Sierra Rec Now Podcasts

Conversations, stories and destinations from across the Sierra Nevada.

This week’s feature:

With a new Episode published each Tuesday on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and YouTube, discover more Sierra weekly on your favorite channels. Each week Charlie meets people from around the Sierra to discuss the insights and insider tips from destinations, trips, events and passions of the Sierra.

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Halloween in Carson City 2026: Ghost Walks, Haunted Prisons and Nevada Day Traditions

From historic ghost walks and steam trains to a Halloween Nevada Day Parade, October is one of the most memorable times to explore Nevada’s capital. CARSON CITY, NEVADA — October 13, 2026 When I first arrived in Nevada in 2007, some of the earliest community events I remember were tied to Halloween. Coffin races, ghost…
Listen to the full episode: Halloween in Carson City 2026: Ghost Walks, Haunted Prisons and Nevada Day Traditions

Past Episodes

Keeping Women Outdoors Longer | Virginia Peterson of SWOOP

October 13, 2026

Adventure, Community & the Story Behind SWOOP There is something about meeting people who have built their lives around the outdoors that I never get tired of. Their stories are rarely just about the mountains they have climbed or the trails they have traveled. More often, they are about the people they met along the

What Happens When Kids Experience Yosemite for the First Time | NatureBridge

October 6, 2026

What happens when a child steps into Yosemite National Park for the first time? For thousands of students each year, that first experience comes through NatureBridge, where Yosemite becomes something more than a national park they have seen in photographs or learned about in school. It becomes an outdoor classroom filled with granite walls, waterfalls,

Getting Kids Outside: Motherhood, Entrepreneurship & Building GO Deck

September 29, 2026

Getting kids outside doesn’t require a trip to Yosemite, expensive outdoor gear or an elaborate family adventure. Some of the best outdoor activities for kids may be hiding just a few minutes from home. Our Guest: Deanna Ratnikova Founder and CEO The Go Decks Deanna Ratnikova is the founder of GO Deck, a collection of

Camping With Kids: How to Start Small and Raise Adventurous Kids

September 24, 2026

Camping with kids doesn’t require the perfect RV, expensive outdoor gear or a perfectly planned family adventure. Sometimes it starts with a borrowed tent, a pair of hand-me-down boots and simply deciding to get outside. Our Guest Natalie Vereen Davis Natalie Vereen-Davis is the creator of CampingKiddos, a family camping and outdoor travel resource helping

Her First Solo Tahoe Rim Trail Thru-Hike | Courtney Rosiak-Quinto

September 15, 2026

Courtney Rosiak-Quinto set out on her first solo thru-hike, following the 174-mile Tahoe Rim Trail around Lake Tahoe through high-elevation terrain, long water carries, unexpected challenges and the Sierra landscape that has helped make South Lake Tahoe feel like home. Taking on the Tahoe Rim Trail Alone The Tahoe Rim Trail—or TRT—travels through California and

How a Lifetime of Adventure Became 10Adventures | Richard Campbell

September 14, 2026

Richard Campbell spent decades exploring the world by foot, bicycle, ski and boat before turning that life outside into 10Adventures, a global platform for guided and self-guided hiking, cycling and active travel. Richard joins Sierra Rec host Charlie Pankey to share how summers working on his grandparents’ farm, family camping trips in the Canadian Rockies

Learning to See the Wild with Larry Laverty | Seeing the Sierra

September 3, 2026

There are people who go outside to see something, and there are people who seem to spend their lives learning how to notice what is already there. For photographer and author Larry Laverty, that education started remarkably early—with birds, butterflies and an oak tree outside his childhood home. It continued in the mountains, including an

The Journey of Innovation: Kurt Avery’s Sawyer Story

August 31, 2026

How Sawyer Became an Outdoor Essential | Founder Kurt AverySawyer Products is one of the most trusted names in backpacking water filtration—but that’s not where the company started. In the first story from Sierra Rec’s Built Outside series, host Charlie Pankey sits down with Sawyer founder Kurt Avery to explore the unlikely 42-year journey behind

Why the Mountains Keep Calling Her Back | Lisa Michelle on Sierra Backpacking

August 20, 2026

After foot surgery kept author and Sierra explorer Lisa Michelle away from the trail for nearly three months, returning to Sierra Nevada backpacking gave her a new appreciation for every hike—and a new idea for helping other women experience the mountains. Lisa returns to the Sierra Rec Now Podcast to talk with Charlie Pankey about

