Podcast

John West Paranormal Park Ranger

Comedy Fiction, Fiction

National Parks. The Supernatural. Dad Jokes.

Enter John West, Paranormal Park Ranger. HQ is putting him through The Gauntlet, a rapid-fire tour of all 63 National Parks.

Each episode investigates a new anomaly lurking in America’s wild places: sentient forests, phantom hitchhikers, impossible creatures, and things that don’t follow the rules of nature. Told through immersive single-pov narration, these stories unfold from first encounter to final resolution in a ridiculous manner.

Episodes
33
Releases
Weekly
Typical length
20 min
On air since
2026
Latest episode
22 hours ago

Episodes

33 episodes, newest first

  1. Canyonlands National Park - Too Many Me's

    Season 3, Episode 6

    Show notes

    John and four fellow Jack Rangers head to Canyonlands National Park for what should be a routine investigation involving ghost cows. But something strange is happening along the Shafer Trail: groups are losing their individuality, adopting each other's thoughts, and becoming disturbingly agreeable.

    As the rangers investigate the Curse of Shafer Trail, shared memories, an obsession with beans and corn, and a growing inability to think independently threaten to turn their team-building retreat into a supernatural groupthink nightmare.

    Can John break the spell before everyone becomes one big happy family? And what exactly does X have planned for him in Alaska?

    John West Paranormal Park Ranger is a paranormal comedy adventure featuring supernatural mysteries, bizarre encounters, and one ranger who would really rather work alone.

    21 min
  2. White Sands National Park - It Came from Very Nearby!

    Season 3, Episode 5

    Show notes

    Episode 29: It Came from Very Nearby!

    UFOs are circling White Sands National Park, New Mexico, and the government has a very good reason for keeping the public away. Unfortunately, amateur paranormal investigator Felix is determined to expose the truth — and he's planning to livestream the next extraterrestrial landing.

    Jack Ranger John West has been assigned to contain the situation. His mission? Keep the aliens secret, stop Felix from discovering too much, and somehow survive another day working for a shadowy government agency.

    It Came from Very Nearby! is a hilarious paranormal comedy audio adventure featuring UFO sightings, alien encounters, government conspiracies, and more of the strange supernatural secrets hiding in America's national parks.

    If you love paranormal comedy, cryptids, UFO mysteries, supernatural fiction, and comedy podcasts, join John West for another bizarre case.

    SUBSCRIBE to John West Paranormal Park Ranger for more monsters, mysteries, and ridiculous adventures from the Paranormal Park Rangers.

    19 min
  3. Mammoth Cave National Park - Journey to the Center of the You Know What Actually Never Mind

    Season 3, Episode 4

    Show notes

    Join the Junior Ranger Program on Patreon for Free

    In John West Paranormal Park Ranger: Journey to the Center of the You Know What, Actually, Never Mind, John West heads to Mammoth Cave National Park to investigate a bizarre supernatural mystery: hikers are emerging from the cave having lost all ambition and abandoned their life goals.

    With the help of Ranger Mike Avery, John descends into the darkness and comes face-to-face with the ghost of Floyd Collins, a real-life cave explorer whose disastrous fate in 1925 made national headlines. But why is Floyd haunting the cave—and what happens when a century of bitterness starts convincing everyone that nothing matters?

    Find out in this irreverent paranormal comedy featuring haunted caves, ghostly encounters, cryptid-adjacent weirdness, and the supernatural investigations of America’s least conventional park ranger.

    20 min
  4. Mesa Verde National Park - Feckless Abandon

    Season 3, Episode 3

    Show notes

    Join my Patreon for Free

    A haunted kiva, an ancient supernatural grudge, and a paranormal park ranger who's about to discover that true terror can hit a little too close to home.

    John investigates reports of a fear-based phenomenon at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. When he discovers a hidden ceremonial chamber beneath the ancient cliff dwellings, he comes face-to-face with a terrifying Kachina.

