Everything
Milky skies marked our February arrival in Alaska as we bounced along the tarmac in Anchorage. Soon we were winding south on the Seward Highway toward Girdwood and our palatial base camp, the Alyeska Prince Hotel, while Celeste, our driver, pointed out the paths of hulking avalanches that pummel the…
Somewhere at the bottom of the deepest canyon on earth flows the Cotahuasi—a long, roiling ribbon of whitewater, a river so old and dangerous that you never master it, you just surrender to it. And pay respect to its ghosts.
Welcome to Bigfoot's winter hideaway, where unclimbed mountains, roaring whitewater, and a new luxury eco-lodge await you
Who needs Santa? We've got 65 of the choicest gifts for all the good little adventurers in your life—right here.
Multi-sport kingdom: a river-top view of Beynac Castle in Dordogne, France Q: I’m interested in doing a two-week, multi-sport adventure (bike, hike, car) trip through and around the regions of France, and can’t find a good English Web site or guide to reference for ideas. Any thoughts?…
Our thoroughly opinionated guide to the five sexiest sporting islands.
Pura vida: mountain forest in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province Q: My friend and I are planning a trip to Costa Rica around January 2002. Is this a good time? Also, is it safe to hike and camp there? — Joe-Anne Brantford, Ontario Adventure Advisor: A: January…
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…
THIS MONTH, READERS will note the return of a familiar voice: Tim Cahill, a founding editor of Outside, stages a welcome comeback after an extended hiatus devoted mainly to sipping fine scotch and exploring the mountains around his home in Missoula, Montana. An inveterate vagabond whose wanderings have yielded seven…
Tim Cahill’s incredible travels have given rise to seven books and countless Outside Magazine articles over the past twenty-plus years, most recently “Everybody Loves the Assassin”, about his mission in Iran to visit the ancient castles of the assassins. We caught up with him last fall at home in…
North American resorts have expanded boundaries, opened gates, and liberated skiers to revel in ungroomed wildness. Our guide to the great stuff you won't find on the trail map.
And deliver us pronto to these 44 island Edens—if they were any more perfect we'd be in heaven
As the Last Cool Place becomes an adventure-travel magnet, the scientists and bureaucrats who run the show are feeling crowded. Is this big, beautiful continent big enough for everybody?
Your well-tailored fitness program may be missing something important—a regular massage. Here's our hands-on guide to the right rub.
She's pinching, you're flinching—just in time, professional advice for DIY massage
For a preview of the Taklimakan Desert Traverse, click here Uighur people in the ancient market town of Kashgar, China October 23, 2001 The plan was relatively simple. Every few weeks during his 60-day, 870-mile walk across China’s formidable Taklimakan desert, 28-year-old Mike Libecki was supposed fire-up…
Calling all climbers: beckoning walls in Italy’s mighty Dolomites Q: I’m planning a trip to the Dolomites and am after suggestions of must-see places since there is so much to see and not enough days to see it all in. Is it worth bringing climbing gear for…
Hiking Dominica can get a little damp, but culinary surprises await at slog's end.
Exploring the beaches and islets of the forgotten Jumento Cays, where sharks, drug runners, and fishermen rule the waters—and not even the captain knows where he's going.
Amazon exposure: a toucan under the green in Brazil’s Amazon basin Q: I am traveling to Manaus, Brazil this fall. I know it is the low season, but I am hoping to do an adventure trip for a few days a bit off the beaten path. Do…
The local gang: a tourist-free look under Biscayne National Park Q: We are looking for a four-day winter getaway on a beach in the southeastern United States. We have a limited amount of money. We would like to go sometime in December of this year. Any ideas?…
Irish photographer Seamus Murphy’s work accompanies Patrick Symmes’s story of the Nepalese guerrillas who revere Mao and seek to take over the country. To bring his incredible photographs even more to life, Murphy answered some of our questions about the trip and about his work. Related Articles Photo…
Rock-ride recipe: sun bathed cliffs and scrub at New Mexico’s Pajarito Plato Q: Where’s a good spot to go mountain biking near Albuquerque, New Mexico? Any suggestions for other types of outings in the area would also be appreciated. — Janet Washington, D.C.
From the altiplano to the jungle, a soggy saga of Class V rapids, sandal-sucking mud, and a forestful of hoots, groans, and screams
Ride a sudden whim or a sturdy steed to arid expanses where solitude reigns
Just be sure to share the load with one of this year's best backpacks
Casting for bonefish in the mangrove-choked lagoons of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula
SUVS have been domesticated for Mom and Mr. Fixit, but the fact remains—these beasts are built for the boondocks, and their natural habitat is the rough, open road
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.
Forming the ideal spitball, firing the propane, perfecting the Miss America wave—and other mind-expanding ways to spend your vacation
A slice of Himalayan heaven: a temple sits amid the rock and ice of Nepal’s upper elevations Q: I was planning a river-rafting trip to Nepal, but I wonder if it makes sense to go, considering the recent terrorist attacks and likely U.S. retaliation. Would it be…
On a bicycle tour of Cuba, solidarity can only take you so far
Let the motorized leaf peepers have their New England. It'll keep them far away from ours.
