I’ve been running Dirt In My Shoes for a decade and was a national park ranger before that! If you have a question for me, chances are it’s answered in this list of Frequently Asked Questions I’ve collected over the years of helping people plan their national park trips!
Click on a category below to jump to that specific section of questions:
TRIP PLANNING — picking a park, getting reservations, road tripping, packing, etc.
ITINERARIES — schedules, timing, avoiding crowds, updates, using your itinerary, etc.
HIKING 101 — best practices, advice, gear, etc.
ABOUT ASH — favorite park, how to work with me, my credentials, becoming a ranger, etc.
TRIP PLANNING
Do you have any suggestions for where we should go on our next national park vacation?
You’ll find my national park trip suggestions broken down by topic/features here and broken down by month here.
Can you share your favorite national park road trip itineraries?
Yes! We talk a lot about road-tripping on the Exploring the National Parks podcast. Here are some of my favorites:
- Black Hills South Dakota Road Trip: Wind Cave, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Deadwood, and more
- Canadian National Parks Road Trip: Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenai
- Favorite Winter National Parks Road Trip: Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Valley of Fire, and the Mojave Preserve
- Pacific Northwest Road Trip: Northern California, Oregon, and Washington parks
- Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky National Parks Road Trip: Great Smokies, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Mammoth Cave
- The Grand Circle Road Trip: 9 southwest national parks in one trip
- Utah National Parks Road Trip: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands
Do you have any tips for planning our next national park vacation?
Do I ever?! You’ll find many insider tips scattered throughout my podcast, YouTube channel, website articles, and social media channels.
However, a great place to start is this National Park Trip Planning Made Easy video. I walk you through the exact process I use to plan my own trips! And if you want me to plan a trip for you, check out my itineraries.
I have picked the park I want to visit. What is the next step?
If you know which park you want to visit, you’ll want to make your camping/lodging reservations right away. Many in-park lodging options fill 13 months in advance! This Master Reservation List will help you know your options and get the reservations you need.
For help deciding where to stay at a big/busy park, consult my “Where to Stay” articles (example here), the Lodging Guide included with your itinerary, and my All About Camping videos on YouTube.
After that, find that park on the map here or watch my trip-planning videos for first-time visitors to solidify your plans and find the best activities in the parks.
Why don’t you have every national park on your website?
I only write about parks I have personally been to and spent a lot of time in. You won’t find any AI, ghostwriters, or guest posts on Dirt In My Shoes. That’s on purpose — I want to ensure you get the best and most helpful information based not just on one trip but on many trips and lots of time spent in each national park!
Because of that, there are still parks that I haven’t been to or that I haven’t spent enough time in to confidently provide you with high-quality information and trip-planning advice. That is why my website doesn’t yet include every national park — but I’m working on it :).
When is the best time of year to visit a specific park?
For the bigger, more complex, and busiest national parks, you’ll find an article entitled “Best Times to Visit” for each specific park. Those articles provide a month-by-month breakdown of what to expect in the park, what will be open, what the weather will be like, etc. Here is an example of one of those articles.
If you are visiting a smaller national park that doesn’t have a “Best Time to Visit” article, you’ll want to consult my list of the Best National Parks to Visit by Month. This list is free, and after you sign up for it, you’ll be able to choose the month you are hoping to travel and see an extensive list of the best national parks to visit during that month.
How do I make lodging and camping reservations in the national parks?
Sign up for this Master Reservation List! This spreadsheet includes every national park and all of the available camping and lodging options. With this cheat sheet, you can quickly figure out when and how to make the reservations you need.
How can I learn more about the entrance reservations needed in some parks?
Some national parks require reservations just to enter the national park! Not getting one of these reservations is the quickest way to ruin your vacation.
You’ll find very detailed videos about the entrance reservations needed and how to get them for individual parks on my YouTube channel or in my National Park Itineraries.
Can I get a printable version of the Dirt In My Shoes articles?
You’ll find a small printer icon at the bottom of each article, just above the comments section. It’s not perfect, but it will get the job done.
My itineraries also come with printable PDF schedules, driving directions, trail guides, and lodging/dining guides if you prefer to have hard copies with you when you travel.
We want to go to a national park for spring break. What parks are best to visit in March?
I get iterations of this question a lot! You may have a specific month in mind for your next national park vacation, and this list of national parks by month will provide you with all of my recommendations!
You’ll also find YouTube videos of my favorite national parks to visit by month if you want a more detailed description of the parks you’ll find me in on a month-by-month basis.
