Arizona State Parks and Trails Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

New to camping? Want to make your weekend outdoors a success? This information-packed episode cuts the learning curve for any camper looking for new techniques to improve your overnight experience in the outdoors.

Hear from experts on the equipment you'll need, the food you can prepare and make at camp, selecting your campsite and being safe out there, and why time in nature is so beneficial for us in the first place! Visit AZStateParks.com/Camping-Logistics for even more tricks, tools, and tips to make camping easy and fun.

About our guest: Dr. Brent Bauer
 Dr. Brent Bauer is a general internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic and director of the Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program. Dr. Bauer's personal goal is to ensure that research conducted under the auspices of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program is always held to the same high standards as all other research at Mayo Clinic. You can find Dr. Bauer's clinical profile and research faculty profile at MayoClinic.org.

About our guest: Christine Connors
Having sold more than 100,000 copies of their outdoor cooking books, Christine and her husband and co-author Tim Conners are experienced campers, backpackers, and outdoor chefs and the authors of The Scout’s Outdoor Cookbook, Lipsmackin’ Backpackin’, and Lipsmackin’ VegetarianBackpackin’. The Conners have twice served as judges for Scouting magazine’s prestigious national camp food cooking contest. Learn more at LipSmackinCampin.com.

About our guest: Ryanne Crary
Ryanne is a northern Arizona native whose adventuring in the high desert sparked her passion for the outdoors and all things wildlife. Her family's involvement with the Bureau of Land Management also inspired her to receive her degree in Parks and Recreation from ASU and a minor in Parks and Protected areas, when she spent time as an animal handler at the Phoenix Zoo and attempted to escape the heat. Ryanne joined the Hike Shack in 2020 where she met her now husband Caleb, and future fur-son, Lance. She now works for The Town of Prescott Valley Parks and Recreation as a Recreation Supervisor and handles marketing and outreach for The Hike Shack. When she's not at work, you can find Ryanne exploring her home in Prescott, hiking, rock climbing, and picking up rocks and lizards with her husband, dogs Lance and Bingo, and her lizard Lizzie.

About our guest: Louis Juers
Louis Juers of The Arizona Family Campout Program helps families discover the joy of camping. He introduces them to the experiences you can share in Arizona's outdoors. Ranger Louis is continuously applauded by families who participate with reviews like Jennifer S., who said, "The warmth we felt from [ranger] Louis and his outstanding team of volunteers was immediate and sincere. Their energy and effort were unparalleled during the whole weekend, giving us families a chance to bond while building upon our camping know-how. Louis's background in education shone brightly all weekend."

Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

Announcing (drum roll, please 🥁)... the 2023-2024 Opt Outside Photo Contest at Arizona State Parks! Join us in this episode to hear all about the photo contest, its categories, and sweet prize packages. See the full contest details, rules, deadlines, and submission form at AZStateParks.com/photo-contest.

Professional photographer for Arizona State Parks, Carlos Ramirez, joins Neil and Elisabeth on the show to give tips and tricks of the trade to take stunning photos. We also hear from one of the contest judges Tim Elinski. Not only is Tim a judge, his company, Pin Drop Travel Trailers, is part of the grand prize package for the contest winner! You can find out more about Pin Drop Travel Trailers at PinDropTravelTrailers.com. Also check out the contest's other two judges, Lauren and Owen Steinwall of The AZ Hikeaholics and their popular Arizona adventure travel account at TheAZHikeaholics.com or on Instagram!

About our guest: Elijio Carlos Ramirez
Arizona native Elijio Carlos Ramirez started his career in public policy before transitioning to photo and video. He's worked with private clients, Hollywood movie studios, and even saw his work screened in Times Square. In his spare time, he enjoys other creative pursuits and credits his family for the support that has allowed him to do so.

About our guest: Tim Elinski, Pin Drop Travel Trailers
Pin Drop Travel Trailers are solar-powered, fully self-contained micro-campers manufactured in rural Arizona. The company was launched in 2018 by avid campers and entrepreneurs, Tim and Ruth Ellen Elinski. 

Pin Drop Travel Trailers are intentionally designed and crafted in small batches using premium materials. Combining unmatched, superior quality with user-friendly functionality, the trailers provide travelers the ultimate camping and adventure experience. Sturdy enough for remote, off-road destinations, they are constructed with built-in conveniences for established campgrounds and equipped with comforts appreciated by weekend adventurers who prefer a glamping experience.

