Owen Clarke is a veteran outdoor sports journalist who has written for Outside since 2019. As Outside’s news reporter, he frequently covers public land management, search-and-rescue operations, and human-wildlife interactions, and he also has a decade of experience reporting on technical rock and ice climbing, high-altitude mountaineering, and adventure motorcycling.
Clarke is also a frequent contributor to Climbing, a contributing editor for Summit Journal, and the Africa and Brazil editor for the American Alpine Journal. He was formerly a contributing editor and columnist for Rock and Ice, and a regular contributor to the motorcycle magazine Iron & Air. His work has also appeared in Mountain Gazette, Imagine5, Travel + Leisure, Backpacker, SKI, and Trail Runner, among dozens of other outdoor, environmental, and adventure travel publications.
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A solo hiker’s death in New Hampshire’s White Mountains marks the eighth rescue operation in a single week. State officials are sounding the alarm: your spring trail gear is likely not enough for the summits.
As water levels at the Southwest’s favorite reservoir reach new lows, officials are warning of shifting channels and limited access. Before you head to Glen Canyon, here’s what you need to know about closures, submerged hazards, and expert safety tips for a successful trip.
Most people may have headed for the car. Instead, California photographer Erica Houck waited out the storm. Outside spoke with the photographer on how leaning into unpredictable wilderness conditions led to the unforgettable proposal photo.
A federal panel just gave the oil industry a free pass to bypass wildlife protections near ten National Park Service sites. Now, environmentalists are suing to stop them.
From beginner trails to near-hypothermic flash flood escapes, search and rescue teams in Utah’s Goblin Valley say they are exhausted.
Can you legally carry a firearm in national parks? While carrying on the trail is legal, a new lawsuit seeks to end the ban on guns in facilities like gift shops and visitor centers.
The mountaineer, REI visionary, and environmental advocate was the defining figure of 20th-century American climbing.
Burke has spent decades researching cancer. Now facing a stage IV diagnosis, she’s heading to Mount Everest to study her disease at extreme altitude, and to prove the adventure isn’t over.
We traveled to the front lines of Japan’s battle against the moon bear, which experts say is responsible for hundreds of attacks on humans and more than a dozen deaths.
The Trump administration is fast-tracking a plan to strip protections from Chaco Canyon, potentially opening more than 300,000 acres to oil and gas. Indigenous leaders call the seven-day comment window corrupt. Here’s what’s at stake and how to weigh in.
A record-breaking March has rangers on high alert. We spoke to a veteran guide about the deceptive terrain and "pointless ups and downs" that are catching hikers off guard.
Following a fatal 60-foot fall on the popular Alum Cave Trail, a veteran guide breaks down the extreme ecosystem and hiker behavior that make the nation’s most popular park deceptively deadly.
Rescuers used an Apple Crash Detection alert to find a fatal plane crash site in Northern California, leading to a several-week closure of a large wilderness area.
When leaked data revealed a plan to remove hundreds of historic signs, one outdoorsman created an interactive guide to archive them before they disappear forever.
With temperatures reaching triple digits before spring begins, officials are closing popular routes to prevent heatstroke.
Six separate rescues in just two days kept Nevada search-and-rescue teams busy. Here’s what the experts say went wrong—and what hikers often underestimate about this Mojave Desert landscape.
The National Park Service has released its latest visitation numbers. The country’s most popular national park drew more than twice as many visitors as the second most visited. In contrast, some parks welcomed only a few thousand visitors over the entire year.
Massive lava fountains at Hawaiʻi’s Kīlauea led officials to close portions of the park. Just a few months prior, another eruption sent debris and lava straight into an observation camera. Here's what the scene looked like from the ground.
Several of the Grand Canyon’s most popular trails remain closed after devastating wildfires tore through the park. Here’s what local guides say you can expect in 2026.
Washington skier Michael Harris was encased in avalanche debris he said felt like cement at Stevens Pass. He survived only after his wife noticed his GPS location had stopped moving.
Officials say someone chopped the blooms in Big Sur’s beloved Calla Lily Valley. Rangers are still searching for a motive, but some suspect the removal could be tied to overtourism.
After an unusually dry winter, the National Park Service says that it is preparing for lower-than-normal water levels at one of the country’s most popular summer hotspots.