Backpacking Rae Lakes: A Sierra Journey Over Kearsarge Pass

August 11, 2026

Some places are almost impossible to explain until you’ve stood in them. Juan Veruete calls the Sierra Nevada his “million-word places”—landscapes where even the best photograph never quite captures the scale of what’s in front of you. In this conversation, Juan joins the Sierra Rec Now Podcast to talk about a backpacking life shaped by

12 Sierra Experiences I Hope to Share With My Grandkids

August 4, 2026

Editor’s Note Some conversations begin with a question. Others begin with a moment that stays with you long after the weekend is over. Last weekend, my wife and I took our one-year-old grandson on his very first camping trip. Like most grandparents, we spent the weekend watching him discover things many of us stopped noticing

How to Plan a Better Sierra Weekend | Base Camps, Hidden Gems & Avoiding the Crowds

July 28, 2026

Why Planning Like a Local Changes Everything A few years ago I was invited to Mammoth Lakes for the opening weekend of trout season. The group was made up of friends from Los Angeles who had been making the trip together for years. Fishing was the reason everyone came to the Eastern Sierra, but it

You Can Leave the Sierra… But It Never Leaves You

July 21, 2026

Why do so many of us leave the mountains… only to spend the rest of our lives finding our way back? Raised in Portola in California’s Sierra Valley, Rocci Twitchell grew up fishing alpine lakes, riding horses through Mohawk Valley, exploring the Sierra Buttes, and spending weekends around Yuba Pass, Packer Lake, Gold Lake, and

3 Things Search & Rescue Teams Wish Every Hiker Knew

July 14, 2026

Search & Rescue Volunteers Need Your Help | How One Simple Donation Could Save a Life Episode Introduction Every hike begins with the hope of reaching the summit, discovering a hidden alpine lake, or simply enjoying another day in the mountains. But when an accident happens miles from the trailhead, a dedicated team of Search

Hidden Sierra Nevada Adventures | Owens Valley Hiking, Kearsarge Pass & Off-Roading

July 7, 2026

Hidden Sierra Nevada Adventures: Exploring Owens Valley Beyond the Guidebooks July 7, 2026 • Charlie Pankey Most visitors experience Owens Valley from Highway 395. They stop in Bishop for lunch, drive through Lone Pine, admire Mount Whitney from the road, and continue north toward Mammoth Lakes. But according to photographer, backpacker, mountain biker, and off-road

Why We Keep Coming Back to the Sierra: Backpacking Stories with Juan Veruete

June 16, 2026

Why do we keep coming back to the mountains? That simple question shaped one of the most thoughtful conversations we’ve had on Sierra Rec Now. This week, Charlie Pankey sits down with backpacker, fly fisherman, and creator behind Juan Backpacks, Juan Veruete, to discuss the John Muir Trail, the Tahoe Rim Trail, ultralight backpacking, and

Help Preserve Sierra History: Join the Jesse Ross Cabin Restoration Project with HistoriCorps

June 9, 2026

Few experiences in the Sierra Nevada are as powerful as stumbling across an old cabin tucked into the forest and wondering who built it, who lived there, and what life looked like in these mountains long before modern trails and recreation. This summer, outdoor enthusiasts have a rare opportunity to do more than simply admire

How to Start Backpacking in Yosemite National Park: Advice from a Yosemite Guide

June 2, 2026

For many visitors, Yosemite National Park begins and ends in Yosemite Valley. They’ll marvel at Half Dome, photograph Yosemite Falls, and spend a few unforgettable days exploring one of America’s most iconic national parks. But according to Yosemite guide Kara Maceross of Lasting Adventures, the real magic often begins when you leave the pavement behind.

Why Lassen Volcanic National Park May Be California’s Best Hidden Family Adventure

May 29, 2026

When people think about California National Parks, Yosemite, Sequoia, and Joshua Tree usually dominate the conversation. Yet tucked away in Northern California is a park many travelers have never explored—one filled with steaming geothermal features, volcanic landscapes, alpine lakes, wildlife, and surprisingly few crowds. On this week’s episode of the Sierra Rec Now Podcast, I

Why Grass Valley’s Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival Has Been Bringing Families Back for 51 Years

May 19, 2026

Mountain music, pine forest camping, Gold Rush history, and one of California’s most enduring Sierra traditions. For years I’ve driven through Grass Valley on my way to Sierra adventures. Like many people, I usually thought about the historic downtown, the Gold Rush roots, maybe a stop along Highway 49, or cooling off in the Yuba

Tell Your Sierra Story

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