Long Reads

Long reads are Outside's long-form articles our readers know and love. These features showcase our strongest writers, most ambitious reporting, and award-winning storytelling about the outdoors.

Latest Stories

Environment

This Jersey Shore Beach Town Had a Seagull Problem. The Solution Involves Hungry Killer Birds.

Until recently, you couldn't eat a slice of pizza along the Jersey Shore without fighting off a cloud of aggressive seagulls. Enter a collection of trained predatory birds that scares off—and yeah, sometimes kills and eats—the winged pirates.

Andrew ZaleskiAugust 17, 2026

Africa

New, Solar-Powered Safari EVs Are Getting Us Closer Than Ever to Wildlife

Solar-powered electric vehicles are making wildlife encounters quieter and more sustainable. The technology could soon reshape safaris and wildlife tourism far beyond Africa.

Greg PrestoAugust 14, 2026

Hiking

I Hiked the Appalachian Trail with a Couple Weeks Before They Were Murdered

Decades after crossing paths with a young couple weeks before they were murdered, journalist Earl Swift returns to the trail to confront the thin, and sometimes random, line between survival and tragedy.

Earl SwiftAugust 11, 2026

Exploration & Survival

What Really Happened on Broad Peak, the Deadliest High-Alpine Tragedy in More than a Decade

Ten climbers set out to summit the notorious Broad Peak during a narrow weather window. None of them made it back alive. This is what really happened during the expedition and the harrowing body recovery mission that followed.

Ben AyersAugust 7, 2026

Hiking

I Spent 24 Straight Hours at an Ultramarathon. Here’s Why Runners Go Long.

100-Mile trail races booming in popularity, and every other person we know seems to be training for an ultra. Our writer—who is not a runner—wanted to understand why. So, he stayed up all night at California’s Western States Endurance Run interviewing athletes, race crew, and fans. Here’s what he learned.

Roman StubbsAugust 5, 2026

Water Sports

Noodling for Catfish Is Now a Tourist Activity. We Blame TikTok.

Once outlawed, hand-fishing for giant catfish in the Southeastern U.S. has never been more popular, thanks to viral videos on social media. We booked a tour with a noodling guide to see if the tug is really like a drug.

Aidan McCahillJuly 22, 2026

Exploration & Survival

This Veteran’s Cure for Soldiers with PTSD: Go Build an Earthship in the Desert

Ryan Timmermans, an Army veteran who did multiple tours in Afghanistan, invites former soldiers to live away from running water and the power grid in a self-sufficient community in Northern New Mexico. Timmermans believes the simple lifestyle is more therapeutic than anything the government can provide.

Nick AspinwallJuly 17, 2026

North America

This State Will Pay You $12,000 to Move There—and the Mountain Biking Is World-Class

As housing costs spike nationwide, West Virginia is investing millions in trail networks and outdoor infrastructure, turning public lands, navigable rivers, and miles of singletrack into year-round tourism engines and an outdoor rec oasis for its residents.

Eric J. WallaceJuly 7, 2026

Wellness

Hot Pools, Waterslides, and Cocktails: Inside Therme’s Plan to Bring Supersized Health Spas to the USA

Therme Group, Europe’s wellness behemoth, is planning to open stadium-sized health spas across the USA. Are Americans ready for Roman baths? We traveled to Bucharest to find out.

Bill GiffordJuly 1, 2026

Training & Performance

What Can Athletes Learn From Courtney Dauwalter's Winning Streak? Joy Is More Powerful than Results.

What do the world’s best endurance athletes have in common? In his latest book, ‘The Way of Excellence,’ author Brad Stulberg explores the importance of positive emotions on training and racing.

Brad StulbergJune 23, 2026

Water Sports

Low Water, No Problem. We Took a Packraft Down One of the Most Remote (and Stunning) Rivers in the West.

The Lower Owyhee River in eastern Oregon is remote, tough to access, and impossibly beautiful. Writer Owen Clarke recently tagged along on an packrafting trip down the river during its dry season.

Owen ClarkeJune 17, 2026

Essays

The Enhanced Games Promised a Drug-Fueled Athletic Revolution. Then Things Got Messy.

Backed by tech billionaires, flooded with performance-enhancing drugs, and designed to smash records, the "Doping Olympics" finally arrived in Las Vegas. But the reality of sports without hypocrisy was a lot messier than advertised.

Joshua David SteinJune 10, 2026

Environment

Colorado’s Wolf Reintroduction Hasn’t Gone to Plan. Are the New Midnight Cowboys Its Last Hope?

In the name of wolf conservation, Colorado is reviving the cowboy way of life—starting with a team of 15 range riders. Not everyone’s happy to see them.

Corey BuhayJune 4, 2026

Essays

A Century Before Lewis and Clark, an Indigenous Explorer Traversed the Continent. I Spent a Year Studying His Adventure.

After a devastating personal loss, I spent a year tracking the clues of a 300-year-old mystery to show how a nearly forgotten Indigenous explorer reached the Pacific a century before Lewis and Clark.

Mike BezemekJune 3, 2026

Environment

The Fierce Battle Over the True Height of Mount Rainier

Eric Gilbertson has a very particular set of skills. He climbs mountains all over the world, attempting to measure them more accurately than anyone ever has. But when he discovered that Mount Rainier was shorter than advertised, no one wanted to hear it.

Peter Frick-WrightMay 19, 2026

Essays

On the Camino de Santiago, José Andrés Recovers from the Weight of the World

One of the world’s most famous humanitarians has spent decades feeding millions in the wake of disaster via World Central Kitchen. Now, on an ancient pilgrimage across Spain’s Camino de Santiago, he is learning how to carry the weight of the universe one step at a time.

Kevin SintumuangMay 18, 2026

Hiking

She’s Funding Her 2,600-Mile PCT Hike with OnlyFans. Traditionalists Are Skeptical. She Couldn’t Care Less.

Kamryn Renae's Instagram account exploded after she began posting flirty videos from the PCT, clad in pink booty shorts and matching nail polish. She knows what she is doing.

Grayson Haver CurrinMay 13, 2026

Environment

Two Texas Flood Victims Still Haven’t Been Found. These People Won’t Stop Looking.

Recovery teams descended on Texas' Guadalupe River in the wake of the 2025 floods. Their task was to locate the remains of the dead, to provide solace for the living. Almost a year later, some are still missing.

Ian DilleMay 11, 2026

Wellness

I Spent a Week in the Jungle to Find Out Why Women Are Paying Thousands to Talk About Hormones

Could a week in the jungle rewrite the rules of menopause?

Christine YuApril 27, 2026

Everest

Want to Climb the World’s Highest Peak? Mount Everest Training Is Anything But Easy.

How do climbers train their bodies to reach the summit of Everest? There’s lots of jogging, a few laps on a homemade ladder bridge, and maybe even a frigid climb in the middle of the night, for starters. These days, Everest coaches and training plans prepare a climber’s legs, lungs, and self-confidence for the rigors of the peak.

Frederick DreierApril 14, 2026