News

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.

Eric Bedient was sentenced to five days in jail after leaving a trail of footprints across the fragile crust of Mammoth Hot Springs—a move prosecutors say could have turned him into "thermal soup."

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 Scottish pioneer, who won eight Emmys for his work alongside David Attenborough, suffered a brain hemorrhage while on a trek to Annapurna Base Camp.

The mountaineer, REI visionary, and environmental advocate was the defining figure of 20th-century American climbing.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the designation of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni, protecting nearly one million acres of sacred Indigenous land and critical wildlife habitat from extractive industries.

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.

When a 3,000-pound marine mammal capsized his kayak in Svalbard, 74-year-old Ralph Spitzen had to rely on a decades-old survival skill to stay alive.

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.

As the Department of the Interior pushes employees into "visitor-facing" roles and proposes to slash $736 million from the National Park Service budget, critics warn that the scientists and stewards who keep our parks alive are once again being purged.

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.

During the deadly yellow fever outbreak of 1873, a hurricane forced soldiers to bury one of their own inside the walls of Fort Jefferson. After a century of searching, archeologists finally know where.

After her owner fell down a massive cliff in New Zealand’s rugged backcountry, four-year-old Molly spent 14 days alone in the bush. This is the story of the community-funded mission that brought her home.

Learn about the National Parks Access Pass for people with permanent disabilities, including how chronic conditions like diabetes qualify for a lifetime pass.

The agency just opened applications for seasonal roles across six iconic parks. Here is everything you need to know to get your application in before the deadline.

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.

German highliner Friedi Kühne broke the world record for the highest highline when he walked between two hot air balloons thousands of feet in the air. How fear, flow, and ambition drive his desire for extreme adventure in his new book, Above the Abyss: Finding Strength, Stillness, and Survival on the Slackline.

'The Valley of Shadows,' a new eight-part podcast, examines the 1998 disappearance of former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy John Aujay, who vanished during a training run in the Devil’s Punchbowl—an unsolved mystery that endures to this day.

The Bureau of Land Management is pursuing a plan to allow drilling and fracking on public land across California, including those neighboring prominent national parks and monuments.

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.

In the heart of Glacier National Park, a young diver’s pursuit of adventure ended in a heartbreaking tragedy that shocked all who knew her. The life and death of an 18-year-old Montana woman is now portrayed in a new documentary, ‘How to Kill a Mermaid: The Linnea Mills Story.’

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.

Despite a government shutdown and reports of chaos, one California national park saw more than 4.2 million visitors last year.

With Outside's new text-to-speech audio feature, our top adventure stories are much easier to listen to on the go. Hear your favorite Outside classics, daring rescue stories, and breaking news while you get outside—where we all know you would prefer to be anyway.

For the first time in months, many Americans woke up ahead of the weekend to an absolute dumping of snow. Outside spoke with two meteorologists to find out who is going to get the most snow where.

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.

After carving names into Michigan's iconic cliffs and taking 100 pounds of rocks, a group of visitors are now banished from the sandstone lakeshore for a year.

After a life-altering accident changed everything, Katie Verderber defied the odds to reach the Paralympics in record time. Her journey reveals the surprising reality of recovery and the resilience of the human spirit.

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.

A newly published database includes hundreds of plaques, signs and pamphlets the National Park Service has flagged for review. Topics, including indigenous histories and pollution, now face potential removal.

A group of Texas border sheriffs wrote a letter of opposition in response to a proposed wall through Big Bend National Park. Big Bend represents just one portion of the nearly 2,000-mile wall slated to extend across the U.S.-Mexico border.

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.

More than a dozen Democratic senators are demanding answers from the Department of the Interior about the removal of signs across national parks—displays that addressed topics including slavery, Native American history, and climate change.

In addition to quicksand, officials report that harmful algal blooms have also been found in multiple waterways at concentrations at the high end of safe exposure levels.

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.

