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Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks PodcastAdventures in the U.S. National Parks and public lands with Matt and Karen Smith Author: Matt and Karen Smith
In Dear Bob and Sue, authors Matt and Karen Smith share stories of their travels to all of the U.S. National Park as well as other spectacular public lands. From adventures gone awry to memorable moments and Q&As from readers, get to know the couple behind the books and get inspired to go on some adventures of your own. Language: en Genres: Personal Journals, Places & Travel, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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#173: Pinnacles National Park: Caves, Condors, and the High Peaks
Episode 173
Friday, 6 February, 2026
We recently returned to Pinnacles National Park, a place we hadn’t visited since our first trip in 2013. Situated about 75 minutes south of Monterey, California, Pinnacles is known for its dramatic volcanic rock formations, remnants of a once 8,000-foot volcano. When we first visited, Pinnacles had just become a national park, and we stopped there as part of our journey to visit all the U.S. national parks. This time, we had a different reason to return. Karen wanted to explore one of the park’s talus caves. In this episode, we discuss our visit to the park, where we hiked into the lower portion of Bear Gulch Cave, then to Bear Gulch Reservoir, and finally into the high peaks. We also dive into the park’s fascinating geology, its history as a national monument established by Theodore Roosevelt, and the role of the Civilian Conservation Corps in building many of the trails and structures still used today. And of course, no visit to Pinnacles would be complete without talking about California condors. Pinnacles is the only national park that actively manages a condor release site, and we explain how these remarkable birds were brought back from the brink of extinction. If you’re planning a visit to Pinnacles, this episode is for you, as we also share practical tips to help you make the most of your time in the park. ----- Follow this link to join us on Patreon. And don't forget to check out our Substack account where you can subscribe for free to our weekly articles. You do not need to set up a Substack account to read our posts or subscribe to our weekly email. If you are already familiar with Substack, look us up at mattandkarensmith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