Before he could walk, Aaron Benjamin’s parents put oars in his hands. He had rafted the Grand Canyon several times, and was defined by his friends as an experienced boater.
The infamous Grossglockner case went to trial on February 19, when a surprise witness took the stand.
Federal documents show that the Department of Homeland Security signed waivers for 28 environmental laws to expedite construction of a Smart Wall within one of America's wildest national parks.
Thousands of people flock to Yosemite National Park every year to witness the short-lived spectacle.
Following one of the deadliest summers on record, more than a dozen people have died in the Italian mountains this year. Rescuers are now issuing a warning to those hoping to visit Italy ahead of heavy snowfall.
Damon Petrie, 60, mysteriously vanished in December 2025 near southern Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. A hiker just found his body in the woods.
A backcountry skier in Colorado suffered an unusual—and potentially deadly—injury.
Florida’s MAHA-aligned report used EPA standards typical for soil—not food—prompting scientists to question whether its conclusions are meaningful or alarmist.
The alleged Yosemite jumper claims the video the NPS saw was generated by artificial intelligence
If you’re hoping to swap your office cubicle for a campfire this summer, we’ve got you covered.
Three dogs were rescued from a remote gully near Texas Canyon, a popular climbing area near Santa Clarita, California. Watch the now-viral video where responders describe their heartwarming rescue.
A new webcam captures the moment of truth as skiers attempt the 20-foot plunge into Corbet’s Couloir, a narrow ski line at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
Signs referencing slavery, climate change, and Native American history have been removed from at least 17 national park sites in six states.
Graffiti and other forms of vandalism at national park sites are federal crimes that carry penalties of up to $5,000 in fines and six months in jail.
As temperatures plunge and ice coats parts of the Southeastern United States, the National Park Service has closed visitor centers, caves, and scenic drives from Kentucky to Washington, D.C. Here is the full list of closures.
Social media treats the tree-popping phenomenon as a sign of the apocalypse, but Indigenous peoples have long used the sound of cracking timber to mark the passage of winter. Turns out, it takes a specific set of meteorological conditions to turn a pine tree into a percussion instrument.
The town of Page, Arizona, sold 500 acres of land near the Colorado River to a private developer. Some locals fear the facility will drain the region's already stressed water supply.
Running with a baby in a chest carrier can be dangerous. The stunt serves as a reminder that racing with a baby isn’t just a bad way to nab a course record—it’s also a serious safety hazard.
One spring in particular showed traces of several pharmaceuticals, including an antibiotic, an antifungal, an anticonvulsant, an antidepressant, and a diabetic drug. Such contaminants could pose a threat to the canyon’s already fragile ecosystem.
Rescuers battled high winds to reach the sole surviving climber, who spent several harrowing hours on a precarious, rocky ridgeline. After dark and out of options, one simple tool helped responders find her.
A half-mile-long slackline was hung across Telegraph Canyon, a recreational area located about 60 miles east of Phoenix in the Sonoran Desert.
The triathlete went missing while swimming off the coast of California during her weekly swim club meeting. Eyewitnesses report having seen shark splashes in the water shortly before her disappearance.
Several other eruptions have occurred in the past weeks, but all went unseen. Serendipitous timing, however, allowed scientists to record the December 20 ejection from Black Diamond Pool. The area violently exploded in 2024, destroying park infrastructure. It’s been erupting ever since.
At an age when most people are in retirement, the civil rights activist returned to work at 85 to serve as a park ranger in California. For the following 15 years, she continued in the service of public lands, giving historical talks and tours.
If passed, the Utah Republicans’ proposal would have rescinded legislation that protects and maintains the boundaries of national parks as federal lands. Yet Senator Mike Lee told Outside, “selling national parks was never on the table.”
Record rainfall, flooding, and landslides have collapsed major highways, triggered mass evacuations, and left national park gateway communities in Washington and Montana in a state of crisis. Here’s what we know.
As bear attacks hit record highs in Japan, one professional snowboarder filmed himself out-carving a charging black bear.
A 20-acre acquisition connects this desert national park to a nearby preserve, creating a vital wildlife corridor in the heart of the Sonoran Desert.
Cost of living in California near Yosemite National Park is notoriously high. Even so, federal officials are slashing wage rates for blue-collar workers, sparking outrage from the local union.