The eruptions began in early February. It’s unknown whether the eruptions will continue into the busy summer tourism season, but it’s a reminder that Yellowstone is an ever-changing, dynamic landscape.

The Grand Canyon is bookended by two dams on the Colorado River, the Glen Canyon Dam upstream and the Hoover Dam downstream. A new set of rules will determine how much water will flow between the two—and through Grand Canyon.

The climber, whose name has not been released, suffered severe head and back injuries. Their helmet was destroyed in the fall—but officials say it likely saved the victim’s life.

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.

The National Fire is estimated at more than 30,000 acres and is zero percent contained as of February 27. Extreme drought in the region is contributing to the wildfire’s rapid spread.

While plowing through waist-deep powder in California, two skiers came across a third buried below the surface. Their quick thinking likely saved the man’s life.

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.

Gabriel Vaughn is what the river community would call a stout boater. He’s traveled intense sections of turbulent, dropped waterfalls, rafted whitewater all around the world, and guided countless customers down some of America’s most challenging commercially run rivers. Then, one day he disappeared.

A new clip shows three bears—what look to be a sow and two cubs—running across a powdery groomer. Skiers strapped to boards and skis stopped uphill and across from the trio, taking in the unusual sight.

In March 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to review how American history is portrayed at National Park Service sites. Here is the most comprehensive list yet of the signs that have been taken down or flagged for removal since.

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.

Two weeks before social media influencer Gabby Petito disappeared, she was involved in an encounter with local police—a harrowing scene now etched in the minds of millions of people who have seen the body cam footage of the traffic stop in Moab, Utah. An excerpt from the new book 'Murder on the Trail' breaks it down.

A backcountry skier in Colorado suffered an unusual—and potentially deadly—injury.

Officials say more than 243 million gallons of sewage have flowed into the river since the pipe ruptured on January 19. Environmental tests have shown that significantly elevated levels of E. coli have also been detected in the area.

Florida’s MAHA-aligned report used EPA standards typical for soil—not food—prompting scientists to question whether its conclusions are meaningful or alarmist.

Inspired by their shared love for the Mark Twain novel “Huckleberry Finn” and the desire for a great American adventure, a couple just finished their five-month canoe journey. It took them thousands of miles from Montana to Louisiana.

If you’re hoping to swap your office cubicle for a campfire this summer, we’ve got you covered.

Water issues across national parks have been wreaking havoc on visitor experiences, and continue to shut down facilities at some of the United States’ most coveted public lands.

Sam Forstag has spent years as a smokejumper, soaring out of low-altitude planes, fighting wildfires across the entire West Coast. Now, he’s taking on Ryan Zinke in a bid for the Republican’s congressional seat.

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.

BASE jumpers Boris Egorov, Vladimir Murzaev, and Konstantin Yaemurd take us inside their daring and historic leap from the summit of Fitz Roy.

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.

In a statement posted online, the decorated alpine skier said that her Olympic dream "is not over."

Following the murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good and a surge of federal agents, runners in the North Star State are finding solace in community.

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.

Winter climbing in Mount Rainier National Park is technical and, when paired with extreme weather conditions, can turn deadly in an instant.

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.

Mariah Reading was a national park ranger whose job was cut during the mass layoffs of 2025. Now, she’s fighting to save public lands one piece of trash at a time.

A new early-access process allows people willing to pay an additional fee to apply for permits ten days earlier than usual. Here is everything you need to know about booking your Havasupai Falls 2026 reservation

Cops arrested the man after he made a “credible threat” of an act of mass violence in a popular Colorado ski town

Wildflower sprouts have already been spotted in some parts of Southern California’s desert park. Here’s the forecast—and the best places to spot this year’s rare superbloom.

In the days leading up to an avalanche in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado experienced just a small amount of snow. What went wrong? One expert told us it was a combination of factors that led to the slide.

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.

A recent video shows two hikers stranded on a perilous, extremely steep cliffside in Northern California. It joins a growing list of similar clips depicting people being rescued in the outdoors. Here’s why I can’t stop watching them.