It’s often said that the national parks are America’s best idea. No argument here. And it all started with designating Yellowstone National Park, a particular stroke of genius. This remarkable landscape of hot springs, geysers, and incredible wildlife became the country’s first national park in 1872, starting a revolution in protecting special landscapes in the United States and around the...

　　Dear Sundog: Developers in Moab are building a subdivision named after Ed Abbey. They’re naming the cul-de-sacs Monkey Wrench Way and Hayduke Court. What a load of crap! Cactus Ed hated all real estate development in his beloved desert—and fought it his whole life. I’m sure he’s rolling in his grave, and I’m sure Hayduke would have blasted this place...

　　It’s been a frustrating month for mountaineering guides who lead expeditions on Mount Everest. The laws governing climbers on the peak’s Nepali side have changed several times, leaving guides confused, anxious, and glued to the Internet awaiting future updates. 　　“It’s Nepal and nobody knows how the new regulations will be interpreted, implemented, and finally enforced,” said Austrian guide Lukas Furtenbach,...

　　Travel is so expensive post-pandemic. But I dont want to give up the idea of an annual vacation. How can I keep costs down? —Tripping Out Over Expenses 　　Experts predict that this year will be the busiest ever for travel since before the pandemic. And for many, it’s already feeling like it might be the priciest. According to NerdWallet’s February...

　　The wall of snow struck Loren Ennis on his heelside, punched his snowboard forward, and sent him sliding down the mountain on his back. The impact happened so suddenly that Ennis struggled to understand what was going on, even as his body began to sink into the churning debris. 　　“I thought that maybe somebody had run into me,” Ennis, 32,...

　　High in the thin air of Pakistan’s Karakoram Range, Christina Lustenberger paused to look up. A mere 900 feet above her, the snowcapped summit of a granite spire known as the Great Trango Tower soared to over 20,600 feet. Scaling its bulging face felt like climbing on a giant basketball, the world falling away into empty space on all sides....

　　Editor’s note: New details about the fatal incident have been added to this report as of Feb. 15. 　　Renowned telemark, big mountain, and expedition skier Katherine “Kasha” Rigby, aged 54, is confirmed dead in an avalanche in Kosovo during her #tourdepiste project. Euro News Albania reported on Feb.13 that a 54-year-old foreign citizen lost her life in an avalanche at...

　　Look around the start line of an endurance race and you don’t see many tall competitors. Look on the podium, and you never see any. Why is that? Why don’t tall people win endurance races? Host Peter Frick-Wright and producer Paddy O’Connell are pretty much the two tallest athletes in all of the outdoors. Will they ever be champion runners?...

　　Few things scare Caroline Paul. Not scuba diving with sharks, nor flying a motorized gyrocopter that looks like a dubious cross between a bobsled and a whirlybird. The 60-year-old adventurer has been chasing risk since she was a girl growing up in Connecticut. At 13, she attempted to break the world record in crawling—12.5 miles—but was thwarted at mile 8.5...

　　Las Vegas gets the spotlight, but there’s a whole other side of southern Nevada, where backroads, outdoor adventures, and hidden gems await. This part of the Mojave Desert has always called to people who are looking for something a little different. Drive the quiet, expansive highways on the Death Valley Rally, an adventurous road trip route between Las Vegas and...

　　Talon Vance, 13, lived in an apartment complex in suburban Colorado Springs with his mom and Aunt. Other relatives lived nearby. Typically, he spent much of the week with his father, half brother, half sister, and grandparents, all of whom lived together not far away in a different town. All of that would change in August 2022: Talon’s mother, Rebecca...

　　Outside sent travel experts on a quest to discover the best ways to experience Texas, based on their interests. Now you can enter for a chance to win your choice of one of six itineraries for your very own Texas adventure. 　　Choose Your Texas Adventure Get Back to Nature on the Texas Gulf Coast Unplug on a Dallas Wellness Retreat...