    If you love paranormal comedy, supernatural mysteries, horror-comedy, and funny audio fiction, join John West for another bizarre adventure in America's National Parks.

    18 min
  5. Guadalupe Mountains National Park - The Doors of Purrception

    Season 3, Episode 2

    Show notes

    John West Paranormal Park Ranger heads to Guadalupe Mountains National Park in West Texas to investigate a mysterious feline phenomenon that nobody can seem to see the same way.

    Some witnesses see a massive phantom panther. Others see a blur. John sees something much stranger: the Cheshire Cat.

    With Wildlife Ranger Kitty Conner, John investigates strange tracks, conflicting photographs, a shape-shifting supernatural creature, and a trail of increasingly bizarre encounters. But if the creature changes according to the person looking at it, how do you catch something that exists differently in everyone’s mind?

    The Doors of Purrception is a paranormal comedy audio drama blending cryptids, supernatural mystery, National Park folklore, and old-school radio comedy.

    Support the PPR on Patreon

    19 min
  6. Gateway Arch National Park - The Man Who Showed the World

    Season 3, Episode 1

    Show notes

    A dueling ghost is picking fights at a St. Louis casino, and John West has a rookie ranger to contend with, too.

    John and Danny Copeland investigate the ghost of a 19th-century hothead at Gateway Arch National Park, where settling an old grudge may take more than a little paranormal diplomacy.

    Support me on Patreon

    20 min
  7. 1 Hour Compilation - Best of West Volume 1 Bonus

    Show notes

    National Parks. Supernatural Mysteries. Dad Jokes.

    Paranormal Park Ranger John West investigates three cases in this best-of compilation: a case of singing pipes in Hot Springs National Park, a sentient grove in Redwood National Park, and a stargate in Arches National Park.

    It's Paranormal Comedy Adventure, cozy style.

    1 hr 5 min
  8. John West Paranormal Park Ranger: The Complete Second Season

    Show notes

    National Parks. Supernatural Mysteries. Dad Jokes.

    Season 2 of John West: Paranormal Park Ranger brings twelve new paranormal cases, strange encounters, and very bad assignments for America’s least enthusiastic supernatural investigator. From a murderous Blue Ridge witch and mysterious creatures beneath Wind Cave to lost conquistadors, living hoodoos, time anomalies, a Stargate, and the haunted ghost town of Helltown, John’s latest cases take him deep into the weirdest corners of the National Park system.

    Part paranormal mystery, part supernatural comedy, and part old-school adventure serial, John West: Paranormal Park Ranger is an audio series for anyone who likes strange stories, cryptids, ghosts, dark humor, and mysteries hiding just beyond the trailhead.

    Listen to all of Season 2 in one complete collection.

    Audiobooks available here:

    Audible: https://a.co/d/0h2XL1HN

    Or, search John West Paranormal Park Ranger in your preferred audiobook retailer

    Ebooks available here:

    kindle: https://a.co/d/0h2XL1HN

    everything else: https://books2read.com/u/m2O6M1

    4 hr
  9. Cuyahoga National Park - Staycation in Helltown

    Season 2, Episode 12

    Show notes

    John West is sent to investigate a paranormal mystery in Cuyahoga National Park, but this time, the problem is that nothing is happening.

    Helltown, Ohio has gone completely quiet. The ghosts, Satanists, mutants, and other legendary horrors have vanished, leaving behind an abandoned town that seems strangely… well maintained. John and his brother Eli soon discover that the truth behind Helltown's legends is much stranger and considerably more bureaucratic than they expected.

    Staycation in Helltown is a paranormal comedy audio drama about haunted towns, ghosts, urban legends, and the surprisingly mundane problems of the afterlife.

    18 min
  10. Sequoia National Park - Fast-Forward Forest

    Season 2, Episode 11

    Show notes

    Something is seriously wrong in Sequoia National Park. The forest is growing at an impossible rate, swallowing roads, trails, and even unsuspecting park visitors.

