Columns

Celebrate the nation’s anniversary by speaking up for public land

As we mark our nation’s 250th anniversary, it’s worth celebrating what we the people have in common. What we literally…

Idaho, hiking in the Selkirk Mountains photo by David Gluns

When hiking is touted as a piece of cake

Overconfidence can ruin a good hike. When I surf through outdoor sites on social media, here’s the essence of what…

The Antiquities Act has served Utah and the nation well for 120 years

This June, the Antiquities Act turns 120 years old. Since Teddy Roosevelt signed the law on June 8, 1906, nearly…

Orderville Canyon, Zion National Park, Utah, Stephen Trimble photo

Congress is gunning for a national monument in Utah

In backcountry first aid, the rapid assessment of someone injured was for years summed up by the ABCs: check the…

Interior Secretary ramps up assault on public land

For the second consecutive year, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has proposed a budget that attempts to undermine the agencies that…

A young child waits to get through the line at Arches National Park, photo Dave Marston

What happens to our parks when rangers  disappear?  

For over a month, the longest government shutdown in American history has left our national parks in free fall. When…

Tourists at North Window Arch, Arches National Park, Nov. 25, 2024.

Grumpy talk on the trail

I suppose it’s the human thing on a hiking trail to acknowledge one another when passing. But on a well-used…

An ugly tower threatens Bears Ears National Monument

My Navajo homeland is the great expanse of land between four sacred mountains in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah….

Culture wars and an embattled Utah monument

Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument rarely leaves the news. The political tussle over this stunning expanse of red rock canyons…

Rainbow over Cheesebox Butte- Highway 95, photo by Stephen Trimble

When giants fall, we need to listen

“God has cared for these trees …but he cannot save them from fools.”— John Muir In just two years, wildfire…

Bison — back where they belong

Early in the Covid-19 epidemic, I visited the Bison Range on the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana. But the…

Bison by the Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park

A do-it-yourself, homegrown national park

National parks have been getting a lot of love since the pandemic, so much that this summer you need reservations…