News

National park field institutes are important for Inclusivity and education, but many are ailing. Here’s what you can do to help.

For a growing number of hikers, goats are, well, the G.O.A.T. But not everyone is happy about it.

Conservationists are ripping Wisconsin after the state blew past its target for its first wolf hunt since 2014.

The Forest Service withdrew its environmental impact statement for the controversial project on March 1—but the sacred site's reprieve could be temporary.

Our new sibling publication is essential clicking for anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes look at the outdoor industry.

With the Covid-19 pandemic closing parks and borders, U.S. national parks saw fewer visitors than they had since 1980.

REI’s ever-expanding ambitions have earned it plenty of fans—and critics—as it’s grown to dominate the outdoor industry. But many feel the retail giant has been made vulnerable by its own hubris. And now that the pandemic has rocked its fortunes, we’re faced with an uncomfortable question: What if the $3 billion co-op isn’t too big to fail?

Fallen trees and heavy snow will keep Yosemite National Park shuttered until "at least" February 1.

Proclamation could be first step to restoring national monuments to their original sizes.

With Covid cases hitting all-time highs, the nonprofit is still urging thru-hikers to stay home.

After years of demonstrations and congressional battles, the sale of oil drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge finally went ahead on January 6—and almost no one bit.

A new initiative launching this week seeks to create a program to fund outdoor recreational and educational activities for underserved youth around the United States.

Fewer than 4 percent of people who apply for a permit to hike The Wave get one. A new rule change from the Bureau of Land Management would triple that number—but environmental groups warn it could come at the expense of the scenery itself.

The Pacific Crest Trail Association and Forest Service announced this week that they will issue permits for the 2021 season, but are still asking hikers to delay their trips if possible.

The New River Gorge became the United States’ 63rd national park with the passage of the year-end omnibus spending bill.

Outdoor recreation is getting a little more representation in government.

After years of slashed environmental regulations, the United States’ public lands need a friend—and hundreds of U.S. representatives, tribal leaders, and even celebrities think Rep. Deb Haaland could be it.

Despite some progress, the boom in single-use plastic and an influx of new hikers are testing anti-littering efforts. Can making cleanliness personal help solve our garbage problem?

After four years of Trump, U.S. environmental policymakers are about to get new marching orders. Are we in for a seismic shift, or just a course correction?

California's catastrophic wildfire season left some of the state's most vaunted hiking areas charred and impassible. With the climate changing and wildfires continuing to intensify, it may be a taste of what's to come.

Hit hard by coronavirus and historic wildfires, California needs visitors to ensure its state parks recover.

With the narrow passage of Proposition 114, Colorado is set to become the first state in US history to reintroduce wolves by voter action.

William Perry Pendley made a career out of fighting against the Bureau of Land Management before becoming its acting director and greenlighting mining and drilling plans on public lands across the west. Now, a federal court's decision that he served illegally could put those plans in danger.

A viral video of a mountain lion has inspired headlines about the cat "stalking" the runner who recorded it. But that's not what the clip shows.

At an estimated 1,400 pounds, 747 is one of the biggest bruins in Katmai National Park and Preserve—and he just won Fat Bear Week in a landslide.

After campers left garbage strewn across one of the Appalachian Trail's most popular sites, guides, educators, and social media influencers ponder how we can do better.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon closed earlier this week.

The order comes after the National Guard rescued 207 campers from the Creek Fire.

National forests in five Colorado counties are closed due to extreme fire danger.

Local firefighters and search and rescue teams rescued the man in a nine-hour operation.

Neck gaiters have become popular DIY face coverings for runners and hikers. But researchers designing equipment for testing masks found some evidence that not only do common models not work as well as other options, there's even a chance they could be "counterproductive."

Victim flown to hospital after incident at crowded lake.

Bill would provide billions for deferred maintenance backlog, fully and permanently fund Land and Water Conservation Fund.

With non-essential visits banned until at least July 21, some visitors are using a loophole to get to the country’s national parks.

Citing cost of litigation, builders call off project just three weeks after Supreme Court ruled in its favor.

More than 28 years after Chris McCandless took up residence there, a National Guard helicopter airlifted the abandoned vehicle out of the backcountry.

