Navigation
The latest
Archive
Plan your next adventure on one of the nation’s most resplendent waterways with the help of Gaia GPS
Sometimes paying for camping is necessary, but Gaia Topo helps you find free alternatives that you won’t find with Google
We’ve all felt that panic when you wander off trail and can’t find your way back. Gaia GPS solves this problem.
Acadia National Park in Maine boasts 150 miles of trails on its official maps, but that’s only a part of what once existed. Matthew Sherrill tagged along with a couple of local history obsessives to explore some of the dozens of unmarked paths that lead to what were once major attractions—places some want to stay a secret.
Reconciling the maps we made in the 18th century with modern reality is nearly impossible. But their lines, drawn long ago, are still legally binding.
A bevy of mapping apps exist to track and plan trips for different outdoor activities. Here’s the best one for running, cycling, hiking, backpacking, climbing, and skiing.
All the essentials for crushing long days on the trail
A new Snow Mode makes finding trails and parking lots easy, and the app helps you avoid avalanches, too
How does it compare against the competition? A guide finds out.
Follow these steps to spend less time stressing over the details and more time on the trail
But the developers know that could present an overcrowding problem
Here's how to use Gaia GPS to save your route so you never get lost again
A checklist of essential skills, concepts, and definitions
Your mindset is your most important tool in the backcountry
How to build a system of equipment that will offer direction in wild landscapes
When things go wrong on a ski tour, this is what you should have in your pack
What types to bring, where to find them, and how to make your own
The story of how three crewmen lived more than a week in the middle of the Pacific in a wrecked sailboat with almost nothing
These items will keep you safe and having fun in the Valley
The gear and the skills you need to get home safely
When it comes to navigation, nothing beats the reliability of an old-school paper map and a compass
The easiest way to get found is to tell somebody responsible where you're going and when you'll be back.
Making your own custom map will change how you adventure.
From troubleshooting an active engine light to naming that mountain in the distance, download these tools for a fun, stress-free road trip
Five casual timepieces that offer a pop of color and don’t mind a swim
OnX Offroad opens up 985 million acres of public land with off-grid navigation
With a new line of premium watches, Garmin aims upmarket
A solid budget-minded option, so long as you can tolerate the infuriating keyboard
Thousands of people flock to the Alps each year to ski tour high-elevation routes, spending comfortable nights in a string of huts that serve wine and hot meals. In the spring of 2018, a group of experienced skiers and their guide were trapped in a storm overnight on an exposed saddle. By morning, nearly all were dead or dying.
Want to serve the tastiest meat ever at your next dinner party? This is the (significant) investment it will take to make that happen.
Our world is more digital everyday, but humans are analog creatures
After nearly 40 years of attempts by multiple people—and at least one mysterious disappearance—Scott Donaldson became the first person to paddle alone across the 1,400-mile stretch of ocean
Once again, our gear editors head to the industry's largest trade show to scope out the latest, greatest outdoor tools and toys
As wildfires get worse, these powerful new tools will help keep you safe
Digital tools to help you get into (and out of) the backcountry
The new app may be the most ambitious adventure tech to hit the market since sat phones
The family of three watches gets even fancier navigation features, and the 5X Plus gets a pulse oximeter
With the X, the company refreshes its flagship device
How does the new Mini compare to other satellite messengers—and is it the right backcountry communications device for you?
An energized group of explorers are bringing the spirit of wilderness through hiking to American cities. Record-breaking distance trekker Liz Thomas and others are altering how we see urban spaces and inviting folks new to the outdoors along for the fun.
Don't bet on it. A recent media frenzy that linked the missing aviator to bones recovered long ago on the Pacific island of Nikumaroro missed a crucial point. She probably wasn't anywhere near the place.
The feature-loaded, do-it-all smartwatches that give elites a competitive edge
Forget expensive new gear. Here’s how to have more fun—for zero dollars.
Eight packable products that make workouts on the road as easy as room service
Because the map application on your phone cannot give you the big picture
Tricks for renting cars with surf racks, finding the best singletrack, and buying from the locals' bike shop
In 1905, Mina Hubbard completed the expedition that had killed her husband—and beat the pants off his swaggering rival
Or, the greatest oversimplified explanation of how to navigate ever written
Are you still mapping like it's 1999?
American tourist Noel Santillan became an unlikely folk hero in Iceland after he entered a typo into his GPS and drove hundreds of miles out of his way. How can anyone wander so far off the mark? A growing body of research suggests that our reliance on navigational technology might be altering our brains in ways we’re only beginning to understand.
Magnetoreception could be a latent human sense, silent for millennia but accessible with training. Is it worth developing—or even possible?
Inspired by an ancestral ill-fated journey, a writer travels the world to understand how humans find their way through the unknown
Turns out the navigation devices routinely overestimate distance traveled. Why that quirk hasn't—and won't—affect cyclists.
Last week, Google announced it will make its maps available offline. We tested the new feature in New York and South Africa—and found the service works brilliantly.
We want one of these on our wall. Stat.
The Wikipedia (and Google Street View) of the outdoors will change your life
Where to camp, how to navigate—and how not to get stuck
Think of these as your most dependable travel buddies, coming to the rescue at a moment's notice.
A flashlight, a fitness tracker, a GPS...the list goes on.
19 essentials designed to keep you alive
The pro traveler needs cutting-edge survival gear as he explorers the farthest reaches of the planet. And his favorite place to play might surprise you. (Hint: It’s in the Midwest.)
In October, 12 women will compete in one of the world's oldest male-dominated sports. The race? A 38,000-mile monster through pirate-infested waters and rough seas.
Playing safely in the mountains requires an intimate knowledge of terrain and an understanding of how a host of variables—including sun, wind, and temperature—affect the snowpack.
The key to digging your friends out alive is how fast you are with these three essential avalanche safety tools.
On the 100th anniversary of Ernest Shackleton's legendary expedition, a writer retraces the explorer's steps to one of the cruelest, most gorgeous wildernesses on earth.
We can boat the same backyard river with our family a dozen or more times, and it will never get old—because rivers, like our children, are constantly changing.
Two years ago, Filipe Leite turned his ponies south on a journey from Canada to Brazil. Ten thousand miles later, he's almost home after facing drug traffickers, grizzlies, and mad bulls on an epic transcontinental trip.