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There’s such a thing as trail etiquette

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

The uppermost switchback on the Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park is eight feet wide. Yet the last…

Bright Angel Trail, NPS/Ty Karlovetz

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Too many tourists follow a leader

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

A spectacular picture recently appeared on social media of a young lady in Arizona. She was poised on the edge…

spencer backman, via unsplash

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Restoring the land can feel a lot like fun

By Richard Knight

Driving back to Colorado State University with a van full of students after a day of working to heal some…

Autumn at a cattle ranch in Colorado near Ridgway – County Road 12, Craig Zerbe Photo

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Backcountry heroes always try to bring us back

By Molly Absolon

When I was leading groups into the Wyoming wilderness in the 1990s, once we left a trailhead we were on…

The Tetons in Wyoming, a great place to get lost, photo by Mike

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Mountains don’t need hardware

By Dana Johnson

We humans want the most out of life, so why shouldn’t we push to get more of what we want?…

A female mountain climber pulling herself up a climb. Image credit steele2123 via Istock Photo

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Old bones can be a small town’s movie stars

By Adam Larson

The prehistoric past can perk up the present. When woolly mammoth bones were found in my hometown in Wisconsin years…

Allosaurus jimmadseni, courtesy NPS

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New Mexico court upholds public access

By Reed Benson

Every state in the West has some type of law declaring that its waters belong to the public. But what this…

The Los Alamos and Rio Grande in NM, courtesy of Jonah Saleh via Unsplash

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Hiking public lands shouldn’t require a ladder

By Ben Long
Lisa Mcintyre via Unsplash

Imagine you were part owner of a nice piece of rural land, maybe with a trout stream running through it….

Lisa Mcintyre via Unsplash

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Can we live with electric mountain bikes on trails? 

By Molly Absolon

The first time I saw an electric bike — better known as an e-bike — I was struggling up a…

Mountain biker Celeste Young takes a break along the Big Hole Crest Trail in Idaho. 2022 image. Photo courtesy Molly Absolon

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Never hike without this perfect accompaniment

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

I have long been known to have pet peeves about the debris hikers drop along trails, but one piece of…

Buster babes with a bandana collar

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How do you you-know-what in the woods

By Molly Absolon

Poop talk makes everybody fidget and giggle uncomfortably. We like our poop to disappear. We want shiny white porcelain toilets…

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Oh, Utah! When will you learn?

By Mike Kaplan

A new video released by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox argues the big, semi-annual trade show called Outdoor Retailer should come…

Delicate Arch Utah, image credit Solo Travel Goals, via Unsplash

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