    John West and his frantic partner Bub Willicker investigate the strange phenomenon and discover an ancient forest spirit desperately trying to make up for two hundred years of missed work before his inspection. As the spirit races to catch up, John and Bub uncover a lesson about time, responsibility, and why sometimes you shouldn't try to fix everything at once.

    Season 1 ebook:

    https://books2read.com/u/m2O6M1

    19 min
  11. Arches National Park - Stargate Serenade

    Season 2, Episode 10

    Show notes

    A massive crowd descends on Arches National Park expecting an interdimensional stargate to open beneath Delicate Arch. But John West knows the truth: the real anomaly is somewhere else, and a paranormal YouTuber named Felix is determined to find it.

    When Felix gets dangerously close to a genuine nexus breach, John has to improvise a ridiculous fake paranormal encounter to keep him away from the real thing.

    1st Season Ebook:

    https://books2read.com/u/m2O6M1

    18 min
  12. Petrified Forest National Park - All Roads Lead to Nowhere

    Season 2, Episode 9

    Show notes

    A paranormal comedy audio drama from John West, Paranormal Park Ranger.

    When John West investigates a strange haunting at Petrified Forest National Park, he discovers that the ghosts aren't haunting a building, a battlefield, or an old cemetery. They're haunting the roads.

    Phantom travelers from different eras are still trying to complete journeys on roads that no longer exist, creating a supernatural traffic problem that John and his fellow Paranormal Park Rangers will have to solve before the past brings the whole park to a standstill.

    All Roads Lead to Nowhere is a funny, strange supernatural mystery featuring ghosts, haunted roads, paranormal investigation, and the bizarre problems that come with being a park ranger in a world where the dead don't always know they've died.

    Subscribe to John West Paranormal Park Ranger for more paranormal comedy, supernatural mysteries, ghosts, cryptids, and original audio drama adventures set in America's National Parks.

    21 min
  13. Isle Royale National Park - The Vanishing Island!

    Season 2, Episode 8

    Show notes

    A paranormal comedy podcast about a National Park where people disappear. And apparently, nobody wants to be found.

    John West, Paranormal Park Ranger, heads to Isle Royale National Park in Michigan to investigate reports of missing people and an island that is literally beginning to vanish. Joined by rookie Jack Ranger Tony Martinelli, John encounters abandoned gear, evasive ghosts, disappearing shorelines, and a mysterious community of people who have chosen to escape the world entirely.

    What begins as a supernatural investigation into missing persons becomes a strange mystery about ghosts, isolation, and an island that may be perfectly happy without the rest of civilization.

    John West Paranormal Park Ranger is a supernatural comedy podcast and paranormal audio drama featuring strange cases, unexplained phenomena, and the occasional government cover-up.

    20 min
  14. Haleakala National Park - The Night Walkers

    Season 2, Episode 7

    Show notes

    A Hawaiian vacation turns deadly when John West investigates reports of the legendary Night Walkers, ghostly Hawaiian royalty said to march through the night and kill anyone who meets their gaze.

    Assigned to Haleakalā National Park while trying to keep his paranormal ranger duties hidden from his wife, Mary, John finds himself caught between romance, ancient taboos, unexplained deaths, and one of Hawaii's most chilling supernatural legends.

    The Night Walkers is a paranormal comedy audio drama featuring ghost stories, supernatural mysteries, folklore, cryptids, National Park adventures, and plenty of John West's trademark misadventures.

    21 min
  15. Wind Cave National Park - A Tickle in the Dark

    Season 2, Episode 6

    Show notes

    A paranormal investigation leads John West to Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, where the cave itself seems to be breathing harder than it should. Partnered with an arrogant National Park ranger who refuses to believe in the supernatural, John uncovers mysterious footprints, hidden passages, ghosts, Little People from American folklore, and an underground mystery unlike anything the Paranormal Park Rangers have encountered before.

