Robert Redford to Narrate 'National Parks Adventure' Documentary (Exclusive)

Known as an environmentalist, he is lending his voice to the large-format film about U.S. national parks and will also narrate the new Travel Channel series 'America, the Beautiful.'

Robert Redford has come aboard to narrate a new documentary, National Parks Adventure, from MacGillivray Freeman Films and will also narrate MacGillivray Freeman's new series America, the Beautiful that premieres on Aug. 9 on the Travel Channel.

National Parks Adventure, filmed in Imax 3D, visits such national parks as Yellowstone, the Everglades, the Redwoods in California and the Arches in Utah. Mountaineer Conrad Anker, his stepson and adventure photographer Max Lowe and their friend Rachel Pohl serve as tour guides to the various locations. Utilizing four crews overseen by producer Shaun MacGillivray, the film was shot in 30 national parks over a nine-month period.

Presented by travel company Expedia, the film is scheduled for worldwide release on Feb. 12 to coincide with the centennial of the National Park Service. It is produced by MacGillivray Freeman — whose films include such adventure docs as Everest, Dolphins, Journey into Amazing Caves and Into the Arctic — in partnership with Brand USA, which promotes the U.S. as a travel destination.

"National Parks Adventure captures the stunning beauty of our wild places and reminds us these landscapes are an essential part of the human spirit," Redford said in a statement. Greg MacGillivray, who directed the film, commented that Redford’s "passion for the outdoors and environmental interest" made him "the ideal storyteller for our film."

While shooting National Parks Adventure, MacGillivray Freeman also simultaneously produced America, the Beautiful, a series of eight half-hour episodes. The series’ premiere episode, "Yosemite," will air at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Aug. 9, followed by a second episode, "Canyonlands," at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT. An encore presentation of the series is planned for February 2016.