Outdoor News and Education

Both you and the wilderness can get trashed up in a few days of backcountry travel.  You will never be pristine on a backpacking trip, but it is important to stay healthy until you can make it back to a civilized shower, and to follow "leave no trace" principles while you're...

You can pull off to the side of the road when you see the 'Scenic View' signs and catch some interesting sights, but to experience the really good, marvel-at-the-insignificance-of-man kind of stuff, you've got to go deep. Into the backcountry deep. Days removed from civilization deep. And to get there...

One idea of roughing it might be staying at a Holiday Inn instead of a Marriott. For those that want to enjoy nature in its raw form, sleeping in atent or under the stars is about as relaxing as it gets.  But sometimes it takes a bit of getting used...

Go to any campground or on any extended backpacking trip, and you’ll see dozens of different tent styles, colors, shapes and sizes. Why one over the other? Which is best for me? A tent can serve as a reliable refuge from a storm; be as large as a veritable palace...

The reality is, you have a much greater chance of being flattened by a semi on the way to the trailhead than you do having a problem with a bear once you're on the trail. But, unlike the runaway semi, the bear danger is mostly controllable with education and common...

 You can rack up quite a thirst while hiking, but you don’t want to be drinking water out in the woods without doctoring it up some. Yes, the good old boys in the old Westerns used to sip from the creek when thirsty (unless of course there was a skull...

Whether going out for a day-hike or 2-week backpacking trip, or just a weekend at a developed campground at a nearby state park, there are some essentials you should always have with you. The basics of any overnight stay include 5 categories you need to cover in some form or...