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When travel resumed in early 2021, Americans in droves headed south of the border, with most opting for popular tourist meccas. But why follow the masses when you can explore wild corners of the country few others visit? We rounded up 18 ways to do just that—and to support local economies while you’re at it.

A site with images that date back 8,000 years was spray-painted with racist slurs and symbols, among other graffiti

Today the Tongass is the last national forest in the United States where old-growth trees are clear-cut

Yes, things are very bad, but there are some glimmers of hope for making meaningful progress

By portraying predators as villains, we are influencing how our children perceive the natural world

Heather Hansman shares the books and films that have helped her slow down and reflect amid the turmoil of 2021

The �����ԹϺ��� contributing editor’s latest release was the November pick for the �����ԹϺ��� Book Club. We spoke with her about the appeal of chasing powder and the many crises facing the ski industry.

In her new novel, the award-winning author takes an especially pessimistic view of the climate crisis—but this isn’t the time to give up

With increased coastal flooding and erosion, climate change is harshing California’s mellow vibes. Officials say it’s time to retreat from the shore altogether. Residents want to stay and fight. Paul Kvinta reports from the front lines of a pitched battle, where geologists and millionaires are squaring off, and friendly fire between surfers isn’t so friendly.

Producers and manufacturers, including outdoor gear brands, are feeling the pressure to step up to create and fund recycling programs

A thru-hiker’s best tips for decreasing your garbage

I tallied the waste I created for a month of my thru-hike. It was embarrassing. Now I know how to begin fixing it.

After COP26, a writer considers whether leaving the fate of the planet in the hands of world leaders is the right way forward

�����ԹϺ��� contributing editor Heather Hansman’s new book is both a critical take on the ski industry and love letter to its skids

The $1.2 trillion plan doesn’t just include investments in roads and bridges; it’ll also focus on bike lanes, wildfire mitigation, and dam removal

The climate crisis has affected every corner of the country, including many of the places we once fantasized about moving to for a better quality of life

Our guru weighs in on the ethics of defacing a man-made blight

The grandeur of the Great Salt Lake stopped Brigham Young in his tracks and inspired John Muir to jump in for a swim. Yet now it’s in danger of disappearing, sucked dry by agriculture, climate change, and suburban lawns. Many Utahns would just as soon pave it, but as Bill Gifford learned during a yearlong exploration, there’s beauty and natural splendor here that deserves to live on.

A group of biologists are trying to protect a threatened herd in the iconic Wyoming range, but their plan includes closing recreational areas that many aren‘t happy about losing

The acclaimed author’s latest release is the October pick for the �����ԹϺ��� Book Club. We spoke with him about the book, climate anxiety, and the father-son relationship

Having a green lawn doesn’t make sense in many parts of the country. But that doesn’t mean kids have to sacrifice their backyard adventures.

The host of CNN’s ‘United Shades of America’ on what we learn when we engage with communities very different than our own

W. Kamau Bell, the host of ‘United Shades of America,’ sits down with fellow comedian and activist Baratunde Thurston for a lively conversation on what we learn about this country when we engage with communities very different than our own

Good news: sustainability and joy go hand in hand

I’m really sorry it happened and really glad I survived. Notes on the flabbergasting climax of an Alaska road trip that changed my life.

A recent ruling on an Endangered Species Act case may set a precedent for incorporating climate models into species protection

The past year showed us all that having access to the outdoors is essential for our health and well-being. It also magnified the inequities inherent in that access. For 2021’s Best Towns package, we chose 13 of the country’s most diverse places and evaluated them according to the factors that matter today: sustainability, affordability, and outdoor equity. Here are the cities of tomorrow.

Eco-conscious parents are turning to electric utility bikes to haul their most precious cargo: their children

Meet the companies making rad products and empowering communities

Reading about romance and relationships in speculative fiction about scary futures reminds us that a better world is always worth fighting for

A warming planet, increased storms, and wildfires are creating a level of infrastructure collapse that’s expensive and devastating

When the real world seems increasingly apocalyptic, what’s the point of reading novels about the horrors of climate change? �����ԹϺ���’s culture columnist investigates her own fascination with cli-fi.

The past few years have seen a boom in fiction about the climate crisis. Here are our recommendations for some of the most interesting titles out there, from Octavia Butler to Jenny Offill.

Through the moving story of a widowed astrobiologist and his unusual son, ‘Bewilderment’ addresses our apathy in the face of environmental disaster

An abstract view of some of the world’s most beautiful land- and waterscapes

And what it means for the future of America’s public lands

The British Columbia Supreme Court mandated that law enforcement leave the front lines, in part due to its failure to uphold civil liberties

Scientists, planners, and even the Army Corps of Engineers are turning to natural solutions like coral reefs and sand dunes to protect coastal communities against intensifying storm surges and flooding

With mega wildfires and intensifying hurricanes becoming the new norm this time of year, the last hurrah of the season has become more apocalyptic than carefree

Many Canadians think old-growth forests are protected from logging. Turns out, Indigenous people and a scrappy band of activists called the Rainforest Flying Squad are all that stands between Vancouver Island’s last old growth and logging companies.

