

National Park After Dark
Audioboom Studios
Hosted by two friends who share a passion for the wilderness and a fascination with what can go wrong there, each week hosts Danielle and Cassie explore the darker side of our National Parks and explore these treasured places in a whole new way - because behind the iconic arches and towering trees lie layered histories, grisly encounters, extraordinary stories of survival, tragic ends and so much more. But it isn’t always chills and thrills. By sharing inspiring tales and their desire for protecting our planet’s wild places, they hope the show will inspire listeners to lace up their own hiking boots and take a walk into the wild to create meaningful adventures of their own.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 16, 2021 • 39min
30: Room 873 - Hauntings of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
Join us this week as we head to one of the most beautiful places in all of Canada, Banff National Park. In the 1800's settlers realized that with the beauty of this area, money and tourism was a huge opportunity. They decided to build a beautiful hotel in the heart of Banff National Park. What they weren't expecting when it was built, was all the spirits that would never leave and the mystery that lives in room 873.
We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon to gain access to ad-free episode, bonus content and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website.
Thank you so much to our partners, check them out!
BetterHelp: Get 10% off their your first month at betterhelp.com/NPAD
Wicked Clothes: Get 10% off of any purchase when you use our discount code NPAD at check out or go to our link www.wickedclothes.com/NPAD
Sources: Connection Canada. Haunted Placed.Paranorms. The Line Up.

Aug 9, 2021 • 1h 16min
29: Death By Lion. Tsavo National Park
Man eaters. Two words that send shivers down your spine, that spark a deep, primal fear. Words that elicit dread, make your eyes widen, heart pump and legs tingle. Come along with us as we spend this week in Africa discussing the famous Tsavo man eating lions – with a twist. The grisly tale of what happened here in 1898 is undoubtedly among the most notorious tragedies in Kenya, but what can we learn from it? What drives lions to hunt humans, and will they ever stop?
We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon to gain access to ad-free episode, bonus content and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website.
Learn more about the lions of Africa here.
Sources: The Lions of Tsavo - Exploring the Legacy of Africa’s Most Notorious Man Eaters. Smithsonian. Carnige Museum of Natural History. Washington Post. African Wildlife Foundation. Live Science. Free Range American.

Aug 2, 2021 • 58min
28: A Broken Neck and Endless Crevasses - Surviving Denali National Park
This week we are heading deep into Denali National Park to summit Mount Foraker, the third tallest summit in the United States. Bring your ice picks and crampons because we are going to be climbing for this one.
When Colby Coombs, Tom Walter, and Ritt Kellog head out on a mountaineering expedition together the weather created a huge obstacle. With inches of snow falling everyday, huge crevasses, and avalanche conditions, this was no easy trek.
When an avalanche hits, trajedy stikes and leaves one climber with a broken neck. Making it back alive is going to be nearly impossible.
Based from the book and true story: In the Zone: Epic Survival Stories from the Mountaineering World by Peter Potterfield
We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon to gain access to ad-free episode, bonus content and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website.
Thank you so much to our partner, check them out!
BetterHelp: National Park After Dark is sponsored by BetterHelp. Take
charge of your mental health. Listeners get 10% off their first month at
betterhelp.com/NPAD
Sources: Epic Stories from the Mountaineering World by Peter Potterfield. Backpacker. AMS.

Jul 26, 2021 • 1h 23min
27: The Man Who Went Down With His Mountain. The Eruption of Mount St. Helens
This week we trek to our first National Monument! The 1980 Mount St. Helen’s eruption was the largest in US history, and claimed over 50 lives. Listen along as we meet one of the victims, Harry Truman, who left his mark on the mountain and who’s legacy lives on in the PNW.
We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon to gain access to ad-free episode, bonus content and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website.
Thank you so much to our partner, check them out!
BetterHelp: National Park After Dark is sponsored by BetterHelp. Take
charge of your mental health. Listeners get 10% off their first month at
betterhelp.com/NPAD
Sources: Truman of St. Helens by Shirley Rosen. Wikipedia. USGS. US National Archives. Smithsonian.

