Public Lands

National parks are booming, and the politics of public land have never been messier. Outside’s public lands coverage unpacks the drama behind your favorite outdoor spots—and explores why access, equity, and ownership are hotter topics than ever.

Latest Stories

Exploration & Survival

The Feds Just Pressed Pause on the Big Bend Border Construction. Here’s What to Know.

An explainer of the political machinations that prompted the Customs and Border Protection agency to disrupt the construction of border roads and barriers inside Texas’ Big Bend National Park.

Frederick DreierAugust 19, 2026

Environment

The Hour-by-Hour Story of My Escape From the Spokane Fires

When a fast-moving wildfire forced me to evacuate from my home in Spokane, Washington, I documented the fear, confusion and decisions that came with leaving my neighborhood behind.

Emilee CoblentzAugust 12, 20261

Environment

Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante Signal a New Strategy to Dismantle Public Lands, Experts Say

Outside recently hosted a panel with public lands advocates from across Utah. Here are conclusions they’re drawing from the Trump Administration’s downsizing of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase national monuments.

Frederick DreierAugust 10, 20262

Environment

People Are Betting Millions to Predict Wildfires. Now Congress Wants to Stop It.

As wagers on disaster spread across online prediction markets, lawmakers warn that gambling on blaze size and containment creates dangerous incentives for arson.

Suzie DundasAugust 9, 2026

Environment

We Now Know What the Trump Admin Did with 51 Removed Signs and Exhibits

According to court documents, officials threw away signs, placards, films, and brochures describing topics like women’s rights, slavery, and Indigenous massacres.

Kristy HamiltonAugust 7, 2026

Environment

After the National Park Service Removed Historic Signs, One Former Ranger Is Fighting to Keep Their Stories Alive

Signs about slavery, climate change, and other historical topics continue to quietly disappear from national parks. Former park guide Melissa Dalley quit over the removals, and now she travels the country handing out the missing texts.

Kristy HamiltonAugust 6, 20265

Opinion

I Helped Restore Protections for Bears Ears. Now It’s at Risk Again.

The Trump administration’s plan to open up national monuments to industry is about more than lines on a map. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland explains the lasting human cost of prioritizing resource extraction over heritage.

Deb HaalandAugust 5, 20261

Environment

The Federal Government Just Greenlit the First AI Data Center on Public Land

Under a fast-track federal mandate, the Bureau of Land Management quietly approved a warehouse-sized AI data center ten miles from Lake Mead—raising alarms for desert conservation and public access across the American West.

Suzie DundasJuly 30, 20261

Environment

BLM Removes Monument Signs, Including Tribal Seals, at Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante

Following a presidential proclamation that shrunk Bears Ears National Monument by 90 percent and dissolved its historic Inter-Tribal Commission, the federal government is removing signs and their Tribal seals from park boundaries.

Madison DapcevichJuly 31, 2026

Environment

Breaking: Trump Just Slashed 3 Million Acres from Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments

The proclamation reduces the protected public lands to a fraction of their size, reigniting a bitter decade-long political war over the American West.

Madison DapcevichJuly 13, 20264

Environment

Trump Just Appointed Steve Pearce to Lead the BLM. We Asked Him About Drilling, Bears Ears, and Outdoor Recreation.

Steve Pearce, a longtime veteran of the oil and gas industry, was recently named the director of the BLM. We asked Pearce how he plans to weight conservation and recreation against the demands of industry.

Jayme MoyeJuly 9, 20261

Environment

Kilian Jornet Is Taking On His Biggest Challenge Yet: Getting Americans to Care About Public Lands

The Catalan ultrarunner is dedicating his 2026 racing campaign to calling attention to the attacks on public lands protections across the U.S.

Jayme MoyeJune 18, 2026

Environment

The Threat of a Border Wall in Big Bend Won’t Go Away. Former NPS Leaders Are Raising the Alarm.

Former leaders of Big Bend National Park and more than a dozen lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to reconsider a border wall through one of America’s most remote national parks.

