Hike With Us
Gaze at the National Parks is the podcast that explores the trails of America’s National Parks, one hiking trail in one national park, one national park at a time. Join creators and co-hosts Dustin Ballard and Michael Ryan as they climb to terrifying heights, cross miles of desert, and hike through the forests of our public lands.
Meet Dustin
Dustin Ballard was born and raised in Mississippi before moving to New Jersey where he studied Theatre Performance and was the 2009 Region II winner of the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. An accomplished actor, playwright, and teaching artist, Dustin specializes in devised work, specifically new musical theatre. Dustin is an avid traveler, champion of social justice, and someone unendingly curious about the world around him.
Sometimes, friendships come from unexpected places…
“After corresponding through a dating app over several months, we eventually met and quickly found that the two of us were bonded by friendship and not romance. Over the last eleven years we’ve had the opportunity to deepen our friendship through our epic long walks, national parks travels, and general curiosity about our natural world.”
Meet Michael
Michael Ryan was born and raised in New Jersey. He left the Garden State for a few years to attend school at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. A middle school art teacher, Michael loves to work with his hands whether it is in clay, watercolor, or while crafting new pieces of furniture for his home. Michael is an avid traveler, a concerned environmentalist, and a lover of creativity and making things.
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”
Rachel Carson | Biologist, Conservationist, and Author
History
After a trip to Mt. Rainier and Olympic National Park in the summer of 2015, Michael knew that he wanted to see more of the National Parks. Dustin was also eager to travel the country more and in the spring of 2017, the two planned the first of their many National Parks trips.
Criss crossing the country by plane, car, and sometimes boat, Dustin and Michael have seen 37 of the National Parks (some sites multiple times) along with a handful of other National Park Sites. In 2018, in an effort to share the experience with their friends and a wider audience, the two started a shared Instagram account that quickly evolved into the podcast of the same name, Gaze at the National Parks.
Follow along with their adventures as they hike, explore, and play games along the way.
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