pack/

White Sands National Park — the national park regarded for its rarity. While it looks like a snowfield, the desert sand actually holds quite a bit of history and geological wonder. 

In this episode, we're digging into the White Sands fun facts that rewrite what you thought you knew about New Mexico’s most famous park. From a mineral factory that shouldn't exist to footprints that are quietly rewriting the story of the first humans in North America, buckle up, because this will be a fun one!

In this episode, we cover:

Why White Sands is the largest — and purest — gypsum dune field on Earth

How this park is protected, despite the billions of dollars of raw material sitting under the dunes

The 45+ species of plants and creatures that you can only find in these dunes

Why the dune field itself is a shockingly young 7,000 to 10,000 years old

The 2008 discovery of footprints that pushed back the accepted timeline for how long humans have been in North America

Fossilized proof that humans and Ice Age giants like mammoths and giant sloths shared this exact landscape for thousands of years

Your task for today: Look up a satellite image of White Sands National Park and see if you can spot it from space, the same way astronauts use it as a landmark. Then share what other national park sights you think would be visible from orbit over on the @DirtInMyShoes Facebook or Instagram page.

Planning your own White Sands National Park adventure?

Episode 154: Exploring White Sands National Park: Best Tips + Activities: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/exploring-white-sands-national-park/ 

5 Things You Can't Miss On Your First Visit to White Sands: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/5-things-cant-miss-first-visit-white-sands/

Episode 49: Best National Parks for Young Kids (White Sands National Park makes the list!):  https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/best-national-parks-for-young-kids/ 

Master Reservation List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/list/

National Park Checklist: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/national-parks-checklist/

Trip Packing List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/pack/

Our Halloween tradition continues! This year, we're chasing three cryptid legends through the national parks – Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Lake Clark National Park, and Yellowstone National Park. 

Are these tales from the spookiest corners of the park fact or fiction? You’ll have to tune in to find out! 

In this episode, we cover:

Why old sailors' maps were covered in dragons, sirens, and sea monsters

What actually separates a cryptid from an animal that science just hasn't caught up to yet

Why the national parks make the perfect hiding place for a cryptid legend

Why there might be something lurking outside Guadalupe Mountains National Park (and what that something might be)

What’s lurking in the water on the way to Lake Clark National Park

Just how deep Lake Clark and neighboring Lake Iliamna really go

The Native American legend behind Beartooth Highway in Yellowstone National Park

Your task for today: Head over to the @DirtInMyShoes Facebook or Instagram page and tell us which cryptid creeped you out the most!

Don't miss the full show notes packed with all the links we mentioned so you can plan your adventures like a pro: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/haunted-national-parks-vol-4

Planning your own spooky adventure?

5 Things You Can't Miss On Your First Visit to Guadalupe Mountains National Park: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/5-things-cant-miss-first-visit-guadalupe-mountains-national-park/ 

See a full trip planning itinerary for Yellowstone National Park: https://shop.dirtinmyshoes.com/products/yellowstone-itinerary 

Trip Planning Guide for Alaska’s National Parks (Including Lake Clark National Park): https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/alaska-national-parks/ 

Master Reservation List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/list/ 

National Park Checklist: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/national-parks-checklist/ 

Trip Packing List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/pack/

Picture cloud-white sand surrounding you on every side, with the Sacramento Mountains as your backdrop, and a sunset that turns everything a shade of pink and purple.

THAT’s the awe that is waiting for you at White Sands National Park. Well, that and some other fun activities like hiking through nature trails, and even sledding!

We’ll also take you through all the quirky rules this park has that no other national park does — and what makes White Sands so incredibly unique. 

In this episode, we cover:

The two things that make White Sands totally different from every other national park

The working missile range, located next to the park

A driving tour down Dunes Drive, including the Playa Trail, Dune Life Nature Trail, and Interdune Boardwalk

How to sled the dunes (hint: cardboard boxes don't cut it)

Why so many commercials, movies, and music videos have been filmed here

The best ranger program in the park and why sunset is non-negotiable

Where to stay, eat, and detour in nearby Alamogordo

Your task for today: Have you been to White Sands for sunset? Head over to the @DirtInMyShoes Facebook or Instagram page, find your favorite sunset photo from the dunes, and tag us so we can see it too!
Don't miss the full show notes packed with all the links we mentioned so you can plan your adventures like a pro: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/exploring-white-sands-national-park/

Planning your own White Sands National Park adventure?

5 Things You Can’t Miss On Your First Visit to White Sands: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/5-things-cant-miss-first-visit-white-sands/ 

Episode 49: Best National Parks for Young Kids (White Sands National Park makes the list!):  https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/best-national-parks-for-young-kids/ 

Episode 105: 8-Day Spring Break National Parks Road Trip (that includes White Sands National Park): https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/8-day-spring-break-national-parks-road-trip/ 

Master Reservation List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/list/

National Park Checklist: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/national-parks-checklist/

Trip Packing List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/pack/

We just spent three days in Zion National Park in the middle of summer, on purpose, in 105-degree heat. Why did we do that, you ask? Because we don’t want you to have to go through all the guesswork that comes with planning a trip to Zion National Park in the summer.

In this episode, we cover:

Why we deliberately visited Zion National Park in the summer, and what we'd tell you before you do the same

Why understanding the Zion Canyon Shuttle and the Springdale shuttle together will save you from many days of frustration

What gear actually works in the Narrows

The new vehicle restrictions through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, and what changed for regular drivers

The bighorn sheep herd, deer, and turkeys we spotted once we slowed down and got quiet

How we weighed location versus price for lodging, and what the South Campground looks like without its shade trees

Your task for today: Have you hiked the Narrows or driven through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel? Tell us about it over on the @DirtInMyShoes Facebook or Instagram page!

Don't miss the full show notes packed with all the links we mentioned so you can plan your adventures like a pro: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/zion-national-park-trip-report-2026/

Planning your own Zion National Park adventure?

Zion National Park Itinerary: https://shop.dirtinmyshoes.com/products/zion-itinerary 

The Ultimate Zion Trip Planning Guide: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/zion-national-park/ 

Master Reservation List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/list/

National Park Checklist: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/national-parks-checklist/

Trip Packing List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/pack/