Welcome, fellow explorers. My name is Christian Alexandersen and I’m the host of Hemlocks to Hellbenders, a podcast highlighting Pennsylvania’s parks, forests and great outdoors.

Season four of Hemlocks to Hellbenders is shaping up to be our most exciting yet and I can’t wait to take you along for the journey in 2026. We’ll be exploring some of Pennsylvania’s most incredible parks and forests with the people who know them best: park and forest managers, outdoor educators, historians, authors, conservationists and volunteers who are deeply passionate about this place we call home.

This season, conversations will range from outdoor recreation and backpacking to conservation, wildlife and plant management, Indigenous history, volunteerism, and the stories of the people who shaped Pennsylvania’s landscapes.

If exploring wild places, learning their stories, and planning your next adventure excites you, you’re in the right place. Together, we’ll dig into hidden gems and help you experience Pennsylvania’s public lands in a deeper, more meaningful way.

I launched Hemlocks to Hellbenders in 2023 to inspire people to spend more time in Pennsylvania’s parks and forests, to stand up for their protection, and to help make the outdoors a more welcoming place for everyone. I hope you’ll join us in that mission.

I’m excited to be bringing back four advertisers for the 2026 season; the Keystone Trails Association, Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, Purple Lizard Maps and Sisters' Sunflowers. And I’m thrilled to announce two new supporters of the podcast, Discover Clarion County and Go Laurel Highlands.

Our fourth season kicks off on Jan. 7 with an episode on the Native American rock carvings found in Safe Harbor on the Susquehanna River. I look forward to sharing our new guests and episodes with you in 2026.

Support the show

Visit our website to learn more about the podcast, to purchase merch and to find out about our incredible sponsors. Follow us on Instagram and Meta to stay connected.

Hosting, production and editing: Christian Alexandersen
Music: Jon Sauer
Graphics: Matt Davis

For a long time, there’s been this mostly unspoken rule that “real” outdoor experiences have to be rugged. You’ve got to rough it, hike ten miles in the rain, sleep on the ground and eat beans from a can — or else it somehow doesn’t count.

Luckily, that’s changing. More and more people are discovering that you don’t have to give up comfort to connect with the outdoors. Here in Pennsylvania – especially in state parks - that change has been evident. Instead of only offering tent sites, state parks have cottages, cabins, yurts and other accommodations. Many offer amenities like stoves, refrigerators, microwaves, tables and chairs.

No longer are you forced to pack up everything you own for a weekend in the woods. You can book a comfortable accommodation AND still be in nature. However, these upgraded accommodations still have rubbed people the wrong way.

It isn’t “real’ camping. What does that even mean anyway? Real camping? Does it mean sleeping on the ground. Waking up with a sore back and condensation in the tent. Cold and miserable. No thanks.

It’s that sort of attitude that I despise in the outdoors. You’re not a real hiker unless. You’re not a real hunter unless. You’re not really camping unless. It’s such a pointless and divisive way of thinking.

Thankfully, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources does not think that way. They are more considered with getting people outdoors and meeting them where they are in their outdoor recreation journey. As opposed to bending them to their will.

That’s why I was so excited when they announced in 2025 that they were partnering with Timberline Glamping Company to bring glamping to seven Pennsylvania state parks in 2026. The public would have the chance to reserve one of the 54 fully outfitted sites —no gear needed.

Glamping will be available in Pymatuning, Hills Creek, Promised Land, Hickory Run, French Creek, Codorus and Laurel Hill State Parks.

Timberline will provide the beds, heat, air conditioning, coffee maker, linens, pillows and comfortable accommodations. All you have to bring is an open mind and a sense of adventure.

These wonderful glamping spots are creating space for everyone to experience the magic of nature in their own way. By making the outdoors accessible for everyone- from people who don’t own camping gear to those physically unable to sleep in a tent - glamping is opening doors, breaking down barriers and reimagining what it means to “get outside.”

Because nature belongs to all of us — whether you’re sleeping under the stars or under a heated canopy.

On this episode I speak with Nathan and Rebeka Self, founders of Timberline Glamping Company, and Kaitlyn Gundersen-Thorpe, manager of the French Creek State Park Complex.

Be sure to support our 2025 sponsors:
Keystone Trails Association
Purple Lizard Maps
Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
Sisters' Sunflowers

Support the show

Visit our website to learn more about the podcast, to purchase merch and to find out about our incredible sponsors. Follow us on Instagram and Meta to stay connected.

Hosting, production and editing: Christian Alexandersen
Music: Jon Sauer
Graphics: Matt Davis

In Pennsylvania, every state park has its purpose. Allegheny Islands shows people what undeveloped islands once looked like on the river. Colton Point features stunning views of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. And Pine Grove Furnace highlights the iron making industry crucial to Pennsylvania and America’s growth.

But are there any places set aside for learning and study. As it turns out, there is. One such place is Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center.

Located in Berks County, Nolde Forest was established as the first environmental education center operated by DCNR’s Bureau of State Parks in the 1970s. It is dedicated to helping visitors and community members develop sound environmental ethics based upon science.

The park has provided a wide variety of nature-based educational programs for students, teachers, organizations and families. Students take part in guided, hands-on activities that let them explore unique ecosystems and deepen their awareness, appreciation and understanding of the natural environment.

Nolde Forest also functions as an outdoor laboratory for biologists, college students and natural resource professionals conducting a wide range of environmental studies and research projects. Topics that have been studied in the park include everything from water quality and songbirds to small mammals and reptiles.

But I know what you’re thinking, “Christian, bubbie, I’m not a child or a scientist. Is there anything for me there?” Don’t worry, I got you, player.

As much as Nolde Forest is about serious study and learning, it also about recreation. The park has hiking trails, historic structures, ponds, streams and more to explore.

On this episode, I speak with Brent Erb. Brent is the center manager at Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center.

Be sure to support our 2025 sponsors:
Keystone Trails Association
Purple Lizard Maps
Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
Sisters' Sunflowers

Support the show

Visit our website to learn more about the podcast, to purchase merch and to find out about our incredible sponsors. Follow us on Instagram and Meta to stay connected.

Hosting, production and editing: Christian Alexandersen
Music: Jon Sauer
Graphics: Matt Davis