California

Five questions with Amy Appelhans Gubser, the 55-year-old California woman who became the first person to swim from the San Francisco Bay to the Farallon Islands

Starting this fall, backpackers will have to pay a new fee to hike the popular Lost Coast Trail. For some, it will triple the cost.

The two backcountry climbers never reached the splitboards and skis they stashed to descend the California fourteener

From western landscapes to the Blue Ridge Parkway, our national park expert maps out five beautiful road trips—all doable in a week

From campgrounds that only accept bookings two weeks out to websites with immediate inventory, we’ve got solutions for late planners

Every great adventure needs a staging area. Here they are, from simple and affordable to dreamy and luxe, in unbelievable locations, with endless terrain to explore and a warm bed to return to at night.

The ski mountaineer left the door open to pursue the last four ski descents, but his timeline remains unclear

Ski to an old silver mine. Dive to a shipwreck. In these places, delving into the past is an adventure.

Tropical atolls, distant hikes and hot springs, and wild jungles and mountaintops lure adventurous travelers to these beautiful far flung spots

We asked our editors for the most romantic trips they’d ever taken. From fire towers to Southwest camping to mountaintop lodges, these incredible stays are the best way to spend Valentine’s—or any day.

This year, travel to one of the healthiest places on earth. We asked Blue Zones expert Dan Buettner for tips on visiting these five destinations, and ways to incorporate longevity habits into your own life.

Ditch the crowds as you hike, camp, and revel in the most stunning backcountry landscapes in the U.S. They don't call one circuit Wonderland for nothing.

After two recent court cases addressed whether incarcerated people deserve access to the outdoors, a man who served 22.5 years reflects on the importance of allowing human beings to breathe fresh air

In-N-Out Burger’s iconic palm trees are a reference to buried treasure, but they also make the restaurant a very unlikely climate change indicator

A community ski hill in Northern California is under fire after sharing plans to erect a 20-foot-tall statue of the Virgin Mary

CJ Albertson and Grace Kahura-Malang won the California International Marathon while dozens more fulfilled lifelong dreams to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in their last chance

The environment takes center stage at these beautifully located music and arts events across the country. Go, have a great time, and learn about our changing world and what you can do.

The outdoor recreation economy is outpacing domestic growth

I wanted to be a waterwoman. So I signed up for white bro ocean culture and erased a part of myself.

Record winter storms turned the Central Valley into a 300-mile long flood zone. We sent a writer and photographer to check out conditions that hadn’t been seen in 40 years.

With charging stations increasing and battery life improving all the time, the Great American Road Trip is more EV-friendly than ever. These are the most beautiful trips.

The Southern Sierra’s record snowpack may have contributed to a deadly accident on 14,505-foot Mount Whitney this month.

Beautiful weather for outdoor fun, fall colors galore, and festive seasonal activities—what more could you ask for?

Nick’s Cove is the North Bay’s most charming home base for exploring Point Reyes and cycling or cruising Highway One in search of adventure. Not to mention fresh oysters, house cocktails crafted with local ingredients, and an enchanting boat shack to enjoy them.

From where the Donner Party was stranded in California's High Sierra to the remnants of the great Chacoan civilization in New Mexico, you can relive history on these incredible trails

Our national forests are brilliant, underappreciated, and uncrowded compared to most national parks. Here’s the intel on where to hike in these stunning landscapes.

The York Fire has swept across thousands of acres of the Mojave Desert, torching Joshua trees and other delicate desert vegetation

The 2022–23 ski season was recently extended until August 6

The boat people volunteers who shuttle runners across the American River at mile 78 on the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run have seen it all

Walk among deep river gorges, glacial mountains, alpine lakes, and vast deserts, all on beautiful under-the-radar public lands

It was so hot that rescue helicopters couldn’t take off

The death is the third snow-related fatality that local search and rescue has responded to over the past three weeks

Some of the wildest, best beaches in the country can be found in our national parks system. These are the most spectacular.

This body-positive runner is partnering with Rising Hearts and GU Energy Labs to bring her self-belief to ultrarunning’s biggest stage: the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run

Investigators say Edward Frederick Wackerman intentionally started the 2022 Oak Fire. The blaze burned more than 100 homes just outside the national park.

After 50 years, America’s most cherished 100-mile footrace might be showcasing the deepest field ever

Adventures in national parks don’t end at sundown. We’ve found the best ways to explore after dark, from seeing the Northern Lights to Yooperlite hunting.

There’s learning, connecting with self and others, and did we mention dance parties?

As you’re visiting national parks this summer, don’t miss out on these spectacular outlooks, mountain summits, and lake vistas. We’ve got the intel on how to reach them all.