Jul 19, 2021 • 60min
26: The Widower - Rocky Mountain National Park
This week we are taking you into Rocky Mountain National Park, make sure you bring your hiking shoes and poles, because we are going to be heading off trail for this one. For this episode we are going to be diving deep into the lives of Harold and Toni Henthorn. When the couple first got married and fell in love, things seemed wonderful. Slowly overtime though, red flags begin to emerge in this not so perfect marriage. When they head into the park for their wedding anniversary and Toni mysteriously dies, Harold is the first suspect. But no one could have ever guessed the lies he had told and what his previous life entailed.
We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon to gain access to ad-free episode, bonus content and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website.
Sources: 48 hours: The Accidental Husband (s. 30 e. 46) Daily Mail. People.com. Rolling Stone. Frommers.

Jul 12, 2021 • 54min
25: Shifting Sands. Big Bend National Park.
This week we take a journey through twists and turns to el despoblado – “the uninhabited land.” Big Bend National Park is a place on the far reaches of civilization that stands impartial as the troubles and toils of existence play out Most of the beings here are in a fight for their lives, struggling every single day just to ensure they see another. But what if that wasn’t the case? What if, despite all efforts, all wants and desires, you wanted to die ... but couldn’t?
We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon to gain access to ad-free episode, bonus content and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website.
Sources: Pandora's Box: Unleashing Evil, Death Wish. Death in Big Bend - True Stories of Death & Rescue in Big Bend National Park by Laurence Parent. Medium.com. NPS.

Jul 5, 2021 • 1h 4min
24: Forrest Fenn's Treasure, Death and Crime. Yellowstone and Beyond.
Forrest Fenn was dying when he decided to come up with a treasure hunt. He had plans to give 2 million dollars worth of his gold and treasures to anyone that could find where he hid it. He wrote a poem with 9 clues that would lead one lucky person somewhere into the Rocky Mountains. What he wasn't counting on was all the people that would die, the destruction it would cause, and the crimes that he himself would become a victim of.
We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon to gain access to ad-free episode, bonus content and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website.
Sources:Chasing the Thrill - Obsession, Death, and Glory in America's Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt by Daniel Barbarisi. Medium.com. Jackson Hole News. CBS News.

Jun 28, 2021 • 52min
23: Lights in the Sky. Great Sand Dunes National Park
For this week’s adventure, we are heading to somewhere that prides itself on exploration of the Park after dark. Bring those night vision goggles and an open mind as we travel to Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park where we discuss one of the state’s longest running unsolved mystery - the case of Snippy the horse, lights in the sky above Colorado, and contemplate the age-old question – are we alone?
We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon to gain access to ad-free episode, bonus content and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website.
Sources: Wikipedia. Dark Sky Association. Colorado National Park Trips. UFO Watchtower. NPS.

Jun 21, 2021 • 38min
22: The Strange Disappearance of Glen and Bessie Hyde. Grand Canyon National Park
Bring your life preserves, lots of food and water, and a camera! We are taking you down an epic trip in the Grand Canyon down the Colorado River in a sweep scow boat. When newly wed couple, Glen and Bessie Hyde set out to the Grand Canyon to set records as the fastest river runners and the first woman to ever run the canyon, they had high hopes but just after a month on their journey they disappear. Their disappearance is anything but normal and they seem to just vanish into thin air. This sparks lots of rumors and theories of what could have happened to them and brings us on a long journey of possibilities. It even makes us question the motives and who people are even years later.
We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon to gain access to ad-free episode, bonus content and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website.
Sources: Wikipedia. Strange Outdoors. Listverse. NAU.

Jun 14, 2021 • 53min
21: Little Islands. The Dark History of America’s National Parks
To celebrate National Indigenous History Month, we take a step back in history as Danielle flips back the pages of time and brings us to a dark chapter in US history. National Parks, some of our favorite places in the world, were once home to thousands of Native Peoples. Today we are familiar with why National Parks were created – to protect land and resources from development, and "for the benefit and enjoyment of the people", but do we really know how they were created? The lands we benefit from and enjoy today came at the expense of others, others who lived and worshiped on those same lands for millennia. Lands that were stolen.
We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon to gain access to ad-free episode, bonus content and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website.
Sources: The Atlantic. NPS. Phys. Scientific American. Parks.ca. NCSL. Smithsonian. The Conversation. NPS. Outside. Wikipedia. Grand Canyon Guru.