Mojave RattlerPalm Desert, California
For half a century, Desert magazine was gritty and provocative and full of love for American drylands
Frontera SurBaja California, Mexico
There is no better place for a desert road trip than Baja California, Mexico
A Vocabulary of Landscape
estuary
ES-choo-ehr-ee The tidal mouth of a river where freshwater meets saltwater — a zone of mixing, transition, and extraordinary biological productivity.
See Etymology + Related Words
The Mystery BikeNew Bedford, Massachusetts
A photo unearthed from the deep past hints at joyful common ground
The Kinder TrespassPeak District, England
How a mass uprising led to the creation of the UK's national parks and legalized the right to roam
Ben Warner Is Sparking SoCal Adventure CultureLaguna Beach, California
Co-Founder, Coast Film and Music Festival
Who Owns the Copyright When a Monkey Takes a Selfie?Sulawesi, Indonesia
In the world of people and courts, the idea that nature has legal standing can be one slippery banana peel
Enchantment, delight, and discovery. I won’t waste your time, ever.
Kelly Herbinson Is Saving the Desert and Its CrittersJoshua Tree, California
Executive Director, Mojave Desert Land Trust
Andy Davis Rides a Happy WaveClub Paradise
Artist · Encinitas, California
Archery at 1, Canoeing at 3, Cocktails at 5Elkhorn, Wisconsin
Wandawega harkens back to camps of yore, reminding that even grown-ups need a summer getaway
From the bookshelf
The Sparrow
Mary Doria Russell A radio telescope picks up singing from Alpha Centauri, and the Jesuits — who have been doing astronomy and first contact for four centuries — quietly fund and crew the first mission. Eight people go. One comes back, mutilated and…
Book · No. 0252
Dolomites Mountain BikingDolomite Mountains, Italy
The World’s Deepest Powder PhilosopherAlta, Utah
She skied so magically, they called Dolores LaChapelle the Witch of the Wasatch
Matthew RangelDinuba, California
Artist
Cassie AbelKetchum, Idaho
Founder, Wild Rye
The Abernathys Were the Original Free-Range KidsGuthrie, Oklahoma
John Fellows and the Land of Mountain FolkCrested Butte, Colorado
Artist
Surviving a Massive Earthquake and TsunamiPuerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica
A Vocabulary of Landscape
creosote
KREE-uh-soht Larrea tridentata — the dominant shrub of the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts, named for the sharp, resinous smell it releases after rain.
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Sammy’s KidsBlue Diamond, Nevada
Two gambling mountain bikers. One roulette wheel. All or nothing in Las Vegas
Julie Beeler Turns Mushrooms Into RainbowsTrout Lake, Washington
Artist, Mycophile, Educator
Cassidy Randall Climbs Back in TimeMissoula, Montana
Journalist
Highlighted RouteUtah Traverse
One man’s vision to cross Utah on dirt, through the middle of America’s most rugged desert treasures
Just Don’t Call It GlampingLong Beach, Washington
A wave of new lodging properties is catering to outdoor enthusiasts—newbies and hardcores alike
Love in the BorderlandsSonora, Mexico
Ruta del Jefe is more than a bike festival. It's an attempt to improve the world, one pedal stroke at a time.
Maybe It’s No Surprise Shackleton’s Ship Sank
From the bookshelf
Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel An actor dies onstage during King Lear in Toronto on the night a flu arrives that will kill almost everybody. Twenty years later the Traveling Symphony walks a circuit around the Great Lakes performing Shakespeare for the settlements that are…
Book · No. 0229
El Cap is Lost and Found for DirtbagsEl Capitan, Yosemite, California
Sometimes, gravity is the bringer of gifts
The Economics of VanlifeNorth Rim, Arizona
What's the cost of living the dream?
Vittorio Sella Was the First Great Mountain PhotographerBiella, Italy
The Mountains Are Calling and I Must Break Out of Prison to GoMount Kenya
During World War II, three POWs plotted an audacious escape to climb Mount Kenya
The Paper Airplane CollectorNew York, New York
When a Family Cabin Forms YouPine Grove Township, Pennsylvania
A Few Facts About PreikestolenLysefjorden, Norway
A Vocabulary of Landscape
suncups
SUHN-kups Bowl-shaped depressions that form on a snow surface through uneven melting caused by solar radiation. The cups deepen as dirty or darker patches absorb more heat.
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