As the West warms, hunting for snow becomes part of the adventure.
Outdoor Rec Special Issue
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
What’s threatening the elusive wolverine?
As snowmobilers fight to preserve their pastime, scientists worry about the future of the species.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
Will we ever know rec’s true impact on wildlife?
Scientists race to quantify winter recreation’s impact on Canada lynx, but technology outpaces them.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
Deer dinner; tree dates; boulder dimensions
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
The wildness is in me, too
People were excluded from the wild, historically, and in today’s rapidly digitizing West.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
For skiers, there’s a contaminant underfoot
Premium wax is affecting alpine food webs.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
Is shed hunting ethical?
A Utah conservationist weighs the hobby’s popularity with its moral stakes.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
Overcoming winter’s alienation
I long felt shut out of the season. Snowshoeing changed that.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
The last shovel racers
After four decades, a ski resort drops a beloved tradition.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
When the love of skiing endangers wildlife
A world-renowned athlete stopped skiing in sensitive areas. Can she convince others to do the same?
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
The Park Service is selling out to telecom giants
With Trump’s blessing, cell towers are infiltrating protected public lands across the West.
Posted inMay 13, 2019: Atomic Tourists
Coyote diets; anaerobic digesters; poachers caught on camera
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inMay 13, 2019: Atomic Tourists
The roar of military jets triggers a crusade for quiet
As ‘Growlers’ shatter the calm of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, a push for quiet grows.
Posted inMay 13, 2019: Atomic Tourists
On the Road to 50: A grand beginning
It’s a dangerous and promising time. HCN seeks to tell the many stories of the West.
Posted inMay 13, 2019: Atomic Tourists
Photos: The power of climbing harnessed
Brown Girls Climbing addresses trauma and is increasing diversity at the crag.
Posted inMay 13, 2019: Atomic Tourists
A runner reimagines his place in a sprawling city
And creates new connections from the details.
Posted inMay 13, 2019: Atomic Tourists
Designing for access in outdoor spaces doesn’t mean paving pathways
A reckoning with assumptions about who wants to spend time in nature.
Posted inMay 13, 2019: Atomic Tourists
How recreation boosts the economy
From travelers to new residents, outdoor enthusiasts make an impact on the West’s bottom lines.
Posted inMay 13, 2019: Atomic Tourists
A road trip through New Mexico’s atomic past
As nuclear tourism booms in the Land of Enchantment, histories of violence are packaged, sold and consumed.
Posted inMay 13, 2019: Atomic Tourists
Bears Ears’ only visitor center isn’t run by the feds
With the monument facing stripped-down protections and sky rocketing visitation, a local nonprofit built its own guerrilla visitor center to educate the masses.