North America
Archive
 Outside magazine, December 1996 Mush, Mush, Mush, Dammit, Mush! As it preps for its 25th running, the Iditarod considers a mangy history of PCism, marauding polar bears, and the occasional random murder. Trail notes from America’s last great race. By Elizabeth Royte…
The Big Dig hits pay dirt—in the shape of a new island playground in Boston Harbor
Go straight to the source and taste the good life at these organic farm getaways
Our word-of-mouth report: adventure lodges that belong on your radar screen
Savor our top 20 wild Canadian adventures (including 5 new parks) for heaping helpings of glacial lakes, alpine meadows, swift rivers, and snowcapped peaks
The highest points in heartland states like Kansas and Iowa aren't much to look at, but when you knock off seven of them in a four-day, 3,000-mile blitz . . . well, let's just say the little bastards have a way of kicking back.
As the brutal battle over proposed drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge grinds on, a former oil worker returns to the North Slope in search of the truth about the pro-exploration argument. His conclusion? (Brace yourself.) The unthinkable is the right thing to do.
Sex. Danger. Family values. This backyard soap opera has it all—plus feathers, razor-sharp talons, and a neighborhood obsessed.
Ten North American spas that will recharge your mind, body, and soul
We stopped at a boulder below the saddle of 10,229-foot Heyburn Mountain as early-May sunshine broke past the ridge and washed over us: three backcountry skiers on a mission to schuss the wild peaks of central Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, and me, a snowshoe loafer in search of serenity. As my…
View from the California Riding and Hiking Trail Q: Now that fall is here we’re thinking of taking a backpacking trip through the desert. Any hints on where we should go? What about day hikes? — Nicole Frisbee, Denver, Colorado Adventure Advisor:…
The gray wolf may lose federal protection. Will killing it become the law of the land?
Escape urban gridlock in West Virginia, where country roads and mountain mamas are only a fraction of the attraction
A modern speed demon breathes new life into an ancient Hawaiian sport
He grew up poaching alligators, he sells Cadillacs, and his friends run oil companies. But saving the bayous of Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin is Harold Schoeffler's number-one deal.
Everybody loves the Klamath. Everybody wants a piece of it. And they're willing to go to war to get it. Editor's Note/Correction
1. Havasu Falls, Supai, Arizona Hike two miles to this perfect turquoise pool, with year-round 72-degree water, in Havasu Canyon. All About H2O The wet stuff is always there for us—it grows our food, puts splash and spirit in our adventure, and (by the way) keeps us alive.
Horrible winters. A dwindling, aging population. Abandoned farms reverting to prairie grass. Perfect, says our writer.
Family trips can leave parents feeling like they need a vacation from their vacation. Moms and dads can't always cater to kids—they occasionally need to indulge in adult-friendly pursuits, like flying down a white-knuckle mountain-bike trail or taking off on a sailboard. Here are five innovative trips—with built-in baby-sitting—so children have f
From the heart of Jack London country to Quebec, the best of 60 degrees latitude and higher
At twice the size of Texas, Alaska isn't easy to boil down into a "best of" list. The fact is, just about every cranny of this behemoth state can be labeled with a superlative: the wildest, the most vast, the most breathtaking. Even though any intrepid family can land in Anchorage, rent a car, start driving, and come upon wildlife and characters that guarantee
Blackwater NWR is the center of the greatest nesting density of bald eagles in the eastern United States north of Florida. Q: I'm thinking of taking a kayak trip around the Chesapeake Bay. Can you point me to some resources for planning a route, camping areas, maps of…
When the sea summons you, answer! Fourteen idyllic beach escapes, from Cape Cod to Sanibel.
Anza-Borrego’s raw desert beauty Q: I’m looking to camp someplace pretty, not too popular, and mild in temperature around this time of the year. Can you give me any suggestions? — Anne Moore, Long Beach, California Adventure Advisor: A: There…
With western drought lowering Lake Powell daily, Glenn Canyon fans dream of going all the way
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE For more photos and an audio interview with Andrew McLean, CLICK HERE EXPEDITION: ARCS OVER THE ARCTIC TEAM: ANDREW MCLEAN, BRAD BARLAGE LOCATION: BAFFIN ISLAND, NUNAVUT, CANADA OBJECTIVE: TO EXPLORE FJORDS AND VALLEYS BY KITE IN SEARCH OF…
Q: I need to take a three- to four-day getaway somewhere secluded. I’m very familiar with the outdoors and am looking for a place far away from people, perhaps even a fly-in trip. I’ve never been to Montana or any of the northwestern states. I might like to…
The Big River's been saved—and just in time. Here's how to enjoy the northern coast's newest playground and its spectacular environs.
Three variations on pain-free wilderness trekking... hut-to-hut hiking, mule packing, and base camping.
Cool off north of the border, in the land of boundless rivers, lakes, and pristine wilderness.
At the First Church of What Happens Next—MIT— a NASA-trained engineer and his stable of whiz kids are jump-starting the future of outdoor gear
Last spring, 41-year-old Andrew McLean and 29-year-old Brad Barlage set out into the arctic wilderness of northern Canada ‘s Baffin Island for a month-long expedition in which they would complete 19 first ski-descents on runs as long as 5,100 feet. The key to the journey was an arsenal of giant…
What does it take to steer across the Bering Strait? Guts, persistence, and—oh yeah—a seven-ton SUV.
The just-in-time, let's-party, fear-no-evil Winter Olympics get ready to rip in the country that needs 'em now more than ever
Warm, windswept, unfettered, ever-changing—North America's four great desert regions hide untold possibilities for classic winter adventure. They may be scorching and sere, with prickly dangers over every horizon, but if you know where to go—and how to explore wisely—you'll find these 500,000 square miles of desolation downright hospitable.
Lazy river day: the Rio Grande winds through Big Bend National Park Q: A group of around five to ten of us intend to take a two-to three-day trip to Big Bend National Park during the Thanksgiving holiday. Any advice for a group visiting the park for…
Ride a sudden whim or a sturdy steed to arid expanses where solitude reigns
For newcomers—meaning most of us—they are merely picturesque. But for Native Americans, the sacred places of the Great Plains and Northern Rockies are alive with centuries of memory and meaning—and something much, much bigger.
Late fall in Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area Q: Do you have ideas for great backpacking trails in the Flaming Gorge area of Wyoming? We will be with two children (eight and ten years old). Thanks! — Luckey, Avon, Connecticut…
Exploring remote canyons is dangerous fun, but expert advice will get you through it alive. Marc Peruzzi learns the ropes, deep in the Arizona backcountry.
The ever-soggy West Coast Trail isn't for everyone. You know who to thank for small favors.
It's a long line from the old salt to the swarms at Waikiki. So real Hawaiians head for the far sides of paradise.
The supernatural tour of Hawaii, where spirits live and enemies become fishhooks.
A tale of big money, prison, Disney World, and the world's foremost dinosaur-hunting twins.
Q: Where can I find inexpensive, tourist-free backpacking in Alaska? — Rosanne Clemente, Bay Shore, New York Adventure Advisor: A: The general rule with Alaskan wilderness is that you can have it cheap OR tourist-free, but rarely both. There’s a simple reason for…
Dive (or cannonball, or belly-flop) into summer at these seven backcountry water holes and hot springs.
Q: I am looking for adventure in Canada — camping, hiking, wildlife — any suggestions? Canada, on the rocks: a sunlit berg off the Newfoundland coast – Rosanne Clemente, Bay Shore, New York Adventure Advisor: A: News flash: It’s a big country up there, with more adventure possibilities than human inhabitants.