Gabrielle SaulsberyJune 17, 2026

Environment

A Judge Ordered the NPS to Restore Signs About Slavery and Climate Change. The Trump Admin Is Fighting Back.

A federal judge gave the Department of the Interior until Independence Day to bring back purged exhibits on climate change and slavery. Here is how park staff, advocacy groups, and the White House are scrambling to respond.

Madison DapcevichJune 16, 2026

Environment

Hikers Keep Pooping Along a Pristine Colorado Trail. Now There's a Plan to Clean It Up.

Trail workers are removing years of accumulated human waste from one of the state's most beloved alpine destinations as new regulations require hikers to pack out what they leave behind.

Owen ClarkeJune 5, 20265

Environment

The Trump Administration Asked for Tips on Park Signage. It Got Thousands of Roasts Instead.

When a new executive order put QR codes in parks asking visitors to flag "disparaging" history, 35,000 people wrote back. A Sierra Club lawsuit shows they brought receipts—and plenty of sarcasm.

Owen ClarkeJune 3, 2026

Exploration & Survival

Fewer People Are Dying in National Parks. The Ones Who Do Tend to Share This Trait.

National Park Service data shows a significant drop in fatalities from the pandemic peak, but one group of people makes up an overwhelming majority of those deaths. Plus, five parks make up one-quarter of all deaths.

Owen ClarkeJune 2, 20263

Environment

A Schoolyard Revolution Is Transforming American Neighborhoods

A national movement, led by the Trust for Public Land, is swapping concrete playgrounds for ecosystems to ensure every child has nature within reach.

Abigail WiseMay 27, 2026

Environment

A New Map Grades How Your Lawmakers Voted on National Parks and Public Lands Issues

A new accountability tool shows exactly how every member of Congress voted on national parks, forests, and wilderness areas—stripping away the political noise. Here’s how to see whether your representatives are in support of public lands.

Owen ClarkeMay 20, 2026

Environment

The Feds Are Coming After Grand-Staircase Escalante. Scientists Are Furious.

Conservationists warn that Utah politicians are weaponizing an obscure legislative tool to dismantle the management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante. If they succeed, it could throw outdoor recreation and conservation into “chaos” nationwide.

Madison DapcevichMay 16, 2026

Public Lands

Latest Stories

The Feds Just Pressed Pause on the Big Bend Border Construction. Here’s What to Know.

The Hour-by-Hour Story of My Escape From the Spokane Fires

Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante Signal a New Strategy to Dismantle Public Lands, Experts Say

People Are Betting Millions to Predict Wildfires. Now Congress Wants to Stop It.

We Now Know What the Trump Admin Did with 51 Removed Signs and Exhibits

After the National Park Service Removed Historic Signs, One Former Ranger Is Fighting to Keep Their Stories Alive

I Helped Restore Protections for Bears Ears. Now It’s at Risk Again.

The Federal Government Just Greenlit the First AI Data Center on Public Land

BLM Removes Monument Signs, Including Tribal Seals, at Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante

Breaking: Trump Just Slashed 3 Million Acres from Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments

Trump Just Appointed Steve Pearce to Lead the BLM. We Asked Him About Drilling, Bears Ears, and Outdoor Recreation.

Kilian Jornet Is Taking On His Biggest Challenge Yet: Getting Americans to Care About Public Lands

The Threat of a Border Wall in Big Bend Won’t Go Away. Former NPS Leaders Are Raising the Alarm.

A Judge Ordered the NPS to Restore Signs About Slavery and Climate Change. The Trump Admin Is Fighting Back.

Hikers Keep Pooping Along a Pristine Colorado Trail. Now There's a Plan to Clean It Up.

The Trump Administration Asked for Tips on Park Signage. It Got Thousands of Roasts Instead.

Fewer People Are Dying in National Parks. The Ones Who Do Tend to Share This Trait.

A Schoolyard Revolution Is Transforming American Neighborhoods

A New Map Grades How Your Lawmakers Voted on National Parks and Public Lands Issues

The Feds Are Coming After Grand-Staircase Escalante. Scientists Are Furious.

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