🌲 Lace up your hiking boots for a US National Parks trivia battle! Test your family's knowledge with questions about famous parks, incredible landmarks, mascots, history, and outdoor adventures across America's national parks. Who knows the great outdoors best and can earn the right to choose the next family adventure? 🥾⛰️

Got an idea for our next episode?

Give us a topic suggestion 👉 https://playkidsvsparents.com/suggest

Do you know a lot about the United States? Try our USA (Trivia Battle) episode next and keep the competition going!

Kids vs Parents is not just a kids podcast, it's a family podcast designed for road trips, school runs, short car rides, and screen-free family fun. Each episode turns everyday travel into a kids vs grown-ups trivia battle, with kids trivia questions for the kids and tougher trivia for parents.

Have feedback for us, or just want to tell us who won in your car? ✉️ Email us at [email protected]

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Hosts: Steve Koch & Lovella Koch

Kids vs Parents is produced by Vandalpop Media

Producer: Steve Koch

Editors: Ever Cunningham, Steve Koch

Cover Design: Patrick Hardy

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Quick question to start us off. What is Smokey the Bear's famous catchphrase?

Oh, um, this is, only you can prevent forest fires.

That is correct.

Welcome to Kids vs. Parents.

A family trivia battle where the backseat takes on the front seat.

I'm Steve.

And I'm Lovella.

Today's episode was suggested to us by Andy and Eleanor from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Oh, thank you, Andy and Eleanor.

Yeah.

And today's episode is all about national parks, U.S. national parks.

Oh, I love that idea.

Yeah.

We just came back from a U.S. national park.

We did.

We went to Yosemite this summer.

That's right.

We did.

We often go to Yosemite.

It's one of our highlights of the year, right?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Floating down the river, camping.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

So today's episodes are all about U.S. national parks.

This is the time of year where many people go and visit these places.

Hopefully these questions will be suitable for anybody, even if you haven't visited all of them.

There should be some sort of general knowledge ones on them, but we'll see how we go, hey?

Lovella, what is the prize for our winner of the U.S. National Parks episode today?

The winner gets to choose the next family outdoor activity, like a walk, a park visit, a picnic spot, kind of that stuff.

I love that idea. That's great.

Fun. Okay, let's jump into our U.S. National Parks trivia.

Shall we?

Who goes first?

How about the kids?

Kids first.

Great idea.

All right, kids, get your hiking boots on.

Here we go.

Question number one.

What state is the Grand Canyon located in?

Oh.

So the Grand Canyon National Park, what state is it in?

It's very close to us.

It's, um, it's, is it Nevada?

It's either Nevada or Arizona.

I think it's Arizona though.

I'm going to go with Arizona.

Okay.

You're going to go with Arizona?

Yeah.

The correct answer is Arizona.

Yes.

Well done.

Let's go.

Congratulations.

All right.

We have been to the Grand Canyon as well, haven't we?

Oh yeah.

Like a while back.

It was a long time ago.

2019.

Yeah.

Very cool place.

Very cool place.

Okay.

Question number two.

What is the name of the first national park in the United States?

This is a tricky one.

Oh, I don't.

The first national park in the United States.

I don't expect you're going to get this one right.

No, I'm not even going to get it.

I don't know what this is.

Do you know any other national parks other than Yosemite and Grand Canyon National Park?

Yosemite, Grand Canyon, that's really it.

That's all you know?

I don't really like…

You haven't been to any other ones?

I haven't been to any other ones, but I've definitely heard about all of them.

All right.

So you're not even going to have a guess?

No, I don't know what it is.

All right.

The answer is Yellowstone National Park.

You've heard of that one, right?

Yeah, I have.

Yes.

Definitely.

I remember that one now.

Yeah.

It is in Wyoming.

Oh, okay.

So up north a little bit.

Cool.

All right.

Question number three.

Who is the iconic mascot of the U.S. National Forest Service?

Oh, I know this one.

It's Smokey the Bear.

That's correct.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We had a quote from him at the beginning of the episode.

We did.

We did.

Yeah.

I've taken a picture with Smokey there before.

Yeah.

The cardboard cutout version?

No, no.

The mascot.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

In 4th of July when we went up to North of Tahoe.

Yep.

And yeah, we saw him there.

Yes.

Parade.

Yep.