Tim leads design and manufacturing operations, bringing over 20 years’ experience as a licensed general and HVAC contractor to the company. Raised in a family of tradesmen, Tim honed his skills restoring historic homes and building energy efficient additions and new homes. Now licensed by the State of Arizona as both a trailer manufacturer and dealer, Tim brings his talent, creativity and eye for design to lead the manufacturing team. Together, they create custom, teardrop trailers that are rolling works of art.

Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

Sometimes all it takes is a little knowledge to change fear into fascination. That's why Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary joined us on this episode: to reintroduce to the world of snakes. Katelyn Garcia, the sanctuary's Education & Outreach Director as well as Cale Morris, Venom Manager for the sanctuary, help us understand the importance of these reptiles and might help you regard snakes in a different light.

Check out the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary to schedule a tour, learn about their camp, or virtually adopt an animal at PhoenixHerp.com and on social media under @PhoenixHerp. You can also check out the online snake identification resource linked on their website, which Katelyn and Cale mention in this episode, ReptilesOfAZ.org.

Bonus! Read more about Clem the alligator relocated from the Grand Canyon to Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary as told by the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument.

Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

What is historic preservation and how can any resident or visitor be a part of it? Arizona's State Historic Preservation Officer, Kathryn Leonard, joins us on the show to share.

We discuss the many sides of historic preservation, from the ideological perspective of anchoring us to our past and providing tangible ways for future generations to understand it, all the way to the practical side, including laws, tax breaks, economic benefits, and more.

As far as who can be a part of preservation efforts? If you find value in a sense of place (and who doesn't?), congratulations! Kathryn makes the case that this is all you need to be a preservationist.

Check out the links mentioned during this episode:

• State Historic Preservation Office website, AZStateParks.com/shpo
• Historic Preservation Tax Incentive Program
• State Historic Preservation Office's social media
• Annual Historic Preservation Conference: AZPreservation.org/conference
• Bimonthly preservation book club
• Arizona Preservation Foundation webinars
• Osterman Gas Station on this year's listing of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places
• The preservation success story of Camp Naco

Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

Understand Arizona's climate and its potential dangers with this episode's guest, Dr. Erinanne Saffell. Dr. Saffell is Arizona's State Climatologist and she breaks down our state's diverse climate and the role elevation change plays in our weather, as well as factors like the urban heat island effect and practical measures homeowners in Arizona's low-elevation metro areas can take to temper it on their own property.

Dr. Saffell also gives insight into what kind of summer Arizonans can expect and how to prepare and be safe in the heat, monsoons, and fire season. 

If you enjoy hearing about the fascinating work Dr. Saffell does for the Arizona State Climate Office, check out these ways to get involved:

• Follow the Arizona State Climate Office on Twitter
• Sign up for monthly webinars (3rd Thursday every month from 10-10:30 a.m.) and new reports from the AZ State Climate Office and State Climatologist
• Contact AZClimate@asu.edu to volunteer by measuring evaporation at the Weather Station in Tempe
• Be a citizen scientist by reporting precipitation with CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network). Get a backyard rain gauge and easy training at cocorahs.org
• Brush up on wildfire awareness at azstateparks.com/fire-safety

About Dr. Erinanne Saffell
Dr. Erinanne Saffell received her BS, MA, and PhD degrees in Geography and Climatology from Arizona State University. Her main research interests are extreme weather events, including flood and drought, as well as impacts of the Urban Heat Island. Dr. Saffell is a Senior Global Futures Scientist with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory and an Associate Teaching Professor at ASU.

The Arizona State Climatologist serves the people and state of Arizona through an executive appointment funded by Arizona State University, the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory.

Dr. Saffell is Director of the Arizona State Climate Office, which is the recognized State Climate office for the State of Arizona (ARSCO). A focus of the State Climate Office is to evaluate and synthesize climate data and scientific research to provide context and relevancy about the climate of Arizona.

Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

Listen in as Lexi with Roam Lab simplifies cooking at the campsite! With a little bit of planning and at-home prep work, you can have delicious meals that fuel your next adventure.

Lexi and her husband Chris travel full-time and have mastered the art of campsite cooking. Learn how to cook over a campfire and the tricks of heat distribution. Try out some new recipes or even some of Lexi's favorite gear. Lexi shares great ideas for meals when you want to keep cooking short and sweet as well as options for more gourmet eating (like her recipe for mouthwatering lamb kabobs).

