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The movie version of Cheryl Strayed's hit book features Reese Witherspoon like you've rarely seen her鈥攖angled hair, ratty clothes, and dirt under her fingernails. But the backpacking film has a secret: it's actually a brutal story about loss and love.
As investigators piece together the details, Douglas Messier鈥攚ho witnessed the crash from the desert floor鈥攔eports on the warning signs that preceded the disaster, the already rampant finger-pointing, and the viability of space tourism.
Every winter, the ski and snowboard world lets its hair down at a few marquee events. Here are the ones we're stoked for this season.
Jack Kerouac spent the summer of 1956 manning a fire tower on Washington's Desolation Peak, in the northern Cascades. He didn't do much writing there, apparently, despite being alone with pencil and paper. But he stayed for 63 days. The views were good.
California鈥檚 rule requiring cars to give cyclists a three-foot berth went into effect last week. Too bad it doesn't actually keep riders safe.
Do cell phones, satellite messengers, and personal locator beacons create more false alarms in the backcountry?
I'd love to haul my kids up the railings to Half Dome, but don't want to risk accidents鈥攐r turning them off of hiking forever. How can we have fun while staying safe in the national park?
Those Big Sur views were big money to begin with, but they're even richer paired with amenities like these.
Some people might be built for speed and others for distance, but everyone benefits from running faster. This is how you do it.
An epic, 10,000-mile road trip across America to find the best place to live in the country.
One man and his canine pal cover 13,000 miles in 32 states to discover just how strong our relationship is with man's best friend.
As climate change threatens snowpack, ski areas are adopting a new survival strategy: Beefing up the summer fun.
Heavier athletes run 10 percent slower in hot conditions
An injured runner supports his teammates during the most competitive Western States in history
These oases of relaxation, adventure, mindful eating, and awe-inspiring views are going to be very popular once it's safe travel again. Until then, we can dream.
When you enter the Western States 100鈥攁 day-and-night endurance run in the Sierra Nevada鈥攜ou can "mature a lot."
With a little help from Make-A-Wish, Yosemite鈥檚 first honorary park ranger earns his keep and proves his strength
It's been more than 50 years since the Colorado River regularly reached the sea. But this spring, the U.S. and Mexico let the water storm through its natural delta for a grand experiment in ecological restoration. As the dam gates opened, a small band of river rats caught a once-in-a-lifetime ride.
It used to be that people would go on vacation to relax, drink cocktails from coconut shells, and sit by the beach with a trashy paperback. But more and more now, people are shelling out big bucks to travel to posh resorts and get their butts kicked exercising…
According to AVP Pro and Olympian April Ross
Fun for the whole family doesn't have to mean boring for you. These high-adrenaline festivals will keep everyone going all day.
The good news is that a rapidly growing number of cities across the country are becoming more bike-commuter friendly because of rising gas prices, growing alarm over global warming, and Americans鈥 desire to stay fit. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, biking to work has…
A 38-mile trip from the Marin Headlands to Point Reyes is the best cure for runner's block.
Yosemite National Park offers arguably the most scenic hiking in the country. The only challenge? Picking which trail to hike.
It鈥檚 not necessarily the facility that counts when you鈥檙e waking up at ungodly hours of the morning to clean and jerk鈥攊t鈥檚 the quality of the instructors, and the camaraderie of the friends who join you there. In fact, each CrossFit gym is supposed to be uniquely inviting, whether it's…
Reduced-oxygen training room Air Fit opens in Bay Area
Growing up in Hollywood prepared Torres for the biggest red carpet event of all: the Olympics.
The California Coastal National Monument聽extends from south of San Diego to the Oregon state line and is composed of 20,000 islands, rocks, and reefs that extend 20 nautical miles from the shore. These features make up the scenic views that travelers enjoy along the coast, but few…
The Sonora Pass Caf茅鈥攁nd its chef鈥攖akes trail magic to new heights.
Three proven formulas for a different kind of Turkey Day
Want to get your children hooked on the active life? In these five family-friendly towns, adventure is right outside the front door.
Who needs headlamps? From a bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico to a Japanese trail lined with glowing mushrooms, these ten hikes are at their best when it's dark out. Pack your camera (leave the flash at home) and prepare to be amazed.
The first bike highway was born in car city, U.S.A.: Los Angeles. What can we learn from a vision of bike-centric transportation that never materialized?
Can't wait for the weather to warm up? With balmy temperatures year-round, miles of world-class trails, and a laid-back, kid-friendly atmosphere, L.A.'s southern neighbor has you covered.
Axie Navas takes a look at a new sport that's figuring out its place鈥攐n the snow and in the air
My college roommates and I are planning a last-minute spring break ski trip, but we don鈥檛 know where to go yet. Which resort has the apr猫s ski scene for the college or post-college crowd? It has to be somewhere in North America, preferably out West.
