The Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor has numerous federally listed threatened and endangered species. Hills For Everyone opposes the rule changes. 1/3

A12. Next Tuesday, December 16, the #ParkChat book club will have its first discussion of Our Wildlife Heritage by Terry Grosz. Join us on Zoom at 7 pm Central. This is a friendly, informal group of friends. You should join us. For more details contact @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social.

A12. Do you like to read outdoors and parks-related books? Have you thought about joining the #ParkChat book club? We're just starting on Defending Our Wildlife Heritage by Terry Grosz. We meet on Zoom the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7 pm Central for good convos. Contact @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social

It is **that** time of year again. Anyone of my #BlueSky or #ParkChat friends want a Christmas card? If so, DM me your address pronto!

Day 9 & 10 - Sat. Oct. 4 to Sun. Oct. 5, 2025 📍Brookings, OR 📍Alfred Loeb SP, OR Leaving California, I headed up the Oregon Coast. This was the purpose of this trip -- to see the Oregon Coastline. I was finally here to do that! 1/5

We are still working on our topic but this week #ParkChat welcomes Hall of Famer @btarrington.bsky.social as our special guest host. I’m certain that Todd will put together a terrific chat. Please join us. @naturetechfam.bsky.social @camarowrx.bsky.social @tthrash.bsky.social @mountainscalling.me

Reminder to get your yearly screening!! #BreastCancerAwareness

Friends, I'm contemplating a western Canadian NPs trip and some MT/WY/UT spots... send me your recommendations if you have them. #ParkChat

Day 8 & 9 - Fri., Oct. 3 - Sat. Oct. 4, 2025 📍Orick, CA 📍Prairie Creek Redwoods SP, CA I left my mom and Jacob at the airport, completed a work meeting, and then headed off back to Prairie Creek Redwoods SP. This time to what has been dubbed the best coastal campground in all of California 1/7

Q4: Out here, the desert has a soundtrack: ravens echoing in canyons, wind carving through fins, distant thunder bouncing off sandstone. But every park has its signature sound. What is a sound in nature that instantly teleports you into “park mode”? #ParkChat

Autocorrect has become our worst enema.

Q3: People often picture solitude as standing alone under a giant arch, but solitude can look different everywhere — from quiet beaches to misty forests to early-morning trailheads. When you’re outdoors, do you seek quiet, or do you like hearing people around? #ParkChat

Q2: Canyonlands is known for horizons that just… keep going. But incredible horizons can happen anywhere — from alpine ridges to rolling grasslands to barrier islands. Where in public lands have you experienced the most jaw-dropping horizon? #ParkChat

Q1: In places like Arches & Canyonlands, scale can feel unreal, but the feeling of “vastness” isn’t just a desert thing. Forests, coasts, mountains, tundra… they all have their own version of “big.” What makes a park feel big to you? Is it the view? The silence? The sky? Something else? #ParkChat

Tonight #ParkChat welcomes @cnhamoab.bsky.special our third non-profit partner of public lands on Bsky. They work with Canyonlands, Arches, Bear Ears and more. Great job, hey! Please welcome them. @naturetechfam.bsky.special

This week “Thank a Ranger” travels to Arches National Park. Of course. #ParkChat

I am very excited to welcome @cnhamoab.bsky.special as our special guest host for next Wednesday. Please go ahead and follow them now as your #ParkChat welcome. @naturetechfam.bsky.special

How do you fell about tonight’s Qs from @blackhillsparks.bsky.social? #ParkChat

Please show your gratitude for @blackhillsparks.bsky.social for his excellent hosting of #ParkChat tonight and for all he does for the Parks. We really appreciate you! @naturetechfam.bsky.social

Q11: To quote an internet meme, “what if the most important part of park transportation is the friends you make along the way?” Tell us a good story about a family or friends road trip, flight, park shuttle or other (weirder) transpo experience that you still remember to this day. #parkchat

Q10: Death Valley has horeseback rides, Grand Canyon the mules, Denali’s got dogsleds, and Big Thicket’s famous for their canoe/kayak trips. What’s your oddest / most unique transportation experience in the parks? #parkchat

Q9: Some parks don’t just require transportation, they’re ABOUT transportation. Have you been to one that preserves or interprets something to do with transportation of goods or people? (Bonus points if you know why this Junior Ranger book is important to recent NPS history) #parkchat

Q8: Did your answer to Q7 include sustainable, inclusive, and accessible aspects of transportation to make our parks “parks for all”? It's okay, here's a 2nd chance: how can parks build transportation that is environmentally friendly, economically friendly, and disability friendly? #parkchat

Q7: Lets keep playing “superintendent for the day”! If you could design a dream way to get to and around in a park (realistic or not), what would it be? #parkchat

Q6:The Mission 66 cultural shift had a dark side: overcrowding. Regale us with your most epic parking / traffic fail in a park. Then play “superintendent for the day” and explain how you would fix it. #parkchat

