Airbnb-like websites spring up in response to overcrowded public campsites.
Public lands
Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
Deaths renew calls for national parks to rescind BASE jumping bans
Squirrel suited flyers say the bans actually contribute to deadly accidents.
Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
Illegal bike trails and a Forest Service crackdown divide a town
A biking boom in Sedona, Arizona, forces locals to ask: Is there room for all these people?
Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
Public-lands visitation and recreation, by the numbers
Fatalities, backcountry trips, ATVs and Denali summit attempts over the years.
Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
Biking the line between wilderness and civilization
A bikepacking trip in Canyonlands offers a new look at a well-travelled landscape.
Posted inArticles
Idaho mining dispute raises questions about the future of wilderness
A grandfathered mining claim has opened the doors to development.
Posted inArticles
Ranch Diaries: How the Triangle P grazes on tribal lands
Breaking down private leases and federal permits.
Posted inArticles
The counties that actively oppose a federal lands transfer
Commissioners fear states could reduce county power and remove public access.
Posted inArticles
National parks scramble to keep up with the crowds
Does Utah’s mega tourism campaign compromise the outdoor experience?
Posted inArticles
Obama designates three more national monuments
Vast stretches of Nevada and Northern California are now protected, bringing Obama’s count to 19.
Posted inArticles
Efforts to save Utah’s Cedar Mesa reach a crescendo
Conflicting county and state proposals would provide various levels of protection.
Posted inArticles
New data released on violent threats to federal employees
Documents show 15 incidents in 2014, but don’t account for the Cliven Bundy standoff.
Posted inArticles
Methane leaks from oil and gas production on federal lands
New proposals from EPA and BLM to curtail leaks are due out this summer.
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
Latest: A controversial ski resort proposal gets approval
A Colorado land swap with the Forest Service gives developers a green light.
Posted inArticles
Battle of the Lands: Denali wins
Readers voted in our bracket-style tournament to crown the West’s best public lands on which to recreate.
Posted inArticles
Outfitters seek exemption from new federal minimum wage
Bill would allow recreation businesses to operate on federal land without paying staff $10.10 an hour.
Posted inArticles
HCN forum: Local control in a federal West
Hear a panel of experts discuss whether communities should have more authority over federal lands in their backyards.
Posted inArticles
A Yosemite gathering takes on culture, race, socioeconomics in national parks
Minorities, millennials and urbanites are less likely to visit national parks than upwardly mobile, white baby-boomers.
Posted inMay 25, 2015: Monument Man
Controversy lingers at Missouri Breaks in Montana
Ranchers, landowners, environmentalists still disagree over the designation.
Posted inMay 25, 2015: Monument Man
A timeline of the Antiquities Act
The presidential power tool for land conservation since Teddy Roosevelt.