Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast
Adventures in the U.S. National Parks and public lands with Matt and Karen Smith.
14 Outdoorsy in Vegas
Come on seven! Mama needs a new pair of shoes! Yep, you’re in the right place, this is still The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast. Except, this episode has a bit of a twist. In it we explore many of the great public lands that are within day-tripping-distance from—that’s right—Las Vegas. During our many visits to Sin City over the years, we’ve managed to take a few breaks from the general debauchery of The Strip to explore some of the magnificent outdoor attractions in the area. And there are many. So leave the sequined dress and sharkskin suit in your hotel room closet and join us as we get outdoorsy in the desert just beyond the glare of the neon signs.
Some topics and places we discuss include:
- How and why we got started collecting National Park passport stamps
- Red Rock Canyon - a desert beauty with towering red cliffs offers an escape for hikers, bikers, horseback riders, and even drivers who just want to cruise along the 13-mile scenic drive
- Valley of Fire State Park - this amazing park has a little bit of everything: petroglyphs, petrified wood, amazing rock formations, a slot canyon, and even an “elephant” arch
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area - America’s first and largest national recreation area boasts two lakes and nine wilderness areas with miles of hiking trails, showcasing its spectacular scenery whether you’re on the water or on a trail
- Mojave National Preserve - Covering a whopping million and a half acres, this preserve has sand dunes, cinder cone volcanoes, and the world’s largest Joshua tree forest
- And, of course, at the end of the episode we answer a question from the mail bag
Links to more information:
- Link to our blog post Outdoorsy in Vegas
- Red Rock Canyon homepage
- Valley of Fire State Park homepage
- Lake Mead NRA homepage
- Mojave NP homepage
- To see our photos from this adventure, click here.
- Where to learn more about our books and travels
- Join the conversation on Facebook - we want to hear from you!
- Check out our Instagram account
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More episodes from Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast
32 Denali National Park
Who hasn’t dreamed of seeing the tallest peak in North America close up? Denali, at 20,308 feet in elevation, and its namesake national park are …
31 Mailbag!
Our first all-mailbag episode. Thank you for all the questions and comments you’ve sent to us about our podcast. We thought we’d try something new and dedicate an entire show to answering …
30 Six Astounding State Parks
In this episode we take you with us on a journey to six of our favorite state parks as we talk about what makes each of these parks unique and why we think they’re astounding. With more …
29 Horse Pack Trip into the Wilderness
Saddle up, partner! Apologies for the corny opening, but—spoiler alert—more horse-related puns are awaiting you in this episode. We’ve taken many …
28 Havasu Falls
Taking a wish out of Karen’s bucket, in 2016 we braved the hike down into the Grand Canyon to Havasu Falls with our friends John and Lolly. …
27 Our Favorite Hikes in the National Parks
In this episode we talk about some of our favorite hikes in the national parks. It took us a couple of tries to record this one because we had too many on our original “favorites” list. (We …
How you can listen to this podcast
You can listen to episodes right here on the website, or if you prefer, in a podcast app. Listening in an app makes it easier to keep track of what you’ve already heard, listen without using your data plan and many other conveniences.