America’s Best Backpacking and Outdoor Adventures
By Michael Lanza We all love the majesty of mountains. But the vividly colored, sometimes bizarre, occasionally incomprehensible geology of the Southwest canyon country enchant and inspire us in ways that words can only begin to describe. And while you will find very worthy dayhikes and even roadside eye candy in classic parks like Grand Canyon, Zion, and Canyonlands, you …
By Michael Lanza Some people might say my wife and I are bad parents. We’ve repeatedly and deliberately placed our kids—at young ages—in risky situations. And I’m not talking about letting them ride their bikes without wearing helmets or frequently taking them to McDonald’s. I’m talking about setting out with seven- and four-year-old kids to cross-country ski through a snowstorm …
By Michael Lanza Send four kids age 10 to 12 through a tight slot canyon where they have to pull themselves over short pour-offs, duck through natural arches, and twist and contort their bodies to squeeze between wildly curved walls that frequently narrow to just inches wide, and they hardly stop gushing about it. “Wow, this is so cool!” “That’s amazing!” “Awesome!” We heard a …
Read onVideo: Hiking Utah’s Slot Canyons Peek-A-Boo and Spooky Gulch
By Michael Lanza Do you wonder how some people come back from national parks and other outdoor trips with fantastic photos? Would you like to take the kind of pictures that make people ooh and aah? It may not be as complicated as you think. The following tips on outdoor and landscape photography, which I’ve learned from studying photography and …
Read on12 Simple Landscape Photography Tips For Better Outdoor Photos
The Big Outside creator and former Backpacker magazine Northwest Editor Michael Lanza’s picks for the best backcountry campsites in America.