While Michigan rightfully gets its share of outdoor attention, travelers looking for adventurous outings shouldn’t look past the top of The Mitten. There, in the northwest corner of Michigan’s lower peninsula, the Petoskey Area quietly harbors a surprising amount of outdoor activities linked by a handful of lively gateway communities: Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne City, Boyne Falls, Alanson, Bay Harbor,...

　　It was last fall when I realized that everything had changed. First there were the back-to-back high-country rides where my friends and I were the only ones on mountain bikes without motors. Then there was the eleven-mile climb where a hiker squinted at my crankset, exclaimed, “No battery!” and began to clap. There was the exchange later that day with...

　　For Canadian professional climber Allison Vest, objects of obsession aren’t exclusively found within the realm of rock. She finds them in quiet moments at home between climbing trips, sitting at her sewing machine and losing track of time making her own clothes. Vest climbs in many of her handmade creations: bolero sets, tailored vintage North Face jeans, a gingham button-...

　　This is a developing story and will be updated as more details are announced. 　　When Jack Colavita, a high school English teacher in Scottsdale, Arizona, gets out of school at 3 p.m., he typically heads straight for the boulders. 　　Specifically, he drives 65 miles east to Queen Creek Canyon, drags his crashpads out to classic Oak Flat problems such as...

　　Outside Festival Partner Ticket Giveaway Official Rules 　　Promotion Period: 5/5/2025 to 5/23/2025 　　NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 　　1. ELIGIBILITY: The Outside Festival Partner Ticket Giveaway (the “Promotion”) is open only to residents of the fifty United States and the...

　　With all the expeditions he’s been a part of, all the technology he’s developed, all the discoveries he’s covered, I’m used to Albert Lin being one of the more interesting people in a room—or even the most well-known. But walking down the street in Quito, Ecuador, I didn’t realize he was this famous. 　　We are headed to a coffee shop...

　　I was flummoxed, frustrated, and frantic. 　　It was the spring of 2024, and like millions of Americans, I was searching for a campsite  ahead of Memorial Day Weekend. I opened several dozen web browser windows on my laptop and pinged between websites like Recreation.gov, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, a regional RV resort finder, and yes, even Google Maps. If only...

　　West Virginia’s famed country roads offer an open invitation. Weaving across rugged terrain and through spirited small towns to uncrowded gems and world-class outdoor adventures alike, the roads form a latticework of endless possibilities for road trip itineraries. Five customized Mountain Rides can help connect activities that range from pristine biking to productive fishing, with prime camping options all along...

　　On May 7, Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican congressman from Montana, and Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat from New Mexico, stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building to announce a new voting bloc within the U.S. House of Representatives aimed at protecting public lands. 　　Called the Public Lands Caucus, the group includes 14 congressmen and women—seven Democrats and...

　　On January 4, 2025, President Biden signed the bipartisan EXPLORE Act into U.S. law, ending a year-long panic over a proposed bolting ban in national parks. The new legislation evoked a near–unanimous celebration by the American climbing community. 　　One of the lesser-known changes to the law, however, was Section 125, the Federal Interior Land Media (“FILM”) Act, which the North...

　　On Sunday, May 4, American climber Alex Pancoe died on the slopes of Nepals 27,838-foot Makalu, the worlds fifth-highest mountain. 　　Pancoe was completing an acclimatization hike in preparation for a Makalu summit bid, and had recently returned to Camp II at 22,310 feet when he died, sources told Outside. His guide, Terray Sylvester of American climbing company Madison Mountaineering, told Outside...

　　The National Park Service will lose almost 40 percent of its annual funding and surrender an undetermined amount of federally-run parks to state control—if the White House’s plans for 2026 come to fruition. 　　On Friday, President Donald Trump released his discretionary budget request for 2026, a 44-page document submitted to U.S. Congress that outlines how the government will allocate federal...