Road Trips
America is a highway novel waiting to be written. From Route 66 to the Going-to-the-Sun Road, we've mapped the routes worth driving — and the roadside diners worth stopping for.
Get Out There
Adventures
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep — and they have cell coverage now, so there's no excuse not to be out there.
Choose Your Adventure
Every great story starts with a decision to go.
River & Water Adventures
Whitewater rafting, canoe camping, kayak sea touring — moving water has a way of resetting your brain like nothing else. Here's where to go and how to prepare.
Backpacking & Hiking
There is a version of the John Muir Trail that takes three weeks and breaks your feet. We cover that one and also the version that takes a weekend and just clears your head.
Rock Climbing
Gym climbing is great for winter. Real rock — Yosemite, Red River Gorge, Joshua Tree — is a different universe. We'll help you get there.
Coastal Exploration
Tide pools, sea caves, cliffside trails, and beach camping. The coast keeps more secrets than any inland forest — you just have to time the tides right.
Dark Sky Camping
Find a spot far enough from city light pollution to see the Milky Way properly. Bring a star chart, a thermos of something warm, and cancel your Monday meetings.
Featured Route
Blue Ridge Parkway: All 469 Miles
The Blue Ridge Parkway is America's most scenic road — and the only one specifically designed to be enjoyed slowly. Built in 1935 during the New Deal era, it runs from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina.
Trip Stats
Distance: 469 miles
Recommended Time: 5–7 days
Best Season: May–June (wildflowers) or October (fall foliage)
Speed Limit: 45 mph — do not rush this
Must-Stop Highlights
Mabry Mill (Mile 176) is the most photographed spot on the Parkway. Linn Cove Viaduct (Mile 304) hugs the side of Grandfather Mountain in a way that feels like a Lego kit someone assembled at 4,000 feet. Waterrock Knob (Mile 451) gives you a 360° view that will reset your brain.
Packing Checklist
- Paper maps (the Parkway has no cell service for long stretches)
- Cash — some campgrounds are cash-only
- Rain gear — mountain weather changes fast
- Binoculars for wildlife and valley views
- A cooler stocked for roadside picnics
- Good walking shoes for short trail detours
- Camera with extra batteries
- A playlist for the hours with no radio signal
- Bear canister if camping in the Smokies section
From the Books That Shaped Us
The Adventures That Started It All
Long before GPS, before REI memberships, before waterproof breathable membranes — these characters figured it out with just their wits.
Sam Gribley, My Side of the Mountain
A twelve-year-old runs away to the Catskill Mountains, hollows out a tree, trains a peregrine falcon, and survives the winter alone. This 1959 novel by Jean Craighead George made a generation of kids want to live in the woods. It still does.
What he taught us: resourcefulness, patience, and that you probably know more than you think if you just pay attention.
Brian Robeson, Hatchet
Crashed in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a hatchet, Brian figures out fire, food, and survival in Gary Paulsen's 1987 masterpiece. More survival lessons per page than any book we know.
What he taught us: start a fire before you need one. Always.