Why be stuck behind the masses at popular parks when you can wander some of the nation’s best with barely a soul in sight?

Opposites may attract, but they don’t always see eye to eye when it comes to traveling together. Our travel columnist has tips on how to meet in the middle—and where to go that will make you both happy.

High snowpack may lead to issues throughout May and June

It’s not just skiers who are enjoying a banner year. Thanks to all the snow, 2023 promises to be one of the best rafting seasons ever. Check out these five great trips.

California’s wild storms and wet weather have resulted in dazzling displays of wildflowers, some peaking and others ready to pop. Here’s how to see one before it’s too late.

These state parks offer everything you’re looking for in a national park, only fewer crowds. See our top choices for wildlife, wilderness, solitude, and more.

Bishop recently suffered catastrophic flooding, and officials are asking visitors not to travel to popular crags

Over a dozen ski areas have extended their seasons by at least a week, some up a month or more. It’s not too late to plan one last adventure.

Why do we keep skiing, despite the crowds, the cost, and the unpredictable conditions? Spend an entire day on a chairlift and you’ll find out.

Lake Elsinore has already closed access to one of the most popular areas for checking out the wildflowers

The man plunged into a residential neighborhood in Oceanside, California, on Friday, and escaped with non-life-threatening injuries

Why people keep running into trouble on the highest peak in Los Angeles County

Massive swells are flooding coastal communities and demolishing coastal structures in Northern California, and making for good surfing further south.

Forty years ago, Belkin founder Chet Pipkin changed the computer industry by making the cables that made machines work together. Now, with the Desolation Hotel in South Lake Tahoe, he wants to change how we vacation in the woods.

Stio will open retail stores in Boston, Lake Tahoe, and Bozeman in 2023

New changes to the Palisades Tahoe trail map better reflect the difficulty of the terrain

From crabbing and surfing the iconic coast to hiking and biking the redwood-covered hills, the San Francisco Bay Area enclave of Marin County is an awesome destination for recreationists and foodies year-round. Here’s how to do it right.

From tropical beaches to wildlife-watching outposts, we’ve rounded up the perfect campsites to escape the cold-weather blues

The elite marathoner ran 5:07 mile pace for over 31 miles to reclaim a record he'd already set 

Why endure the traffic headed inland to major mountain getaways when you can hop a breezy ferry to the Channel Islands, passing dolphins en route, and spend time kayaking into sea caves, hiking quiet hills, and birding, with nary an auto in sight?

The festival circuit doesn't stop at the end of summer. Here are eight awesome adventure, culture, and food festivals worth traveling for.

This central California park is one of the hottest, driest, and lowest places in the country. It's also one of the most beautiful—a place where sculptural canyons, undulating sand dunes, abundant wildlife, and a luminous sky abound.

Now is the time to wander among the world’s largest trees. Wildfires in central California for the past few years have decimated their numbers, so seeing these thousand-year-old natural wonders up close is, today more than ever, a privilege.

Jordan Peele's latest film explores how Hollywood has tokenized non-white people and commodified landscapes and wildlife, nowhere more than in westerns. Can the genre reclaim those marginalized stories and all their complexity?

Those iconic bulbous boulders, lucid skies, and namesake trees are mere backdrops to a Californian desert playground filled with jaw-dropping vistas, dynamic hiking trails, and that famous grippy rock. Here’s everything you need to know to explore it.

Tim Neville has been around the world and back again, and as good travelers do, he’s made sure to try the local cuisine at every stop. So we asked him to write about his favorite meals—and how you can try them, too.

For his new PBS show, ‘America Outdoors,’ comedian and activist Baratunde Thurston connects us to our natural environments through the most interesting of creatures: humans.

Once thought to be basically immortal, giant sequoias are dying in droves as fires burn bigger, hotter, and longer than at any other point in human history. Protecting them is possible, but managing western woods is a Pandora’s box of tough choices.

An unidentified hiker went missing in California while retracing the footsteps of Jonathan Gerrish and Ellen Chung, who died with their one-year-old daughter of heat exposure and dehydration in 2021

If successful, the California location would join REI Manhattan as the co-op’s only two unionized stores

Last weekend, 500 people headed to Huntington Beach, California, to participate in what is believed to be the largest-ever gathering of Black surfers

Waves swept two hikers out to sea on the Northern California coast last week

Surf companies have been ignoring compelling research that could make wetsuits warmer and easier to paddle in. Two scientists are making sure someone listens.

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.

The film will premiere for general audiences this spring, marking the 40th anniversary of the tragedy

LA Saves Track wants to give the oldest high school in the city a facility it can be proud of

In a year when record numbers of Americans were changing jobs, these companies attracted top talent with benefits like paid sabbaticals, all-inclusive ski trips, and free health care