If there’s one thing I love almost as much as hiking, it’s educational, narrated archival films. Just probably something you should know.

Kurt at National Parks Traveler dug up an amazing film promoting Yellowstone National Park from the Prelinger Archives, and even though it gets cut off at the end, it’s still a fascinating look back in time at our First National Park. Not only can you see some classic cars, wilderness scenes, and early hiking gear — but you also get to see some very-much-not-allowed-anymore activities like feeding bears and boiling eggs in hot springs:

I did a quick search through the Archives, but was surprised to find there wasn’t too much in the way of National Parks footage. This place is full of old school-grade filmstrips, so I was really expecting to see more, but I did find a travelogue of Bryce Canyon, which shows a guy strapping a seat to the front bumper of his car and getting driven around so he won’t miss any scenery, and a feature on Ranier National Park that’s chock full of tons of beautiful footage … even though a large portion of it is not actually from Ranier, itself.

Enjoy!

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by Casey Schreiner

Founder and Editor of Modern Hiker, Author of "Day Hiking Los Angeles." "Discovering Griffith Park," and "Cloud Spotting." Walking Meditator, Native Plant Enthusiast.