Q5: The “scenic grandeur” parks aren’t the only ones with driving tours. Some (especially battlefields) have interpretive history drives. And most have audio tours with them. Tell us about one that stands out to you as a favorite or maybe one that needs more love. #parkchat

Q4: Rangers dismissively call it “windshielding the park,” but some parks’ scale and vistas lend themselves to cruisable (or cursable?) scenic roadways. Tell us about your favorite (or least favorite) park scenic drive experience. #parkchat

Q3: Automobiles and the NPS’s embrace of them through the Mission 66 program made parks car-dependent. 1st car question of four: which park has the best drive TO the park? What makes it special? #parkchat

Q2: Trains were instrumental in early development of the National Parks. There's still a few railroads that serve national parks, including Grand Canyon Railway, Alaska Railroad and of course Amtrak. Ever ride the rails during a park trip? Or stay in one of the lodges the early RRs built? #parkchat

Q1: In honor of our air traffic controllers getting paid for the first time in 6 weeks soon, first Q goes to airplanes: have you ever flown commercially specifically for a park visit? How’d it go with your gear? Or if you deliberately keep your wheels on the ground, why not? #parkchat

Welcome to a special “planes, trains, and automobiles... and ferries, kayaks, mules...” edition of #ParkChat featuring @blackhillsparks.bsky.special Let’s quickly take advantage of our valet parking and get this thing on the road. If you got here tonight anyway besides auto, we’d like to hear how.

Let’s thank our rangers today at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. When you go, make an effort to stay for an evening bat flight. There’s nothing like it really. We at #ParkChat hope that all National Park Service employees are being paid by the time we reconvene next week.

#ParkChat now has hosts scheduled through the end of February, 2026. That’s a good sign. Thanks to all that helps us with guests. @naturetechfam.bsky.special

Day 7 & 8 - Thur., Oct. 2 - Fri., Oct. 3, 2025 📍Trinidad, CA 📍Sue-meg SP, CA We left Prairie Creek Redwoods SP and headed down the coast to the recently renamed Patrick's Point SP. Now called Sue-Meg SP honoring the Yurok Tribe's generations of history on this land. 1/6

Q11 #ParkChat Some folks use well-known internet sites, such as the NPS websites/app, to research their upcoming park trips. What are some lesser-known websites/apps or places where you have found good info on parks you were planning to visit? @59nationalparks.bsky.social @myhikes.org

Q10 #ParkChat How do you personally discover hidden gems — do you research, ask rangers, explore off the main trails, or rely on word of mouth?

Q9 #ParkChat What hidden history or cultural site within a park do you think more people should know about?

Q8 #ParkChat Have you ever had a wildlife encounter in a lesser-visited area that left a lasting memory?

Q7 #ParkChat If you could recommend a “hidden gem” hike or campground that feels peaceful and secluded, where would it be?

Q6 #ParkChat Some parks have unique features like caves, dunes, or old-growth trees — what's the most unexpected landscape you've encountered?

Q4 #ParkChat Have you ever stumbled upon a hidden spot (trail, overlook, lake, etc.) inside a popular park that most tourists miss? If so, what was it?

Q3 #ParkChat Many visitors stick to famous parks like Yellowstone or Yosemite. What's a lesser-known park you think deserves more attention?

Q2 #ParkChat What's the most underrated International, National, State, or local park you've visited or want to visit — and why?

Q1 #ParkChat I’ve found hidden gems for places to eat while visiting the Parks at bowling alleys, farmers markets and food trucks. Could you name a hidden gem place to eat that you found while visiting a Park? About any kind of place works here.

Welcome to a special “Hidden Gem” addition of #ParkChat featuring @myhikes.org as our guest host. I know theirs going to be a lot to learn tonight so consider taking some notes. Also no secrets please. Let’s let everyone know where we are posting from as we sign in tonight please.

Tonight we are thankful for the rangers of Lassen Volcanic National Park. It’s a beautiful and remote Park in Northern #California. Hope you’ll get a chance to go there if you haven’t already. #ParkChat

Day 5, 6 & 7 - Tues., Sept 30. - Thur., Oct. 2, 2025 📍Orick, CA 📍Prairie Creek Redwoods SP, CA We left Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP and headed down to coast. We drove an offroad coastal loop near the Klamath River with spectacular views of the rugged coastline. 1/6

Q11 #ParkChat Q11 You want to wear a costume that has a National Park theme. You can’t come up with an idea so you turn to this tool. Let us know what costume it guides you to and does it make sense? I’m a plotting river otter apparently.

Q10. Halloween candy, pumpkin spice this or that. And pies! Connect any NP site to seasonal food or beverage. #parkchat

Q9. Howling and growling creatures. Wolves, coyotes, bear, mountain lions—Share a story or picture of an encounter with one of these critters. The scarier—but not too scary—the better… #parkchat