Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast
Adventures in the U.S. National Parks and public lands with Matt and Karen Smith.
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 response to this very question. While we know everyone’s expenses will be different based on where they live, where they stay in and around the parks, how they get there, and how long they spend in each park, in this episode we discuss what it cost us to visit them. We also provide some tips on how to plan a journey to all the national parks and a few ways to save money along the way.
Some topics we discuss include:
- Brief overview on the categories of costs incurred when visiting the parks
- How we planned our journey to all the parks
- How much it cost us to visit all of them
- A discussion of another couple’s accounting of their costs when visiting all of the parks (see link below)
- Some ideas about how to group parks together into a single trip to save on travel costs
- How we find lodging, hikes, and hidden gems along the way
- And more!
Links to more information:
- Map showing the order in which we visited the 59 national parks (We completed our tour in 2012 when there were 59 parks; today there are 62.)
- NPS map of all the National Park units
- Link to the NPS map site with further links to many of the NPS publications
- Blog post where Lauren and Steven provide details of how much it cost them to visit all 62 national parks in 2019
- 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
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 …
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 …
13 The Great American Bison Road Trip
Who doesn’t love an end-of-summer road trip? Few activities compare to the joy of packing a duffel bag full of stuff, filling the snack bag with …
12 Misadventures in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
Over 120 years ago, the Klondike Gold Rush attracted more than 100,000 people from around the world with the lure of wealth and adventure. All that …
11 Beyond Utah’s Mighty Five National Parks
The five national parks in Utah are spectacular and draw millions of visitors each year for a good reason. But the public lands surrounding these …
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.