    John West: Paranormal Park Ranger is a paranormal comedy audio drama featuring ghosts, cryptids, folklore, monsters, supernatural mysteries, and National Park legends.

    21 min
  16. Hot Springs National Park - The Soul Scrubbers!

    Season 2, Episode 5

    Show notes

    John West Paranormal Park Ranger is a paranormal comedy audio drama following a government ranger investigating supernatural mysteries across America's National Parks. This episode takes John to Hot Springs National Park, where the famous healing waters have begun curing people a little too well.

    Visitors leave the historic bathhouses free of anxiety, fear, and pain - but they also leave without their memories, personalities, or sense of self. As his partner Steven Standish becomes tempted by the springs' impossible promise of perfection, John must stop an ancient force determined to scrub every human flaw from the soul.

    The Soul Scrubbers! is an original paranormal comedy adventure blending supernatural mystery, folklore, bizarre phenomena, and America's National Parks.

    20 min
  17. Bryce Canyon National Park - Hoodoo You Think You Are?

    Season 2, Episode 4

    Show notes

    - A Paranormal Comedy National Park Audio Drama - When visitors to Bryce Canyon National Park begin mysteriously turning to stone, Paranormal Park Ranger John West is dispatched to investigate. Teaming up with the relentlessly rule-bound Ranger Brigham Cage, John uncovers an ancient council of Hoodoo Elders enforcing forgotten laws with very permanent consequences. As more tourists become living statues, the Rangers must confront a timeless question: can justice exist when no one remembers the rules?

    Join John West for another supernatural mystery blending folklore, comedy, and America's most spectacular landscapes.

    21 min
  18. Big Bend National Park - Lookin' for Lodes in All the Wrong Places

    Season 2, Episode 3

    Show notes

    John West heads into the vast emptiness of Big Bend National Park after ghostly conquistadors begin compelling tourists to dig through the desert in search of a legendary lost silver mine. With the help of an overly enthusiastic Group Ranger, a prospector in thirty-year-old underwear, and the ghost of an Apache warrior, John uncovers a centuries-old curse built on conquest, slavery, and humanity's endless obsession with chasing impossible dreams.

    In this paranormal comedy adventure, history refuses to stay buried as teamwork becomes both the problem... and the solution.

    John West: Paranormal Park Ranger is an original comedy adventure series blending National Park history, folklore, cryptids, ghosts, and pulp adventure into one ongoing audio drama.

    If you enjoy National Parks, folklore, paranormal mysteries, and dry humor, subscribe and join Ranger West on his next case.

    #NationalParks #BigBend #GhostStories #Paranormal #Comedy #AudioDrama #Folklore #Texas #Podcast

    21 min
  19. Lassen Volcanic National Park - Pent Up Park

    Season 2, Episode 2

    Show notes

    Visitors across Lassen Volcanic National Park are suddenly flying into uncontrollable fits of rage, panic, and emotional collapse. Partnered with Volcano Ranger Brock Hall, Paranormal Park Ranger John West investigates a bizarre outbreak that seems tied to the park's boiling geothermal landscape.

    As pressure builds beneath the mountain, John discovers that the real danger isn't just volcanic activity, it's everything people have been keeping buried inside. With emotions erupting as violently as the steam vents themselves, Brock and John must find a way to stop the mountain before it blows its lid.

    John West: Paranormal Park Ranger is a paranormal comedy adventure series exploring the strange legends, monsters, and mysteries hidden throughout America's National Parks.

    20 min
  20. Great Smoky Mountains National Park - The Blue Ridge Witch

    Season 2, Episode 1

    Show notes

    When mysterious blue lights begin luring influencers to their deaths in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Paranormal Park Ranger John West is sent to investigate. Partnered with Appalachian Ranger Obediah "Mud Turtle" Tate, John follows the ghostly lights deep into the ancient Blue Ridge wilderness, where a legendary mountain witch may be protecting a century-old secret.

    Will John uncover the truth before another crowd follows the lights over the edge?

    21 min

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