Justices allow permit to stand in 7-2 decision.

A judge ruled today that James Jordan is mentally competent to stand trial.

Search claimed at least five lives over the past decade.

A group of scientists wants your help to make the outdoors welcoming and safe for Black people.

Ouray's "iron way" is one of just a few in North America—but it's not immune to the current pandemic.

Since its acquisition of Moosejaw in 2018, the retail giant has been working on a performance-oriented yet wallet-friendly collection for new hikers just getting into the game. But will backpackers bite?

A clip from the National Park Service shows coyotes ambling down park roads and herds of deer grazing in meadows.

A trio of incidents on the PCT last month demonstrate how coronavirus is magnifying the dangers of one of America’s most popular trails.

Organizers pull the plug over COVID-19.

With Oregon and Washington under stay-at-home orders, the Forest Service has instituted broad closures across its management areas due to a lack of social distancing.

Grand Canyon is the largest national park in the country to remain open, but local health officials say its time for the park to shut its gates.

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, improving air quality in our wild spaces could be a vision of a better future.

With resorts closed because of COVID-19, an unprecedented number of skiers are swapping their downhill gear for an alpine touring setup. And that's a problem.

A handful of major parks have shuttered, while many more have modified operations.

"It is clear that anyone traveling the PCT and resupplying in communities along the trail represents a serious risk to others on the trail and people in those communities."

In Utah, health officials and hospital executives are trying to keep visitors away from national parks even as the federal government makes it easier to go.

Citing risk of spreading coronavirus, CEO Sandra Marra urges hikers to postpone or cancel their 2020 hikes.

Some state and tribal parks have reacted to the COVID-19 outbreak by closing campgrounds and visitor centers, while the National Park Service is beginning to implement "social distancing" guidelines.

As COVID-19 spread across the US, the ATC is limiting group sizes on trail projects, shutting down its visitor center, and asking hikers who contract the virus to contact them.

While Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden have spoken at length about fighting climate change, conservation groups say their plans for America’s public lands are big on promises and short on details.

On their first day in court, lawyers for environmental groups and a pipeline developer debated a central question: Is the Appalachian Trail land?

A North Carolina man's hike was cut tragically short on the way to the Appalachian Trail's southern terminus this week.

Joseph Goldstein decided that while he was fighting cancer, he’d also fight to protect his favorite wilderness. Now, Congress is introducing a bill to do just that.

Environmentalists and native groups attack plans to open up former monument lands for drilling and mining.

A developer is fighting wilderness advocates over a proposal to add hotels, shopping, and new residences to an area in the Kaibab National Forest near the Grand Canyon’s southern rim. If it wins, opponents say, it will cost tribes, hikers, and the ecosystem dearly.

Park biologists are investigating the incident.

Rangers remind visitors to stay off thermal features.

A helicopter found the boys after they spent a night lost in the snow outside Canadian resort.

Dominion Energy suffers another setback in its quest to run a natural gas pipeline under the AT

Temporary closure and hunt aims to protect bighorn sheep.

Rangers evacuated a hiker on Friday from wintry conditions

The deadline to speak up for the Roadless Rule in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest is December 17, 2019.

The search for Sreenivas “Sree” Mokkapati took a tragic turn last week when a SAR volunteer died after becoming separated from his partner.

A new initiative wants to bring European-style no-tent backpacking to the woods of New York.

Until January 4, the agency is taking nominations for land to add to its priority list.

Take a break from the holiday shopping frenzy and give back today.

Grandma Joy is an inspiration to anyone who's ever dreamed about hitting the road.

Southbound quotas and restrictions on hiking through the Sierra will both be coming to the Pacific Crest Trail next year.

Nearly a month after announcing it would allow off-road vehicles in Utah's parks, the National Park Service announced on Friday that it would maintain the rule banning the machines.

Fat Bear Week may be over, but there are plenty more fat bears to catch on Explore.org's livestream.

The brand is set to return in late October.

In a nail-biting finale on Tuesday, Holly clinched the title of Katmai's Fattest Bear

The chubby champions of Fat Bear Week pack on hundreds of pounds in a few short months. How they do it comes down to a magical combination of location, experience, and timing.

The nation's highest judiciary will decide whether a new pipeline can cross the AT as planned.