News

The Alaska Senate just passed a budget to start construction on a 500-mile segment of the Alaska Long Trail.

This strip mine puts one of the world's largest freshwater ecosystems at risk.

For the first time since being hunted to extinction in the twentieth century, wild fishers are reproducing in Washington's Cascades.

Record fires ripped through the western U.S. in summer 2020. Could we be in for a repeat?

The state laid criminal charges against two snowboarders for causing an avalanche that destroyed an expensive avalanche mitigation system. The parties have reached a plea agreement—but is the damage already done?

Firefighters are still monitoring the East Mountain Fire, which is the state’s biggest since 1999.

An overnight effort by first-responders brought every member of the party down safely.

After a pandemic pause, AT hikers will be able to register their thru-hikes again starting this week.

Utahraptor State Park is home to Utah’s official state dinosaur—as well as a World War II site with an ugly history.

Washington man facing federal misdemeanor charges after allegedly organizing gigantic group hike.

Crews discovered a giant sequoia still smoking in a burned-over area.

After a fire destroyed the Montezuma Valley Market, hikers are rallying to help the owners rebuild.

Wildlife officials are investigating after the death of a 39-year-old woman in Durango.

Bureau of Land Management offering $10,000 reward for information on culprits.

James Jordan will be be confined indefinitely at a psychiatric facility.

Investigators shot and killed the bear after it charged.

The popular California park will soon require reservations for day use—and it expects them to go quickly.

The company’s push to extend its clothing’s lifespan may be the final nail in the coffin for Wall Street’s unofficial uniform

With the Biden administration mulling whether to restore Bears Ears to its original size, we dive into the history of America's most controversial national monument.

Adirondack Mountain Reserve to begin limiting hikers on May 1.

Reservations for the popular hike will open on April 1.

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.