Did he say his famous catchphrase to you?

No, he didn't talk.

He didn't talk.

He just smiled.

He was like Mickey Mouse.

He was just quiet, was he?

Yeah.

But he was just full of happiness.

You could just tell.

Yep. Love it.

All right. Last question, Lovella.

Question number four. Here we go.

In which national park can you hike the famous Half Dome?

Oh, I know this one.

I hope you know this one.

Year 70.

That's right. We haven't hiked it, but.

No, I never will.

You know where it is.

You can't say you never will.

Well.

You might get older and be excited about climbing.

I don't like hiking.

And plus, we've already done like that.

What's the other hike that we've done?

What's the waterfall called?

Oh, the Mist Trail?

The Mist Trail.

Yeah.

That's hard enough.

That's big enough for you?

I don't need to hike the half day.

Okay.

But I see it.

It's very pretty.

It is a cool big rock, isn't it?

Cool sight to see.

Cool sight to see.

All right.

Well, what was your score then, Lovella?

What did you get?

My score was three out of four.

Three out of four?

Oh, yeah.

Well done.

You did much better than I thought you were going to do.

Uh-huh.

Did you do much better than you thought you were going to do?

I expected I'd get like a two out of four, a three out of four.

So you did all right then?

I don't know too much about national parks, but I know we're not.

Okay.

All right.

Well, it's now time for the parents' turn.

All right?

Scary stuff.

Let's see how you go.

I'm expecting these questions are going to be a lot harder.

Are they a lot harder, Lovella?

Yeah, definitely.

Okay.

All right.

I'm not looking forward to it.

Prepare yourselves, parents.

All right.

Prepare yourself.

Okay.

All right, parents.

Are you ready?

I'm ready.

I've got my sunscreen on and my hat.

I'm ready for a hike.

Uh-huh.

Okay.

Oh, we're not going on a hike.

Sorry, I forgot.

Questions.

Here we go.

Question number one.

What year was the first national park established?

Oh man, this is so hard.

It was going to be, it's a long time ago.

It's going to be in the, so America was formed 1776.

When did they first make national parks?

76, 18, was it 100?

It's got to be 100 and something years.

18, it'll be 18 something, 1850s, 18.

Let's go to the 1850s.

1850, do I have to have the actual year?

I'll let you have like, it can be, it can be to either way.

Either side?

Yeah, it can be to either side.

Yeah.

To either side.

Okay.

I'm going to say 1858.

You are incorrect.

It was 1872.

Okay.

Well, I was never going to get this one right.

I don't know if that's common.

I don't know if that's common knowledge to Americans out there.

I hope it is.

Who knows?

I don't know.

But that was really hard.

But I mean, got to have some hard ones for us parents, don't you?

Yes, we do.

All right.

Give me question number two.

All right.

Question number two.

Which national park features the famous old faithful geyser?

um oh man this is i think this is yellowstone i'm pretty sure i am 80 confident that this is

Yellowstone National Park.

That is my answer, Lovella.

You are correct.

Yes.

Nice.

All right.

Nice.

Nice.

I haven't been there, but I would like to go.

Yeah.

Yellowstone looks really pretty.

It looks really cool.

Yeah.

I'm finally on the board.

All right.

Question number three.

What is the most visited national park in the United States?

Oh, what is the most visited national park in the United States?

Um, I'm going to, I wonder if that's Yosemite.

I feel like that's got to be Yosemite.

Who knows?

I'm going to guess Yosemite National Park.

Or is it Yellowstone?

You wouldn't give me Yellowstone twice.

I'm going to say it is, yeah, I'm going to guess Yosemite National Park.

Nope.

No?

It was Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Oh, okay.

I've never even heard of that National Park.

I have heard of it, but I couldn't tell you where it is.

Is that where the Smoky mascot is named after?

No, I don't think so.

He's...

To prevent wildfires or something?

Yeah, he's not to do with the National Parks.

He's everywhere.

he's in all the forests

okay

Great Smoky Mountains

National Park

most visited one

in the United States

interesting

maybe we'll have to visit it

oh yeah

okay

well

I'm only

I've got one on the board

I really need

yeah

you're kind of doing

really bad

okay

I was hoping to do

better at this one

last question

what national park

contains the tallest mountain

in North America

um ah man what mount mount has to be something in the over in the appalachian trail i don't know

a national park that goes through that.