What should I pack for my trip?
Get a copy of my National Parks Packing List here.
Can I send you my agenda to review/give advice and thoughts about what we should do?
As much as I would love to help you plan out your trip on an individual basis, I’m not able to devote the time required to offer that service right now. Please don’t send me your schedule and ask me to provide feedback!
The only exception to that is if you are a paying itinerary customer and you still have a question about adjusting the itinerary schedule after you’ve watched the accompanying walk-through videos and referred to the Making Adjustments video.
How can I visit the national parks on a budget?
We released a whole podcast episode on this very subject! I started visiting the national parks because it was one of the cheapest ways to travel and see amazing things. This is something I love to help other people with as well. You can find the episode full of tips for saving money on your next national park trip here.
Are the national parks kid-friendly? Is a specific park good for kids?
My answer to these questions is always a resounding YES! I have two young boys, and we have traveled all over the country with them since they were newborns. Do you need to keep a close eye on them or choose more kid-friendly activities while you’re there? Sure. But should you avoid visiting the national parks just because you have young kids? Absolutely not!
If you’re excited to introduce your kids to the national parks from a young age, you’ll love this podcast episode about our favorite national parks for toddlers. We also have an episode about tips for hiking with kids if you need some ideas to keep them moving.
ITINERARIES
Do you have an itinerary for a specific national park?
You’ll find all of my available itineraries here.
If the park you want is not listed, then I don’t currently offer an itinerary for that park. However, you can often find additional helpful information about parks without an itinerary on our podcast for now! Just scroll down the page and click on the park you’re interested in.
Can you make me a custom itinerary?
I do not offer custom itineraries at this time. But trust me, the itineraries on my site are designed to work for almost every group and situation! Very few people would need more customization than what is already included with the standard itinerary purchase.
What if I’ve already booked my lodging? Do your itineraries consider various lodging locations?
Yes! Each itinerary is written out of a specific location that I feel is best for seeing the park. But if you’ve already booked your lodging somewhere else, I include detailed written and video instructions for making adjustments to the schedule based on where you are staying.
I’m traveling outside the useable dates of the itinerary. Is it still worth it if I decide to purchase an itinerary?
If you’re traveling outside of the useable dates for an itinerary (which you’ll find listed right above the checkout button), there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Weekly updates are not included during the off-season.
- There is a high likelihood that some roads in the park will be closed, and you’ll have to skip out on some activities.
- I will not help you change the itinerary schedule/make adjustments if you choose to use the itinerary outside of the useable dates.
That being said, each itinerary does come with general instructions for what to do if you decide to visit the park outside of the useable dates. After you purchase the itinerary, you’ll find those in the menu under the Off-Season Options section.
Do you ever discount the itineraries?
I only put all the itineraries on sale once per year for my Black Friday Sale. I’ll announce the sale dates on Instagram, Facebook, and my email newsletter (sign up at the bottom of this page).
Otherwise, during checkout, if there is a nearby national park that I also have an itinerary for, you’ll have the option to add that itinerary to your cart at a discount. For example, pairings like Grand Teton and Yellowstone or Zion and Bryce Canyon.
I do offer a military and first-responder discount, and you can contact me here to get a coupon code if that applies to you.
Can I purchase multiple itineraries together?
Right now, you’ll need to purchase each itinerary individually. But I’m currently working on adding a cart option so that you can buy multiple itineraries in the same transaction, so stay tuned!
Can I just buy the 1-Day Itinerary for the park? I don’t want the whole bundle.
No, your purchase includes all the itineraries for that particular park (1, 2, 3, and sometimes 4 days are included).
This is because often plans change and you may decide to spend less or more time in a park after your itinerary purchase. If you have all the itinerary schedules available to you for that particular park, you can easily change over to the itinerary you need with the perfect number of days for your trip!
Is it ever too early to purchase an itinerary? Will I have access to updates next year?
It is never too early to purchase an itinerary. I keep them updated, so it doesn’t matter when you use them. The itineraries can be used now or five years from now!
How can I give the itineraries as a gift?
At checkout, you’ll find a small box to check if you want to send the itinerary to someone as a gift. Selecting this option will send the itinerary to their email address as soon as the transaction goes through.
If you’d like to give the itineraries as a gift to someone at a later date, contact me, and I can provide a personalized gift certificate for you to print out and give to someone!
I just purchased an itinerary but can’t find the downloadable PDFs. Did I miss something? Is the information shared only by video courses?
