The Strangest Unsolved Mysteries in America’s Great Outdoors
From a half-million symmetrical lakes to a lost gold mine, our national parks and public lands are home to fascinating and bizarre mysteries you can unravel on the ground
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Stories Outside Readers Love
Stories Outside Readers Love
Latest
Is That Summit Selfie Legit? Experts Tell Us How to Spot a Fake.
Recent allegations of phony summit images on the world’s highest peaks ignited a debate in the mountaineering community. We asked photography experts how to spot a hoax.
Furloughed Grand Canyon Park Employees Just Missed Their First Paycheck. This Woman Is Keeping Food on Their Tables.
For Heather Lapre, feeding park employees isn’t just a charitable act—it’s a personal one. Her husband was also furloughed during the federal government shutdown. October 28 marked the first skipped payday for National Park Service employees, like her partner, who were furloughed
‘From Rails to Trails’ Tells the Story of One of America’s Most Unlikely Movements
A new PBS doc narrated by Edward Norton follows the 60-year fight—and triumph— to convert abandoned railroads into trails for cycling and walking
Yosemite Rescuers Pull Off Daring, One-of-a-Kind Save for Stranded Climber
The highly specialized rescue technique involves a helicopter used to insert a rescue ranger on the cliff face above a stranded climber. A weighted beanbag, which helps in high-wind situations, is then attached to line that’s tossed to the injured climber.
I Went Back to the Appalachian Trail, to the Place Where a Hiker Was Murdered
In 2019, a hiker was killed along the Appalachian Trail in Southwest Virginia. A second victim barely escaped. Why isn’t there a marker for the loss?
An Inside Look at Outside’s 2025 Winter Editors’ Choice Testing Trip
Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness serves up world-class cross-country skiing, deep solitude, and cozy creature comforts
One Slip and You’re Dead. What It’s Like to Ski the No Fall Zone.
Crash and you’re a goner—those are the stakes on slopes this steep. Ski mountaineer Christina Lustebenberger explains the mental and physical skills required to thrive in deadly terrain.
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Detour Guides
Our feature collection of Detour Guides across the U.S. is here to help you discover the road less traveled
A Snowstorm Hit Yellowstone. Chaos Ensued.
More than 30 vehicles were involved in mishaps after a snowstorm tore through the area. Now, park officials have reopened most of the roads that were closed for the last few days of the 2025 season before a full winter closure.
Everyone's Obsessed with Protein, But According to Nutritionists Here's What Your Body Really Needs
Convenient protein-fortified foods like bars and shakes are fine until ultra-processed protein starts replacing actual meals and useful carbs
Adventure
This New Climbing Film Captures the Terrifying Splendor of K2
In ‘K2—Chasing Shadows,’ French alpinist Benjamin Vedrines shares his emotions high on the flanks of the world’s second-tallest peak
Editors’ Picks
Health
The Surprising Limits of Human Endurance
This idea of a “metabolic ceiling” sparked lots of discussion, but it also left some open questions. Does it really apply to top-level endurance athletes—like, say, Kilian Jornet?
Travel
A Total Solar Eclipse Is Coming in 2026. The Time to Plan Your Trip Is Now.
These are best destinations for adventurous eclipse chasers, with tips for making the most of this rare celestial event
Culture
‘Game of Thrones’ Star Trades Battling Dragons for Fighting for Our Future
Outside talks to actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s about his docuseries ‘An Optimist's Guide to the Planet,’ what keeps him hopeful in 2025, and his love for getting outside—even if it’s just a bike ride in New Jersey
Editors’ Picks
- Blair Braverman’s 'The Day Leap Soared' Is Inspired by a Real Sled Dog
- They Built the First Ever Adaptive Trail Network. Then They Made an Epic Film About It.
- How to Live Like a Sloth, Listen Like an Owl, and Grow Like a Lobster: What Animals Can Teach Us About Living Well
- Quannah ChasingHorse on the Vital Importance of Indigenous Perspectives
Long Reads
What I Saw in Yosemite Says Everything About the Future of Our National Parks
The administration, they said, was performing what one former NPS official called “facade management,” ensuring that visitor-facing services like fee stations, campgrounds, and yes, bathrooms, appeared to be functioning smoothly. But, parks advocates say, these aren’t the vital signs that indicate the health of a national park. Experts who understand how parks actually work say they’re in trouble.
Gear
Clog Season Is Officially Here. These Are the 4 Pairs I Wear Non-Stop.
And, yes, Crocs are on the list
Listen
How To Walk Through—And Away From—A Digital World, with Craig Mod
The most influential digital designer you've never heard of found an anecdote to the noise on Japan's ancient walking routes
What Does It Look Like When America's Park System Starts to Crack?
The State of Our National Parks
Outside and RE:PUBLIC reporters went deep inside three iconic national parks to see how America’s public lands are holding up under pressure
This fall, RE:PUBLIC and Outside have partnered on a series of on-the-ground reports from iconic parks, where our writers spent the late summer and early fall documenting the real-world effects of budget cuts, staffing shortages, and deferred maintenance across America’s public lands. RE:PUBLIC is a nonprofit journalism initiative that funds and co-publishes deeply reported stories about the future of public lands, working with leading media outlets to bring these issues to a national audience.
When we first started talking with the team at RE:PUBLIC about collaborating on a public lands package, we were circling the same question: What does it actually look like when America’s park system starts to crack? Not in abstract terms—budget lines or agency memos—but on the ground, where visitors and rangers see the effects firsthand.
That question sent three writers into three very different national parks: Yosemite, Great Smoky Mountains, and Rocky Mountain. What they found wasn’t always visible from the trailhead or a scenic overlook, but it told a deeper story about what’s really happening behind the glossy brochures and Instagram-perfect views.
Taken together, these stories offer an unfiltered look at the state—and fate—of our national parks, from the crowded roads of the Smokies to the privatization movement in Yosemite to the ranger stations of Rocky Mountain, where even the most dedicated staff are running on fumes.
—Abigail Wise, Brand Director, Outside
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