
#168: Mailbag!
From Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast by Matt and Karen Smith
March 10, 2025 · 53 min · Episode 168
About this episode
In this episode, Matt and Karen answer listener questions about national parks and related topics.
In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us. In this episode, we cover these topics: · An alternative to visiting the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park while the road is closed due to flood damage, · Road trip suggestions for visiting the Washington and Oregon coasts, · How to deal with crowding in the parks and the consequences of reservations becoming so difficult to get, · Which district of Saguaro National Park we’d choose to visit if we only had one day, · Whether you need bear spray when visiting Washington State’s three national parks, · And more! We now post ad-free versions of our episodes on our Patreon account (search for mattandkarensmith). If you are interested in joining, follow this link to check it out. Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show. Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on…
People in this episode
Hosts: Matt Smith, Karen Smith
Topics covered
- national parks
- road trips
- hiking
- camping
- gear
- crowding
- bear safety
Keywords
- national parks
- Hoh Rain Forest
- Olympic National Park
- Saguaro National Park
- bear spray
- road trip
- camping
- hiking
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington, Oregon, Saguaro National Park, Washington State
More episodes of Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast
- #175: Great Pizza Places Near National Parks · April 23, 2026 · 40 min
- #174: 10 National Monuments That Feel Like National Parks · March 19, 2026 · 53 min
- #173: Pinnacles National Park: Caves, Condors, and the High Peaks · February 6, 2026 · 44 min
- #172: Exploring Galápagos National Park · January 6, 2026 · 52 min
- #171: An Epic Road Trip Along California’s Highway 395 · October 24, 2025 · 1h 5m
- #170: Yosemite’s Curry Village: The Good, The Bad and The Scary · May 19, 2025 · 51 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast podcast page.