Outdoor recreation and travel through the American West are a big part of life for many out here, and our annual Outdoor and Travel special issue takes a hard look at outdoor recreation’s influence — and its costs.
A hard look at outdoor rec’s influence — and cost
The outdoor industry fills a unique role in the West as a political force and as an entity getting more people outside.
Free-range parenting; vandalized valentine; duck, duck, goat
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Death in the alpine
Social media is changing our relationship to risk, with deadly consequences.
Extreme mountain biker group fights for wilderness access
A new law could change the nature of wilderness travel.
In a new home, the OR Show flexes its political muscle
As the outdoor industry ramps up its advocacy, it faces tough questions from Indigenous recreators.
Recreation is redefining the value of Western public lands
Visits to public lands and consumer spending grow, as agency budgets atrophy.
Section hikers offer tips on the Pacific Crest Trail
From Canada to Mexico, a series of books shares the insider knowledge of the trail.
‘Unlikely hikers’ gain traction
Social media is raising the profile of underrepresented outdoor communities.
Your stoke won’t save us
The idea that outdoor recreation leads to meaningful conservation rests on a big ‘if.’
Spring brings more visitors, and awards
HCN receives a James Beard Award, and says hello to one of Paonia’s newest and smallest residents.
The nowhereness of airports
The way air travel has devolved says something awful about humans.
How do we honor New Mexico’s colorful past
… without celebrating colonialism’s violence?
How might humans and wilderness co-exist?
I want my daughter to know the wilderness outside our cabin, and the wildness within each of us.
Through a thru-hiker’s eyes
A photographer captures the community he found on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Craft breweries aren’t a new trend — but co-op pubs are
In Montana, the town of Ronan hops on the brewery bandwagon.