If it seems like you’ve been hearing about lakes and beaches closing down more often, you’re right. Various types of toxic algae are multiplying like crazy in bodies of water across the country, and stopping them won’t be easy.

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report made clear this week, we’re going to need to give up some of the things we love if we don’t want much more taken away

With the discovery of 52, some sociologists theorized that our fascination with the whale’s story came from a growing feeling of loneliness overrunning our technocentric society.

Democrats in Congress are pushing for a federal jobs program that would tackle climate, land use, infrastructure, and more. Here’s why it’s so urgent.

After losing his father to cancer, a mule deer researcher embarks on a healing migration of his own

Despite GOP rhetoric, selling America’s largest rainforest to China was actually bad business

When an oil company targeted the North Face with a tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign accusing the brand of hypocritical climate activism, it served as a reminder of the contentious—yet partially codependent—relationship between the outdoor and fossil fuel industries

The River Democracy Act will establish Oregon as the country’s undisputed leader in permanent river protection.

In a new short-story collection by Claire Boyles, we meet characters struggling with family, health troubles, and environmental issues in the West

Here’s what to do when your little one brings up sea-level rise, extinction, wildfires, and other ecological griefs

If you can get past the lack of creature comforts, spending a night outside might be one of the most rewarding things you do

But there’s still hope if we start managing water differently and addressing climate change, both of which are making dry spells more extreme

You might think that British Columbia’s oldest forests are protected from commercial interests. You’re wrong.

 Mabon wants to take responsibility for humankind’s gluttony for plastic products

Conservation International CEO M. Sanjayan saw our relationship to the planet in a new way after a series of remarkable adventures

Heather “Anish” Anderson has now chronicled her record-breaking thru-hikes in two books. The ways she documents the details may surprise you—and help you do the same.

Elizabeth Kolbert and Nathaniel Rich, environmental writers par excellence, survey human solutions to the human-caused mess we’re in

A wild place—and an American ideal—are heading for destruction. We can stop it now.

The past year has been relentless in so many ways. But despite the challenges, there’s also a lot of good news out there to get you excited about the months ahead.

The CEO of Scout Campers shares his story

This is just the kickoff to a ten-year plan to protect more land, water, and wildlife

�����ԹϺ���’s ethics guru on what counts as nature

For centuries, dowsers have claimed the ability to find groundwater, precious metals, and other quarry using divining rods and an uncanny intuition. Is it the real deal or woo-woo? Dan Schwartz suspends disbelief to see for himself.

The 46th president made big promises to move the United States toward a carbon-free future. What he’s accomplished so far has been impressive, but can he keep up the momentum?

Here’s what some running brands are doing to help reduce their impact on the environment.

In Ours, a digital exhibition for the New Museum, artist Samuel Marion imagines a not too distant future in which outdoor brands use slick advertising to mask more sinister aims

How some race organizers are making changes to become more sustainable, and 3 ways you can make a difference.

Marine biologists aren’t impressed with Netflix’s hit documentary on ocean conservation. They recommended some other films on the subject for us.

Anticipating even bigger crowds this summer than last, public-lands officials have been grappling with how to manage the masses. For many, that’s meant introducing permit systems. But is limiting access the only solution?

Two new books, ‘Under the Sky We Make’ and ‘Overheated,’ lay out a plan to overcome our cynicism and anxiety and realize a sustainable, carbon-free future

In his new book, ‘The Nation of Plants,’ botanist Stefano Mancuso suggests that human democracies may have something to learn from the world’s trees and flowers

Kale Williams’s new book, ‘The Loneliest Polar Bear,’ offers readers an adorable polar bear cub—and a roving, clear-eyed exploration of climate change and how the bears captured the public imagination

Some brands offer portable tent systems that promise an authentic wood-fired sweat experience—at a fraction of the cost of permanent installs

Oranges for dental work, milk for English lessons—when COVID-19’s initial lockdown dried up tourism dollars and supply chains, the islands bartered their way through

The climate organization isn’t just about winter. Here’s why—and how—to make a difference.

Every single one of us is responsible for the wellbeing of the earth.

From cork floors to wool insulation, here’s what you need to build out an environmentally responsible rig

Parts of the state have been overrun by tourists for years. When COVID-19 hit, the islands got a much needed pause. Will it change the future of tourism there for good?

The shrub-steppe of central Washington’s Columbia Basin is a land of rich biodiversity, vibrant communities, and poignant beauty

With funding from the federal government, Zion and other parks are swapping in electric shuttle buses and adding charging stations for visitors’ electric vehicles, putting the park system on the cutting edge of green technology