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

North America

Drive Rowdy, Raise Hell, and Haul Away Trash. We Crashed Off-Roading's Craziest Rally.

Just how far can a $500 car make it in the off-roads of Oregon? We hitch a ride at Gambler 500 in Oregon, where 4,000 drivers in modified beater cars haul out 391,000 pounds of trash from public lands.

Alex PulaskiOctober 20, 20262

Environment

The Forest Service Planned to Move to Utah. A Federal Judge Just Stepped In.

A new court ruling temporarily stopped the agency from moving its headquarters to Utah and closing nine regional offices. Critics warn the overhaul could weaken environmental protections across 193 million acres of public land.

Ella CobbOctober 22, 2026

Environment

National Park Reservations Keep Crowds Small. They May Be Unfair to Some Visitors a New Study Says.

A report examining permit systems at seven national parks found that visitors from wealthier zip codes used them more frequently than those from lower-income areas.

Katie RiordanOctober 8, 20262

Environment

Wyoming Officials Say Playing an MLB Game in Grand Teton Is an Error

Would a baseball game in Grand Teton National Park be a home run? A growing chorus of Republicans and Democrats in Wyoming have balked at the idea.

Frederick DreierOctober 2, 20262

Opinion

Major League Baseball Wants to Play a Game in a National Park. We Have Thoughts.

Our features editor believes that a professional baseball game could be tweaked to reflect the staff cuts, budget woes, and overcrowding that national parks have endured amid two years of disastrous policy changes

Frederick DreierSeptember 28, 20262

National Parks

Celebrating Public Lands

Celebrate public lands with stories of adventure, conservation, exploration, and the people who help keep these places wild.

Emilee CoblentzSeptember 25, 2026

Environment

16 New Mining Claims Target Bears Ears—Including Iconic Backcountry Corridors

As soon as federal protections lapsed, mining companies staked 16 new claims across thousands of acres excised from Bears Ears—targeting areas next to Canyonlands and popular backcountry routes.

Adam RoySeptember 22, 2026

Environment

The Federal Government Tried to Evict 900 Bison from Public Land. A Judge Just Stopped Them.

The Bureau of Land Management claimed grazing permits apply only to “production-oriented” livestock. Judge Brian Morris ruled that conservation and rangeland health are equally valid uses of public land under federal law.

Sam AndersonSeptember 13, 2026

Environment

ICE and Forest Service Rangers Worked Together to Arrest 5 Campers on Public Lands

Five campers were arrested during a late-night raid in a national forest near Granite Falls, Washington. Outdoor advocates warn that immigration enforcement on public lands threatens open access for everyone.

Madison DapcevichSeptember 10, 20266

Environment

Can the President Give Away Land Inside Yosemite National Park?

A bombshell report on Friday alleges the National Park Service of trying to execute a land exchange inside Yosemite National Park for a private road. The Interior Department calls the story “simply untrue.”

Frederick DreierAugust 28, 20262

Exploration & Survival

Update: Trump Halts the Big Bend Border Construction Until the End of August

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 27, 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

Public Lands

Latest Stories

Drive Rowdy, Raise Hell, and Haul Away Trash. We Crashed Off-Roading's Craziest Rally.

The Forest Service Planned to Move to Utah. A Federal Judge Just Stepped In.

National Park Reservations Keep Crowds Small. They May Be Unfair to Some Visitors a New Study Says.

Wyoming Officials Say Playing an MLB Game in Grand Teton Is an Error

Major League Baseball Wants to Play a Game in a National Park. We Have Thoughts.

Celebrating Public Lands

16 New Mining Claims Target Bears Ears—Including Iconic Backcountry Corridors

The Federal Government Tried to Evict 900 Bison from Public Land. A Judge Just Stopped Them.

ICE and Forest Service Rangers Worked Together to Arrest 5 Campers on Public Lands

Can the President Give Away Land Inside Yosemite National Park?

Update: Trump Halts the Big Bend Border Construction Until the End of August

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

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