Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast
Adventures in the U.S. National Parks and public lands with Matt and Karen Smith.
18 Winter in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks
While visiting Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks in the winter can feel like stepping into a Christmas card photo, staying in a nearby Forest Service cabin with no electricity or indoor plumbing isn’t always so picture perfect. In this episode, we talk about many of our experiences in these two parks during the magical winter season, as well as the thrills and challenges of staying in rustic Forest Service cabins when the temperature dips well below freezing. Spoiler alert: walking through the snow to a pit toilet in the middle of the night with only a headlamp to scare away the bears is both a thrill and a challenge.
Some topics we discuss include:
- Matt’s latest obsession with organizing all of our travel gear
- Our experiences snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park during the winter
- How Karen’s desire to get into the holiday spirit created our new tradition of visiting national parks every December
- How to find and rent a Forest Service cabin
- What it was like staying in a Forest Service cabin near Yellowstone with no heat, electricity or indoor plumbing, in December
- What activities are available in Glacier National Park in the winter
- Spending a few days in a Forest Service cabin near Glacier National Park
- Our snowshoe experiences in and around Glacier
- Would we rent a Forest Service cabin in the winter again?
- And in our mail bag segment, we answer a question about whether we ever practiced shooting our expired bear spray, and if so, what did we learn.
Links to more information:
- Click here to see photos from our winter trips to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks
- Recreation.gov listing for Big Creek Cabin
- Recreation.gov listing for Zips Place Cabin
- 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
19 Adventures in Olympic National Park
Featuring a park in our home state of Washington on this episode, we discuss some of the highlights and must-sees at Olympic National Park. From the rugged coastline of the Pacific Ocean to …
17 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
It was a close call for sure. Had the government not stepped in to protect the land that today makes up these magnificent parks, the Giant Sequoias may have been lost forever. These amazing …
16 The Wave in Northern Arizona
We had all but given up on ever getting a permit to hike to one of the most sought-after sites in the American Southwest: The Wave in Northern Arizona. But in the fall of 2019, an email …
Bonus Episode: How much it costs to visit all 62 national parks
It is by far the most frequent question we get from readers and listeners: How much did it cost you to visit all 62 national parks? This bonus episode is essentially a detailed mail bag …
15 Our Favorite Places in Yellowstone
Few places, if any, in the lower 48 states have remained as wild and undisturbed as Yellowstone National Park. Sure, there are roads and boardwalks throughout the park to accommodate the …
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 …
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.