Exactly.

I don't really know the answer to this one either.

You really gave me some hard ones, Lovella.

Where were all the easy ones like Yosemite National Park and Joshua Tree National Park?

Sorry.

Grand Canyon National Park.

They're too easy.

Yeah.

Okay.

I don't know the answer to this one.

I'm guessing somewhere over in the Appalachian Trail somewhere.

But I don't know.

Again, I don't know if that's got big mountains.

Maybe it's somewhere in Alaska.

Alaska has big mountains, doesn't it?

Could be Alaska.

I don't know the answer.

So I'm giving you a roundabout area.

I'm going to say somewhere, the Appalachian Trail.

That's all I really know.

That's my answer.

What is it?

What's the answer, LaVilla?

The correct answer was Denali National Park in Alaska.

Oh, okay.

The mountain was formerly known as Mount McKinley, but now it's called Mount Denali.

Right.

Okay.

And it's in Alaska.

Yep.

It's in Alaska.

So you were kind of there.

Well, I never, I didn't land there.

But you were like, oh, yeah.

I flew over it for a little bit, but I landed.

I don't even know where the Appalachian Trail is, to be honest.

Me neither.

Somewhere over on the East Coast.

Yep.

Something like that.

But anyway, well, I didn't do very well.

I only got one.

Is that right?

I only got one, right?

Yeah, that was sad.

Oh, man.

I really like U.S. National Parks.

Oh, well.

You have to study up.

I do have to study up.

I don't know them well enough.

All right.

Let's go to our tiebreaker or our bonus round then, shall we?

See if I can claw back some dignity with this one.

So how this round works is we'll have one question for everyone in the family to answer.

And first one to buzz in.

Right, Lovella?

What do you do?

Buzz.

That's right.

Buzz in.

You don't have to say the answer yet, but buzz in first.

And then if you get in first, you can answer.

And if you get it correct, two points, right?

Two points.

Two points for the bonus.

So I can tie it with you.

It would give me three points.

You're already on three.

So we'd have to have another tiebreaker round, just you and I.

Yeah.

But, or maybe we can make this one worth three for us.

If you get it wrong though, the points go to the other person.

So you've got to get it right.

If you're falling behind, you really need to jump in and just try and guess this.

See how you go.

All right.

So let's go with our bonus question.

Lovella, shall I read our bonus question out?

Yes.

Okay.

Our bonus question.

Bonus tiebreaker question.

What government agency manages the US national parks?

Buzz.

I don't know.

You don't know?

I don't think so.

I probably do know, but I didn't realize it was like a thing.

I think I know it.

All right.

What is it?

I think it's the National Parks Service, the NPS.

Because I remember seeing the NPS all around Yosemite.

I see the NPS acronym.

That makes sense.

And it's just, I thought it would be something way more complicated,

but it's just so simple.

National Park.

Yeah.

Let me scroll down and see if I'm right.

I'm pretty confident I'm right.

National Park Service.

Yes.

All right.

Good job.

Do I get three points?

Yes.

Three points?

Yay.

But to be fair, technically I did a better job than you

because I got three correct and you only got two.

You did, but I won the episode.

Yay.

Congrats.

Thanks.

Finally.

I don't feel like I've won one in a while.

No, you have not.

I haven't won one in a while.

Because I always win.

You seem to do very well.

Well, thank you for playing our National Parks episode.

We hope you visited a national park this summer.

If you have, leave us a comment.

All right.

Yeah, let us know.

Let us know in the comments on Spotify.

Yeah, let us know where you've been and where you want to go.

If you've been to a national park, maybe we'll put a poll in on Spotify.

Oh, that's a great idea.

Something like what one national park you really want to visit.

Oh, yeah.

Something like that.

So go check that out on Spotify.

And if you're not already, would you follow the show?

Yeah, that's right.

Tap that follow button because that helps everybody find the show.

Yeah.

Tells Apple and Spotify to put it up the charts a little bit.

And thank you, Andy and Eleanor, for suggesting this.

We had so much fun.

And because I'm guessing, I'm hoping that both of you guys are kids.

So I'm hoping you guys won, unlike me.

But anyways, thank you for playing along with us today.

And we'll see you next time.

See you next time.