Continuing our discussion about what happens when travel goes wrong by chatting today about two national parks where we had to adapt our plans on the fly. Canyonlands, in Southern Utah, and Congaree, in South Carolina, presented some opportunities to show extra flexibility during our trip. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! Music: http://be...
Mar 25, 2017•43 min
It's no exaggeration that our year-long trip to all 59 national parks was a dream. But it was also challenging at times. Today we're sharing two of the most exhausting weeks during our trip -- while we were in Kings Canyon and Theodore Roosevelt National Parks -- and how we coped with the travel fatigue. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! M...
Mar 23, 2017•56 min
Taking a brief pause today to look back and reflect on the first 18 episodes of Switchbacks, and to look ahead to the next few months. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! Music: http://bensound.com
Mar 13, 2017•29 min
Our year in the national parks wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Two parks in particular were severely impacted by weather woes. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! Music: http://bensound.com
Mar 03, 2017•42 min
From Virgin Islands to Alaska, American Samoa to Shenandoah, we collected dozens of memorable animal encounters in the national parks. It was hard to narrow it down to just ten... but we managed. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! music: bensound.com
Feb 28, 2017•58 min
Think that traveling around the contiguous U.S. National Parks with just a friend and $8,000 for a year is impossible? Think again. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! Music: http://bensound.com
Feb 21, 2017•45 min
This week, we're chatting about BIG parks. The largest national park overall, Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska, and the largest national park in the contiguous U.S., Death Valley, were both unique in their own ways, but they had one thing in common: they outsized the rest. These parks can be tricky to navigate: Death Valley having tons of scenic drives and long roads, and Wrangell being in, well, Alaska, but they are well worth the trek. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and eb...
Feb 07, 2017•38 min
In this episode, we describe the benefits of going beyond the overlook in two overlook-prominent parks: Petrified Forest and Bryce Canyon. It's not the style for everyone, but exploring beyond the tourist trail opens up all sorts of new adventures. Listen for more! And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! Music: http://bensound.com
Jan 31, 2017•37 min
I am so lucky that my built-in travel partner is the best. Here are a few ways you can improve your travel attitude and find your travel tribe. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! Music: http://bensound.com
Jan 27, 2017•23 min
Some national parks draw in millions of people every year. Other parks see far more caribou than people. We're chatting about two of those uncrowded national parks, Big Bend and Kobuk Valley, today on the podcast. Listen for more details about how we spent our time there last year. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! Music: http://bensound.c...
Jan 02, 2017•31 min
We slept on the ground about 275 nights last year... and most of those were in campgrounds. Needless to say, we have some opinions on National Park campgrounds. Listen to hear our TOP TEN easy-access (by car or short walk) campsites of our entire year in the parks. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! Music: http://bensound.com
Dec 29, 2016•54 min
One of the best parts of traveling around the country visiting national parks was meeting other people who were doing the same thing. We loved it when those people had a similar mission to ours... sharing the parks online and inspiring others to fall in love with them too. We know you'll love our interview with Darius Nabors today. He and Trevor Kemp visiting all 59 national parks in 59 weeks, ending on the NPS Centennial in August. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebo...
Dec 21, 2016•1 hr 4 min
During our year visiting all 59 National Parks, we came across several "underdog" parks. We.LOVED.Them. These parks -- often hidden in the shadows of their neighboring parks -- will always have a special place in our hearts. Today we're discussing two of those parks: Pinnacles and Biscayne. Heard of them? Maybe? Maybe not. They're certainly low on the list of most-visited parks. And that just might be the best thing about them. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks w...
Dec 07, 2016•34 min
The National Parks are constantly in motion, and this is seen so clearly in two parks: Glacier and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Parks. Listen for how the national parks address the issue of climate change, and how this challenge may affect your visit experience. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! Music: http://bensound.com
Dec 01, 2016•41 min
Are the National Parks truly accessible for all Americans? We think the National Parks mostly do an amazing job of creating welcoming, affordable places to travel, but occasionally they could do better. Today we're talking about what that exclusivity costs the parks. We'll be featuring Dry Tortugas National Park, off the coast of Florida, and Lake Clark National Park, in Alaska. These two parks are some of the hardest-to-reach, expensive parks we came across last year. Listen for more! And check...
Nov 23, 2016•45 min
In our latest installment of Top Ten of the National Parks, we are sharing our favorite day hikes. Day hikes are a wonderful way to get up and out of the parks' main hubs of activity. Travel light, bring your lunch, reach new heights, climb mountains, and come back. All in the same day. From Great Sand Dunes to Pinnacles to Kenai Fjords, here are our favorite day hikes from our year in the national parks. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visu...
Nov 15, 2016•48 min
Before we took off on our own adventure of visiting all 59 national parks, several other amazing people paved the way. Two of those adventurers are here today to chat all about their journey. Don and Shelly offer words of wisdom, tips for traveling with pets, and stories about their 59 weeks on the road in their RV. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adv...
Nov 08, 2016•33 min
The National Parks would be nothing without its people. Volunteers, employees, local residents, original advocators, and of course, visitors, all contribute to what the parks are today. Two of the national parks that have the greatest involvement with their communities are Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the National Park of American Samoa. We visited both last year. Listen for our experiences in these parks. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info an...
Nov 01, 2016•46 min
We were lucky enough to do most of our national parks visiting during the off-season last year. But sometimes, like in the cases of Zion and Great Basin National Parks, we had to visit during some of the busiest times. We experienced a lot of crowds and a lot of ways to avoid those crowds. So, are we loving our national parks to death? Or just some of them? Is there a solution? Listen to find out! And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on e...
Oct 24, 2016•44 min
When we first started our year-long mission to visit all 59 national parks in the U.S., we were fairly proud of "our style" of visiting the parks. We backpacked, traveled lightly, avoided souvenir shops, and almost always took the path less taken. We thought this was the right and only way to visit a park. But by the time our year was up, we were singing a much different tune. We met so many other park visitors, from nearby and far away, who visited the parks in all sorts of different ways. Some...
Oct 16, 2016•41 min
During our year of visiting and documenting all 59 U.S. national parks, we received many, many questions about which was our favorite. Well, today we're hear to spill all the beans. We picked our top ten favorite national parks, and we share tips and experiences from each of those parks. We also chat a bit about the best parks to visit during fall, and we answer a reader question about park do-overs. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals o...
Oct 10, 2016•43 min
We are Cole and Elizabeth Donelson, and we spent all of last year exploring, hiking through, and camping in all 59 U.S. National Parks. We're here now to share our experiences and insights with all of you. In this short introduction episode, hear more of what we're all about. Thanks for tuning in! And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more! Adventure on! Music: h...
Oct 02, 2016•6 min