Dive the undived, paddle the unvisited, and otherwise indulge your Pacific island fantasies
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…
A prime-season meander down South Carolina's Ashepoo Combahee and Edisto Rivers
You could traverse Europe by motorcoach and Eurail, but the sightseeing's better by board, bike, and boots.
In the seas off South Africa's Dyer Island, shark mania and risk adventure have combined with a vengeance. For a few bucks, one of a gang of ill-qualified, ill-equipped dive operators will drop you into the most dangerous water on earth. Problem is, no one's promising to get you safely back.
Back to school: Pescadero Surf Camp’s Playa Los Cerritos Q: I’m looking for high-quality surf camps in Central America or Mexico for next month and can’t find any. Any suggestions? — Andrew Brenner, New York, New York Adventure Advisor: A:…
Want to sound like a real Tour de France pundit? After all, with three consecutive wins by American Lance Armstrong, le Tour is now chit-chat at everything from group rides to cocktail parties. As most of us couldn’t watch the live TV coverage each morning or otherwise follow all the…
Casting for nada y nada in the footsteps of Hemingway, on the rivers of northern Spain.
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.
Fishing, biking, horseback riding, and soaking, Montana style
Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa’s Natural Treasures, by Richard Leakey and Virginia Morell (St. Martin’s Press, $26). “Wildlife wars” is not an exaggeration. In 1989, when Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi named 45-year-old Richard Leakey the country’s wildlife director, Leakey launched a bloody guerrilla war…
Hello, this is your President talking. Have I got an environmental plan for you!
Worried that the long shadows of autumn will darken your fitness mood? Lighten up with these 30-minute workouts, guaranteed to help you soar into winter shape.
Want instant access to the Big Outdoors—trails, rivers, wild shores, just minutes from home—without compromising your livelihood? Then check out these ten towns on the verge of paradise, where you don't have to ditch it all to have it all.
Injury, pain, the psychology of recovery, and getting back on the trail
If your idea of good H2O involves head-high surf and barracuda-infested reefs, you'll find no better place to hang your hammock
On Ireland's western fringe, the mystic highlands of Connemara hide an unexpected kingdom of adventure.
Pacific Mexico is a thatch roof overhead, fresh snapper daily, and 660 miles of nada between timeshares.
One down, two to go: kayaking the day away off Vancouver Island Q: I’m working on a combination sea kayak, SCUBA diving, and fly-fishing adventure on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. I’ve heard the Port Hardy and north tip waters offer much better diving conditions. Any thoughts…
Beyond ouzo and the Acropolis, five islands for waves and wandering in the playground of Zeus
East of San Lucas's sun-drunk hordes, the Baja that was still is.
New zealand may be smaller than Colorado, but it sure crams a lot of outdoor superlatives into a tiny space—mountains rivaling Europe’s Alps, fjords to match Norway’s, and beaches, forests, and hiking trails as beautiful as any in the world. If you have limited time to see it all, head…
The Costa Rica of legend still exists. But you have to crash through breakers and fight off pigs to find it.
On the other side of the world are other worldly sights-Tasmanian Devils, spirit houses, and the greatest reef of them all.
Summer thaw: melting ice carves a canyon in Iceland Q: We are trying to plan a ten-day hiking trip to Iceland for the last two weeks in August. Would like to either camp or stay in huts (my partner would love the tent, whereas I would welcome…
Accompanying Outside's behind-the-lines special report on Nepal's Maoist insurgents ("The Last Days of the Mountain Kingdom," by Patrick Symmes, September) is this haunting photograph by longtime Kathmandu photojournalist Thomas Laird. Here, in an exclusive account, Laird offers an equally haunting first-person look at the most extraordinary 24 hours in
Want some sound business advice? Go climb a mountain. Hey, it's what all the savvy capitalists are doing these days.
SB&WM, 25, sharp dresser, virgin, seeks companionship for long ocean swims, romantic herring dinners, and partnership for those difficult middle years. Must be loaded, have access to sonar and private fishing armada. Knowledge of marine biology a real plus!
Greetings from the quaint Welsh village of Llanwrtyd Wells, renowned for its fine ales, warm hospitality, and one of the oddest athletic endeavors on Planet Earth: floundering through noxious rural ooze! TIM BROOKES reports on the illustrious—if slightly smelly—history and modern-day mayhem of a certifiably insane sport called bog snorkeling.
The Proving Ground: The Inside Story of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race, by G. Bruce Knecht (Little, Brown, $25). From Our Pages My Story as Told by Water: Confessions, Druidic Rants, Reflections, Bird-Watchings, Fish-Stalkings, Visions, Songs and Prayers, Refracting Light, From…
Island appeal: sun-bathed St. Lucia Q: I’d like to hike and camp out in the Cayman Islands. Any suggestions of which islands and trails are best? An alternative to the Napali Coast of Kauai is what I am searching for. — John, Palo Alto,…