Get Lexi's Campfire Cooking guide on Instagram as well as her Recipes highlights, get even more practical advice on Roam Lab's website, and follow along with their travels at roamlab.com.

Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

This episode is in celebration of Earth Day! Earth Day is an annual, global event on April 22 that has been going strong for 53 years after it was first created in 1970 to draw attention to environmental protection.

To discuss Earth Day and better understand how we can all do our part to protect Arizona's natural resources and beautiful outdoor spaces, we’ve invited four state park rangers from across Arizona to join us on the show: Ranger Ethan from Oracle State Park, Rangers Kyle and Jess from Kartchner Caverns State Park, and Ranger Sara from Lost Dutchman State Park.

We mention some resources on the show, so be sure to check out our fire safety and restrictions online resource, as mentioned by Ranger Sara; the International Dark Sky Association website and our episode with IDA ambassador Mike Weasner, as referenced by Ranger Ethan; and cave tour reservations as recommended by Rangers Jess and Kyle.

After listening, we hope you’re excited to take action with these simple steps towards becoming a more engaged environmentalist…and even join us for a fun Earth Day celebration at one of Arizona’s state parks, listed below (click on each link for event dates, times, and other details).

• Dead Horse Ranch State Park: Make Native Seed Balls and the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival
• Kartchner Caverns State Park: Recyclables crafts, educational talks in the amphitheater, scavenger hunt, Star Party, and more
• Lost Dutchman State Park: Guided hikes, nature talks, geocaching, and litter cleanup kits
• Lyman Lake State Park: Arts, crafts, and kids' activities
• Oracle State Park: Geology hike, snake talk, astronomy talk, music on the trail, food trucks, and Star Party

Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

Meet adventurer, thru-hiker, mountain biker, backpacker, ultra-runner, hiker, and camper Henley Phillips. Based in Tucson, Arizona, Henley has taken on outdoor adventures across the world. He loves coming up with creative ways to explore new areas and connect destinations on the map with the trail less traveled. Henley will inspire you to try something new, explore more, and savor each moment you can in nature.

We begin the show talking about Henley's 64-hour adventure across southern Arizona, running up the five highest summits around Tucson and linking the trailheads by bike. You can read more about his experience at bikepacking.com. We also hear about Henley's extreme adventure journey in Australia, which you can watch a video on HERE.

This April, Henley is attempting a multi-sport (hiking and biking) yo-yo (northbound and back again) adventure on the Arizona National Scenic Trail, which is 800 miles long one-way, spanning the length of Arizona from Mexico to Utah. Follow along with his adventures on Instagram at henley.phillips. If you want a taste of the Arizona Trail, try its access point right from Oracle State Park.

Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

Adriane Grimaldi, Education Director of Butterfly Wonderland, takes us into the amazing world of butterflies in this episode. There are 28,000 butterfly species around the world and Arizona is home to a whopping 334 species--second in diversity of butterfly species only to the state of Texas! Adriane shares where and when you can observe them here in the Grand Canyon State.

Adriane also shares the intricacies of butterfly life, their journey to Butterfly Wonderland from farms throughout the world, and how this team of butterfly experts is doing their butterfly conservation work.

Learn about these beautiful pollinators and how you can help them, including how to build a simple yet very effective backyard butterfly garden! To help get your garden underway, be sure to check out Butterfly Wonderland's March and October plant sale that Adriane mentions. Butterfly Wonderland's Spring Plant Sale is Saturday, March 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, March 19 from 9 a.m. to noon in their outside courtyard. Butterfly, hummingbird, and bee-friendly plants will be for sale from $14.95 to $29.95 and proceeds benefit the Butterfly Wonderland Foundation.

Plan your visit to Butterfly Wonderland to experience the magic of this butterfly conservatory for yourself!

Check out information on the state parks you can view butterflies in and the Monarch Waystations (certified areas that have the resources butterflies need to thrive, including nectar and host plants) in Arizona State Parks that you can visit at azstateparks.com/arizona-butterflies.

Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

Nick Teschler and Conrad Demecs with FishIn48 know Arizona's bass and their favorite habitats. They join us on the show to tell anglers their secrets, including where to find bass, the lures they're most successful with, and when to get on the water.

Nick and Conrad also regularly contribute to Arizona State Parks and Trails' online Fishing Report and host a blog with more great resources to catch bass in Arizona.

Find them on social media at @FishIn48 and check out their upcoming tournament on March 18 at Alamo Lake State Park! You can also find information about their guided bass fishing trips, and book a trip with Conrad and Nick HERE.

Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.