Your itinerary purchase includes printable PDFs with instructions, schedules, and driving directions that you’ll want to take on your trip.
If you have trouble finding the actual itineraries (the printable PDFs), please watch the Welcome Video at the very top of your screen when you log in. I explain where to find those PDFs within the first 15 seconds of that video!
The video walkthroughs are there so that you can watch them before you go to get even more tips and clarification. But they are not a replacement for the actual PDF documents, so you’ll definitely want to know where to find those printable documents.
What if I’m staying at the park longer than the number of days in the itinerary?
The itinerary will help you get to the main can’t-miss activities. If you have extra time, each itinerary also includes a list of other activities that I recommend for your additional days in the park!
Are the itineraries kid-friendly?
Yes! And we regularly test out the itineraries’ activities with our own young kids!
Are the itineraries dog-friendly?
The itineraries are only as dog-friendly as the national park is, which often means no! Most national parks don’t allow pets on trails, and that definitely affects the itinerary schedule. Please research where pets are allowed in the park before purchasing an itinerary so that you have a good idea of what your limitations will be if you bring your pet.
Do we need to have our own vehicle to follow an itinerary?
Yes! Some parks have free shuttle systems that I’ll help you navigate, but often, even then, those shuttles won’t get you everywhere. I strongly recommend having a vehicle to get to everything in the itineraries.
Does the itinerary work if we are traveling in an oversized vehicle/RV?
Yes. I include instructions with every itinerary regarding changes you’ll need to make to the schedule if you’re in an oversized vehicle or RV. Those instructions are in the menu under Traveling in an RV/Oversized Vehicle.
How do I access my purchased itinerary?
You can log in here!
HIKING 101
How do I use the “bathroom” on long hikes? Especially as a woman!
You can learn some important skills (and get some good laughs) by listening to our podcast episode How to Pee and Poop Outside While Hiking. Yes, we went there :)
Do you have any specific hiking gear recommendations?
Yes, read through my list of favorite hiking gear. You’ll also find many of my favorite adventure items categorized on Amazon.
What are your favorite hiking trails in the national parks?
We rank our favorite hiking trails in the national parks in this episode of our podcast!
What items should I always carry with me while I’m out hiking?
You’ll find a list of the 10 essentials here. These items are important to have with you regardless of how much hiking experience you have. Do you have all 10?
What should I do if I see a bear while I’m out hiking in the parks?
I’ve encountered many bears while out exploring the national parks. I also worked in Alaska twice, and let me tell you, the bears up there are in a league of their own!
Do you have tips for hiking specific trails?
My itineraries cover specific trails in detail and even include printable trail guides that you can take with you. But you’ll also find tips for hiking some of my favorite trails in the parks, including Wall Street in Bryce Canyon, the Beehive in Acadia, and the Delicate Arch Trail in Utah, on my YouTube channel.
Do you have any tips for hiking with kids?
Yes! I love seeing families out on the trail, but I know it can be a challenge to keep everyone moving sometimes :) We have hiked everywhere with our young kids, and we share our tips for hiking with kids in this podcast episode.
ABOUT ASH
Who are you, and how can I get to know you better?
Read through my About Me page to learn more about who I am, what Dirt In My Shoes is all about, and how to better connect with me and my family!
Which national parks have you worked at?
I’ve worked as a park ranger in Grand Teton National Park, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, and Glacier Bay National Park.
I’m interested in getting a job as a park ranger. Do you have any tips for landing a job?
Yes, you’ll find my tips for becoming a park ranger in this podcast episode.
What’s your favorite national park?
My favorite national park is Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. I grew up visiting that park with my grandparents, and that’s where my love of nature started! I visit Grand Teton at least yearly now…you can’t keep me away!
What do you pack on your national park trips?
Read through my list of favorite hiking gear and the 10 essentials to see what I always have with me on the trail. Then sign up for my free National Parks Packing List so you don’t forget anything on your next trip.
Are you going to post information and photos from your recent trip?
If you want to see where we are and what we are doing, follow Dirt In My Shoes on Instagram! And definitely check the Insta Stories…that’s where I usually put photos and videos while we’re in the national parks.
How can my business work with you or advertise on Exploring the National Parks?
Advertising on our podcast, Exploring the National Parks (the #1-ranked national parks podcast in America), is a great way to start working with us. Inquire about our advertising rates by filling out the form at the bottom of this page.
We also accept a limited number of partnerships, so if you want a stronger connection with Dirt In My Shoes beyond advertising, fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
If your question isn’t answered here, please contact me! See you out on the trail!