Gaze At the National Parks

Gaze At the National Parks

Dustin Ballard and Michael Ryan hike the trails of America’s National Parks. Each episode features one hiking trail in one National Park, one park at a time. Join them as they climb to terrifying heights, cross miles of desert, and hike through the forests of these public lands.

Episodes

December 1, 2025 16 mins

Dusty and Mike talk about the upcoming entrance fee changes to the National Parks in 2026.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNationalParks

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Mike and Dusty travel to the North end of Death Valley National Park to hike the large crater and all of the small craters of the Ubehebe Crater area.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNationalParks

Facebook: Gaze at the National Parks

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November 17, 2025 26 mins

Dusty and Mike go over safety tips and tricks for hiking in the heat and how to keep yourself safe.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNationalParks

Facebook: Gaze at the National Parks

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Featuring small trails of Death Valley National Park, over a few days, Mike and Dusty explore Natural Bridge, Artist Pallette, Stovepipe Wells, and Devil's Golf Course, foursmall adventure worth tagging onto longer hiking trails in Death Valley National Park.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, intervie...

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November 3, 2025 37 mins

Dusty and Mike go over tips and tricks for Fall hiking and camping and discuss their favorite hiking trails for the Fall.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNationalParks

Facebook: Gaze at the National Parks

#gazeatthenationalparks

#hikeearlyh...

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From desire paths in Red Cathedral to guitars at Zabriskie Point to the heat exposure in Gower Gulch, Mike and Dusty make the entire epic loop through Golden Canyon in Death Valley National Park.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNational...

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October 20, 2025 24 mins

In this Trail Mix episode, Dusty and Mike discuss the 2025 government shutdown and its impact on the National Parks.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNationalParks

Fac...

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Mike and Dusty can't fight the moonlight on the night they explore Bad Water Basin, from a tent full of sand to a pair of ballet flats flying into the darkness, an evening exploring the Salt Flats of Death Valley National Park proves to be more of an adventure than anticipated.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix...

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October 6, 2025 30 mins

Dusty and Mike take some time to look at how the environment and environmental policy is fairing under the current administration (Hint: It's not great).

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNationalParks

Facebook: Gaze at the National Par...

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In the first episode of Season 8, Mike and Dusty explore all of the Pup Fish Pools in Death Valley National Park. From Point of Rocks, Devil's Hole, and Ash Meadow National Wildlife Refuge, they find all the spots to see the endangered and native Pup Fish.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews,...

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September 22, 2025 31 mins

Dusty and Mike are back with a new season on the trails of the National Parks. Learn all about the parks of Season 8 through some trivia that will test your knowledge and stretch your brain.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Fin...

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July 28, 2025 57 mins

It's the Final Episode of Season 7, and the final Summit Episode of the series! Mike and Dusty look at all of the hiking trails from Season 7 covering the highlights and the grunts from every trail all the while giving superlatives to all of them, and naming the Trail of the Season.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail...

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July 21, 2025 28 mins

In the third of their four Summit episodes, Dusty and Mike discuss the ecosystems and wildlife of the parks from Season 7 including Olympic National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more...

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July 14, 2025 39 mins

In the second of their four Summit episodes, Dusty and Mike discuss the history of the parks of Season 7.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNationalParks

Facebook: Gaze at the National Parks

#gazeatthenationalparks

#hikeearlyhikeoften

#adventu...

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July 7, 2025 39 mins

In the first of their four Summit episodes, Dusty and Mike discuss the visitor experience of the parks of Season 7.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNationalParks

Facebook: Gaze at the National Parks

#gazeatthenationalparks

#hikeearlyhikeoft...

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In Part 2 of this year's Pride Mix Series, Mike and Dusty sit down at World Pride in Washington D.C. with Ann Marie Gothard, one of the two founders of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in New York, to talk about the evolution of Pride, Stonewall across generations, and the story of how the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center came to be.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, cli...

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After hiking down The Natural Entrance, Dusty and Mike take in Carlsbad Cavern's big room and all the cave formations therein.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNationalParks

Facebook: Gaze at the National Parks

#gazeatthenationalparks

#h...

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One year after the opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center's Opening, Mike and Dusty sit down with Diana Rodriguez, one of the two founders of the Visitor Center, at World Pride in Washington D.C. to talk about the journey to opening the Visitor Center, the role it plays in Stonewall's legacy, and the evolution of Pride for the LGBTQIA+ community.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other Nationa...

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In this episode, Dusty and Mike head past dramatically lit speleothems as they descend down the Natural Entrance of Carlsbad Caverns.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNation...

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In their first descent into Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Dusty and Mike explore the Lower Cave on a guided tour.

For more of our episodes on hikes in this and other National Parks, click here

To browse through our entire Library of hiking trail episodes, Trail Mix episodes, interviews, and more, visit our Episode Finder.

Instagram: @GazeAtTheNationalParks

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