No one said your New Year鈥檚 resolutions had to feel like punishment. Jump-start 2013 with one of these seven spirit-recharging escapes.
Axie Navas takes a look at the controversy behind California's recent ban
The outbreak, which killed three, didn鈥檛 only attack the lungs of its victims. It messed with the psyche of the rest of us, too.
We know what our readers look for in any kind of experience: adventure, grit, sweat, a worthy struggle, tested endurance, goosebump-inducing views, wide-open skies, maybe some roiling water. So why should college be any different? The correct answer is: It shouldn鈥檛.
Why the crisis in California鈥檚 state parks could foretell turmoil for public playgrounds everywhere
Forget the necktie. He doesn鈥檛 need another one. Want to let dad know you care? This year, send him on one of these adventures. Don鈥檛 have a dad鈥攐r don鈥檛 care for the one you鈥檝e got? Send yourself.
Make the most of the warmer months with these weekend itineraries
The wildest two-wheeled events on the planet feature both world-class racing and world-class carousing
The only thing more epic than that monster attack or spleen-bruising crash? Reliving it all with friends over an adult recovery drink at an establishment that loves your kind.
The rankest mountain roads for testing your cycling mettle
Forget the drunk, stumbling, bleached-blonde, muscled hordes of Panama City. Take a trip to one of the country鈥檚 top spots for adventure and come back refreshed.
From hidden fishing rivers in Chile to mountain biking in Whistler, our guide shows you where to go and the gear you'll need to take your adventures to the next level.
The best bays, breaks, lakes, and rivers for learning the world鈥檚 fastest growing paddle sport
Presenting eight romantic, spontaneous, epic, and quest-driven cruises down America's emptiest highways.
Science be damned, a band of surfers and celebrities fight to save an iconic break
We've got your all-access pass to summer: 21 DIY and outfitted adventures guaranteed to recharge for less than $500*. Just pick one—or five—and leave your lawnmower behind. *Transportation not included
I need to organize a spring bachelor party weekend in the outdoors. Help! While the groom is a huge adventurer, some in our diverse group of friends aren鈥檛 so active. You have any trips in the West that meet our needs? OliverSeattle, WA
I'm not ready for the winter to end. What are the best spring backcountry ski spots? Kevin Burlington, VT
The key to finding fresh adventure in the national parks? These ten strategies will get you far beyond the camera-toting hordes to where empty peaks, forgotten trails, and lonely rivers await.
In the range wars of the 21st century, the cattle rustler runs Ponzi schemes and the lawman drives an SUV. STEVEN RINELLA joins the new posse.
Five hundred dollars can buy you a lot of things: an iPad, a mediocre bike, a lawn mower—or three days of glorious summertime freedom (transportation excluded). Here are our picks for the best do-it-yourself budget escapes in North America, plus outfitted adventures you can't afford to miss.
The new canvas for artistic expression? Bike racks. San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, among other cities, have instituted design competitions for their sidewalk bike racks. And in New York this spring, workers will begin replacing 225 outdated parking meters with winning rack designs—which, presumably, will not look like parking…
Love Acadia, the Tetons, and the Grand Canyon? Wait until you meet their crazy little cousins.
The list of seven summits climbers used to read like an alpinist all-star team. Now there are kids who can include it on their college applications.
It's not enough to be at the forefront. In an era when everything has supposedly been done, these adventure icons ignore convention, court risk, and let their passion lead the way.
There's at least one major upside to the bursting of the real-estate bubble: The kind of adventure-ready second home you've always dreamed about is suddenly within reach. From mountain retreats to lakefront outposts to slopeside condos, here's your primer on where to invest for the long haul.
Overlooked mountain ranges, river beer, running album, gear of all time, and 47 other big ideas, accidental winners, and awesome things about the world outside we've come to love over the past 33 years. Introducing our first annual Editors' Choice Awards...
Wild weather makes the next couple of months the hardest time of the year to plan an adventure. To help you out, we've worked up game plans for all kinds of conditions. Your job? Just check the doppler—then go.
Winter weekends are short and dark—which means you need to be fast and smart. Beat the blues with one of these surprisingly affordable escapes.
What's more entertaining than a big-wave contest at Maverick's? The two men fighting over it.
Some cities are magnets for groundbreaking industries. Here are 13 that have put themselves on the map.
I want to climb a volcano. And when I say climb I mean hike, I don't want to have to mess with ropes and the like. Any suggestions in North America? Luke H. Austin, TX
We polled the sharp-eyed nomads we trust most and came up with a bucket list of the best trips for getting the best shots around the world.
The Single Speed World Championships is the wildest mountain-bike on earth, where Halloween comes early and sobriety is akin to doping. To infiltrate this derailleurless debacle, we would need a thoroughly mediocre racer who could stomach the sight of way too much beer-addled flesh and report back. So, naturally, we recruited Bike Snob NYC.