The Atlas Obscura (Audio) Guide to the National Parks

We begin the week in Big Bend National Park in Texas. When a volunteer came across an odd-looking “furry” flower on a walk, she uploaded a photo to a citizen science app and went on her merry way. But the photo caused quite a stir – as it turns out, this volunteer had accidentally discovered an entirely new species.

Next, we visit a 50-square-mile patch of Yellowstone National Park, which might just be the perfect place to commit a crime. It’s called the Zone of Death, and it begs the question: Can a legal loophole make it possible to get away with murder?

We continue our journey to Arizona, where we visit a national monument called Montezuma Well. For years, this mysterious sinkhole has befuddled an exclusive group of divers who’ve gotten a glimpse of a strange world at its sandy bottom.

Next, we take a look at the lesser-known macabre side of the national parks system – because there’s a hidden side to nearly everything, including places we revere. We join forces with the podcast National Park After Dark to hear a story about an out-of-this-world incident that occurred deep in the Northwoods of Maine.

Finally, we end our journey in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, where we visit the remains of the Discovery Tree. It’s one of California’s longest-running tourist attractions: A giant stump that helped spark the movement to preserve the state’s natural places.

This story originally ran in 2025; it has been updated for 2025.