Wildlands News Podcast — National Parks, Public Lands & Survival

About Wildlands News Podcast — National Parks, Public Lands & Survival

Wildlands Podcast is an audio field guide to America's wild places, national parks, forests, monuments, and the public lands most shows overlook. Hosted by a former Army officer, Shawn Spainhour brings the discipline of someone trained where preparation was life-or-death and the curiosity of someone who explores these places for the love of it. Every marquee park gets a multi-part series: the history that shaped it, the visit that prepares you for it, and where to stay when you get there. Between parks, standalone Field Skills episodes cover the survival knowledge that keeps people alive outdoors: altitude, flash floods, navigation, bear country, and more. It's the show you put on while the trailhead is still hours away. New episodes every Thursday. Know the land before you reach it. Full guides and current conditions at WildlandsNews.com (http://WildlandsNews.com). Inside the Episodes: In-Depth National Park Guides: Deep dives into the history, hidden trails, and logistics for iconic destinations like Yosemite, Zion, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon, as well as lesser-known national forests and public lands. Wilderness Survival & Safety: Practical outdoor skills and field skills covering backcountry land navigation, flash flood preparation, bear safety, altitude sickness, and wilderness first aid. Trip Planning & Gear: Expert advice on backcountry permits, seasonal weather, trail safety, where to camp, and how to avoid the crowds on BLM and public lands. Whether you are an experienced backpacker prepping for a rugged backcountry trek, a casual hiker hitting the trails for a weekend camping trip, or an overlander exploring remote wilderness, this is your ultimate audio guide.

Publisher

National Parks & Survival Podcast

Category

society & culture · sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Jun 2026

Latest episode

29 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

20 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Oct 2026

   #020 - Field Skills: Navigation | Map, Compass & When the Phone Dies

   At some point on a ridgeline in the cloud, or in dense forest where the terrain stopped matching your memory of the map twenty minutes ago, the phone in your pocket becomes a small dark powerless rectangle. This episode is about navigating the way people did for most of history — by what you can see and what you can read on paper. Host Shawn Spainhour, a former Army officer who spent years navigating with topo maps and a lensatic compass, walks through the whole system. How to read contour lines and see the landscape in them before you leave the trailhead, and why identifying your bailout routes matters as much as your planned one. Magnetic declination — the angle most hikers never think about until it walks them 270 meters off line per kilometer — and how to correct for it. Taking and following a bearing, and terrain association: continuously matching what you see to what the map predicts, so a small drift gets caught early instead of a mile later. Handrails and catch features as a built-in alarm system. And the STOP protocol — Stop, Think, Observe, Plan — for when you're already uncertain, plus the pre-trip checklist that makes all of it work. This is a Wildlands Field Skills episode — the survival curriculum that runs between the park series. Wildlands — know the land before you reach it.

2. 

   22 Oct 2026

   #019 - Great Smoky Mountains, Part 3: Where to Stay | LeConte Lodge, Campgrounds & the Gateway Towns

   There's exactly one place to sleep inside this park that isn't a tent or a trail shelter — and you can't drive to it, can't even take a shuttle. LeConte Lodge sits near 6,600 feet, reachable only on foot, up one of five trails, with propane lanterns for light and llamas hauling in the supplies. People wait a year for a bed there. That's the flavor of a park that never built a grand rail hotel and offers something stranger instead. This closes out the Wildlands Great Smoky Mountains trilogy. Host Shawn Spainhour, a former Army officer, breaks down every way to stay. LeConte Lodge — the five approach trails, the family-style meals, and the roughly year-ahead lottery you need to win. The frontcountry campgrounds and how to choose: Elkmont for the fireflies and scale, Cades Cove for the wildlife and the early loop drive, Cataloochee for elk, Smokemont for the quiet North Carolina side. The backcountry and Appalachian Trail shelter permit system. And the gateway towns, each with a distinct personality — convenient Gatlinburg, family-focused Pigeon Forge, peaceful Townsend, and Cherokee on the Qualla Boundary with genuine ties to the history. Throughout, the standing reminder that park booking systems change constantly, so verify current policy directly before you rely on any of it. This is Part 3 of the Wildlands Great Smoky Mountains series. Part 1 covers the deep history; Part 2 covers planning your visit. Wildlands — know the land before you reach it.

3. 

   15 Oct 2026

   #018 - Great Smoky Mountains, Part 2: The Visit | Cades Cove, Kuwohi & the Synchronous Fireflies

   In September 2024, the highest peak in the park got its name back — Kuwohi, mulberry place, the sacred Cherokee summit renamed after a Confederate general in 1859 and formally corrected by unanimous federal vote after a campaign led by two Eastern Band citizens. That's the spirit of this whole visit: the busiest national park in the country rewards people who know what they're looking at before they arrive. Host Shawn Spainhour, a former Army officer, walks you through the greatest hits and the practical skill of not spending your vacation in traffic. The Park It Forward parking tag and the near-total lack of cell service. Cades Cove — the historic cabins, the reliable bears and elk, the four-hour bear-jam problem, and how the early hours and the car-free summer Wednesdays beat it. Kuwohi and its flying-saucer tower with views into seven states. The synchronous fireflies near Elkmont and how the lottery actually works. A walkable piece of the Appalachian Trail at Newfound Gap and Charlies Bunion. Plus the quieter waterfall hikes — Laurel, Grotto, Abrams, Chimney Tops — the wildlife rules, season-by-season timing, and a realistic weekend itinerary. This is Part 2 of the Wildlands Great Smoky Mountains series. Part 1 covers the deep history; Part 3 covers where to stay. Wildlands — know the land before you reach it.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.2 / 5

5 ratings

Contact Wildlands News Podcast — National Parks, Public Lands & Survival

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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