Outdoor Destinations
The National Outdoors Destinations page is the starting point for finding information about your favorite outdoor locations throughout the country. At first, this page will seem deceptively simple, but check out the search box above and you will quickly see how many regional outdoor destinations are listed.
Each state has a listing, with the National Parks, National Monuments, Ski Resorts, and primary Outdoor Recreation Areas all listed as well. We have tried to cover as much as we can, with anything we missed classified as "other" under the outdoor recreation area category for each state.
The process of filling in the details for each of these places is time-consuming, and in many cases we have not had a chance to provide useful information yet. Our intention is not to regurgitate the same information that is available on government sites or other regional websites, but instead to provide as much unique local insight as possible.
We will continue to work at it, but the truth is that we know there are other outdoor enthusiasts with more knowledge about each of these local spots than we can come up with. Our goal is to recruit as many members as we can to share their local knowledge about their favorite outdoor destinations with all the readers here at National Outdoors, and in the process help these members promote their our expertise. Please let us know if you want to help or simply just join now and start adding your own content.
Destinations Recently Added
Katmai Air -- Flightseeing Katmai National Park
Katmai Air offers flightseeing tours within Katmai National Park and the surrounding area. The daily tour from Brooks Camp is a one hour excursion where visitors have the opportunity for an aerial view of the "Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes", active volcanoes, Katmai Crater Lake and a variety of wildlife.
The Death March -- Epic Grand Canyon Hike -- Rim to Rim to Rim
The drive out of Flagstaff was cloudy and cool. Unseasonably cool for Memorial Day weekend at the end of May. "Snow at the higher elevations, [of the San Francisco Mountains] up to a foot I hear" said the barista at the coffee shop. As we drove toward the canyon, Sam brought up the Death March, a hike he had dreamed of doing since moving to the southwestern desert 7 years ago. It involved hiking from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, to the North Rim, and back in 24 hours. 44 miles, 20,000 feet of elevation change, 24 hours. Sure, it has been done, but the question was could WE do it.
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Introduction
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument protects one of the longest and most continuous records of evolutionary change in North America. Scientists have unearthed countless fossils of land plants and animals dating back 6 to 54 million years as well as evidence of the dramatic climatic changes that have occurred.
Oregon Caves National Monument Introduction
Oregon Caves National Monument offers opportunities to explore a marble cave, as well as hike trails through ancient forests. Oregon Caves is located in Southern Oregon, near the California State border, in the Siskiyou Mountains. This region has among the country’s highest biodiversities per acre. The high rate of biodiversity is due to the diverse temperatures, moisture regimes, climates, and bedrock that make up the various habitats in the area.
Wild Alaska--Tundra
These are pictures of the Alaskan Tundra. To the right, you can see a distant view of a dormant volcano.
Here's a description of the pictures below:
1. Ariel View -- Notice all the water.
2. Standard View -- Alder bushes are prevalent.
3. Close-up View -- The upper 6 to 12 inches of the tundra soil are frozen in this picture. Notice the alder roots grow along the surface of the solid. The tundra thaws slowly between May and July.
4. Fireweed -- This blooms in late July and early September on the tundra. Alaskans consider the Fireweed bloom to signal the end of summer.
Crater Lake National Park Introduction
Crater Lake National Park covers an area of 249 square miles primarily focused on Crater Lake itself. Crater Lake is not a meteor crater, but rather is a volcanic caldera – a hole made by the collapse of a volcano. Volcanic eruptions built up a 10,000 – 12,0000 foot mountain now called Mt. Mazama until seven thousand seven hundred years ago, when the volcano exploded in a cataclysmic eruption. During this eruption, so much material was evacuated from the internal magma chamber that the remaining mountain collapsed and the caldera that we now see today half filled with water.
