Robert Annis

At the western edges of North and South Dakota, large swaths of grassland prairie collide abruptly with multicolored rock formations of limestone, shale, volcanic ash, and sandstone. When seismic upheaval created the Rocky Mountains 65 million years ago, these Dakota badlands formed almost as an afterthought, as sand, silt, and mud flowed down ancient rivers to be deposited here, hundreds of miles away.

I hoisted myself over the rocks and dusty buttes of the Caprock Coulee Trail ....

Is this the most ridiculous adventure ever?

It started as an innocent, non-threatening lark. I would hike and paddle my way to the largest island on the largest lake on the largest island on the largest lake in the world, which also happens to be in the middle of the least visited national park in the lower 48 states. A virtual Russian nesting doll of idiocy, adventure, or maybe both.

Although I consider myself more of an Average Joe adventurer these days, I’m no stranger to difficult outdoor...

The gigantic bear ambles closer and closer. Weighing between 800 and 1,000 pounds, its the largest predator I’ve ever come across—and I’ve certainly never been this close. Now, just yards away from me and the eight other bear-watchers in my tour group, just off the eastern coast of Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, it looks up across the flat, tiny patch of meadow between us and meets my gaze. I’ve wanted to see a bear in the wild for years, but in these first few seconds, I’m secon...

“That sign warned trucks about going up this road—tight switchbacks and no shoulder,” I said. “Should we find another route?”

“I think we’ll be alright,” Sally said.

It’s another warm early December day in the Cuban countryside, perfect for a bike ride. I launch myself up a hill, legs spinning fast in a big gear. As the grade increases, I rise from the saddle and stomp on the pedals. The top of the hill is only 20 bike lengths away, and I feel a moment of triumph that none of the other riders have passed me.

That is until I notice a Cuban rider named Jorge on my left pedaling j...

As we pedaled our bikes over the rolling hills of Kentucky, I could practically taste the bourbon.
There’d be a glass waiting for us at the end of the ride, of course — two fingers of whiskey, with a single ice cube. But being surrounded by the raw ingredients had the flavor tickling my tongue. Fields of corn beginning to brown in the August sun. Clear water trickling down limestone cliffs into a massive underground aquifer. The scent emanating from the distilleries themselves, that sweet cor...

I’m a good photographer, but obviously no Ansel Adams. Adams had a unique style – a way of photographing landscapes playing with light and shadow, creating iconic images both stark and beautiful – and on a recent trip to Yosemite National Park, I learned how to capture some of that magic myself.

Although Adams traveled the world, the place he’s most closely identified with is Yosemite – California’s most awe-inspiring location, made even more so by his photographs. T...

Just a few days before we all were ordered to stay home, my dad died. Congenital heart failure was listed as the cause of death, not COVID-19, but the coronavirus would still impact us in a multitude of ways in the following weeks.

Before he passed, as the country started seeing more coronavirus cases in mid-March, I had urged Dad to stay inside until all the craziness could blow over. He thought I...

It’s nearly 7 a.m. when I roll up to the starting line of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Next Sunday, the venue will fill up with some 300,000 cheering fans for the Indy 500, the most popular auto racing event in the world. But today the stands are empty, and the only spectators are a few pit-crew members and track staff preparing for an action-packed day of practice. Even so, my neck hairs stand at attention. I may be in the saddle of a Giant TCR Advanced road bike, not an IndyCar cockpit,...

Surrounded by seemingly endless red rock and spiky spinifex grass, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the desolate beauty of the Australian Outback. Fortune-seeking adventurers have long braved the treacherous interior region, but today’s visitors seek a different kind of rush. Instead of gold, they’re coming to the Northern Territory for epic single-track mountain-bike trails and long-distance hiking routes in a rugged, mostly untrodden land.

For more than a half-century, the so-called Red Cen...

Imagine Sedona’s stunning sandstone cliffs rising out of a crystal-blue lake, rock arches like those in Utah, and cascading waterfalls that look like Yosemite’s famous veils. Now envision all that within a day’s drive. With its namesake cliffs and incredible natural beauty, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (Munising, nps.gov/piro) on Lake Superior boasts better scenery than several official national parks, but far fewer crowds—and only a few souvenir shops and eateries dot Munising, the larg...

After two men were arrested for creating illegal mountain-bike trails through Fort Harrison State Park, they found an unlikely ally: Speaker of the House Brian Bosma. But environmentalist groups say new greenways there will devastate one of the few natural areas left in the city.

No matter what your outdoor interest—biking, hiking, fishing, or paddling—you’ll find a trail or stream in Colorado that’s probably the best you’ve ever experienced.

Plan your route on the eastern side of the state around the 55-mile Peak-to-Peak Highway, which offers stunning views of the Continental Divide. Spring and summer bring endless options for outdoor adventures and fall brings gorgeous foliage. Many of the campgrounds mentioned below are seasonal, shutting down for the winter, so be...

Outdoor gear is constantly improving, but is that reason alone to upgrade?

There are two main camps of people when it comes to gear: Folks wearing puffy jackets covered in duct-tape patches who see buying new equipment as a moral failing and those people who consider seasonal gear guides as holy scriptures on the level of the Bible or Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire and want the latest and greatest of everything.

I’ve written dozens of gear reviews over the years, so I know the allure of fanc...

It’s no wonder the Wolverine State is popular among RVers. With natural beauty, some of the best mountain biking east of the Mississippi, unlimited hiking trails, and thousands of miles of shoreline along four of the Great Lakes, Michigan’s outdoor activities rival any state in the Midwest.