Utah officials have posted a $3,000 reward for information leading to the capture of a person who reportedly stole a 1,700-year-old skull from an ancient burial ground near the high-desert town of Kanab.
In the past, Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone National Park regularly shot water over 300 feet into the air. But the feature hasn’t erupted in the better part of a year, and scientists aren’t sure when it will again.
A private meeting of Utah officials highlights a growing rift over how to manage crowding at the state’s most popular national park sites
After 175 years of displacement, the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation has reacquired 900 acres south of Yosemite National Park
After thick clouds grounded a rescue helicopter, firefighters performed a risky, high-angle rescue to save a hapless hiker who had scrambled onto a rock fin.
An elderly woman who recently became stranded while mushroom hunting raises an important question: Are foragers, especially those seeking prized fungi, at a higher risk of getting lost than other outdoor enthusiasts?
A recent tragedy in Colorado wasn't an anomaly. From drowning in quarries to stumbling into open pits, hundreds have died in vacant mines across the United States since 2000.
Gabrielle Suver of Clermont, Florida faces a long recovery and an uncertain future in her sport after becoming the victim of a hit-and-run
The 47-year-old Utah woman was sentenced to one year of probation and a hefty payment of fines and restitution
Melting glaciers across the Alps continue to reveal historic artifacts, missing remnants, and even human remains
As the federal government reopens, a new survey shows that most Americans oppose the NPS staff cuts, removal of signs and placards inside parks, and the proposed $1 billion budget reduction to the NPS
Researchers believe that melting ice and snow shifted the true summit of the iconic peak from a frozen ridge to a pile of rocks. The mountain, they say, has also lost elevation.
The incident occurred at Grand Canyon West, a private tourist destination located on the Hualapai Reservation
Each bear sighting in Yellowstone National Park is about as valuable as the average movie ticket in the U.S. When accounting for all sightings, grizzly and black bears generate more than $16 million annually.
Barred owls are known to attack humans and outcompete other endangered owl species. Now, a controversial management strategy would involve culling more than 15,000 annually.
A helicopter attempting to evacuate tourists flipped over while trying to land near the world’s highest summit. Tropical cyclone Montha has brought heavy snowfall into the region, and officials have closed trekking routes around Everest and the surrounding peaks.
More than 30 vehicles were involved in mishaps after a snowstorm tore through the area. Now, park officials have reopened most of the roads that were closed for the last few days of the 2025 season before a full winter closure.
Recent allegations of phony summit images on the world’s highest peaks ignited a debate in the mountaineering community. We asked photography experts how to spot a hoax.
Officials said the hikers were “ill-prepared” for winter weather. New Hampshire is one of the few to levy fines on rescued hikers deemed to have entered the wilderness unprepared. Could they pay?
Arizona is among the states with the highest number of lightning deaths and injuries. Severe weather—including lightning, hail, and heavy rain—can occur unexpectedly and frequently at high elevations, particularly in the northern part of the state.
The endurance athlete’s ill-fated run up and down the Grand occurred on September 2, 2024. He shaved a sliver off the standard 13-mile route, taking an informal trail to circumvent a switchback on the descent. As a result of the cut, Fastest Known Time refused to recognize his record.
A single one-mile stretch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has seen an uptick in vehicles colliding with moose, nearly all of which have killed the animal. Now, experts warn there’s an even greater likelihood of car-moose collision as the days get shorter ahead of Daylight Saving Time.
Located on the peak’s North Face, the Hornbein has captivated mountaineers since Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld made its first ascent in 1963. Morrison’s party was only the sixth to ascend the route, and the first since 1991.
Grizzly attacks are most common in the spring, when sows are defending their cubs, and in the fall during hyperfagia, a period of extensive eating to prepare for winter. Although both hikers were hospitalized—one in critical condition—both are expected to recover.
Responders spent six hours rescuing the two, who were stuck on a sheer and rocky couloir deep in the Sierra Nevada
One donor compared visiting a national park with no rangers to visiting Disney World without Mickey Mouse
Although BASE jumping is not allowed in national parks, sources tell Outside the activity is not all that uncommon.
Ultrarunner Olivia Amber recently spent four days climbing California’s highest peaks to set the women’s speed record on a famed route
At an age when most individuals are bouncing grandkids on their knees—if their knees even function—Carlos Soria Fontán returns, time and time again, to the most inhospitable regions on Earth, to test himself