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The ponies that carried Genghis Khan’s warriors are small, tough, and skittish as hell, making the prospect of riding them for 1,000 kilometers seem downright insane. American cowboy Will Grant couldn’t resist, so he entered the Mongol Derby—the longest, hardest horse race in the world—determined not just to finish but to win.

The new country of South Sudan is blessed with oil, water, and a safari bonanza: one of the largest, most stunning animal migrations on earth. But without roads, laws, or infrastructure, can Africa’s youngest state turn potential into stabilizing profit? Patrick Symmes joins the adventure.

In 1966, a group of gravediggers in West Virginia reported seeing a flying humanoid figure with glowing red eyes. A year later, a nearby bridge collapsed, killing 46 people. Coincidence? Probably, but who knows.

Travel to these destinations for tons of open space—and it's all yours

Three new trips in the world's wildest places

Can't wait for the weather to warm up? With balmy temperatures year-round, miles of world-class trails, and a laid-back, kid-friendly atmosphere, L.A.'s southern neighbor has you covered.

Get way out there at a new hotel in the foothills of the Himalayas

Rock Hopping and Wrangling with the Wolf Pack in the New Hyundai Santa Fe

Katie Heaney fell off a horse. Years later, she got back on. You can decide whether or not this works as a metaphor for something else.

It's 13 miles from the top of Broadway to the bottom. Oh, and if you're wondering, it's definitely possible to get lost along the way.

In short: they clean up a lot of poop

�����ԹϺ��� chooses the top vacation spots of the year

Where it's more about skiing than the scene

Katie Heaney tries to figure out the difference between "shriveled dead thing" and chupacabra

Tourists must do their part to be a responsible addition to the ecotourism equation. Here's how.

No hike will ever be the same again

Ken Chase created a company that provides luxury tours for American conservatives. It's—this is important—not a place for angry Cambridge democrats. Also: "angry Cambridge democrat" is really redundant.

From renting a car to cheap places to stay and where to go, 15 tips for skiing the Alps

There is no explicit definition of ocean or marine wilderness anywhere in the world, but there are about a dozen generally-agreed-upon places in the United States where you can—and should—see it

Most people, you know, put on a pair of shoes in order to start running. Chris Hawson, though, needed to take his off.

In 1900, Chicagoans remade their city’s namesake river. Then they let it go to hell.

Jason Diamond talks with Michael Kiser, the founder of a site that, well, hunts for good beer

Avalo York once ruled the Central Park bike loop. He's still there, almost every weekday, but he's been done with racing for a long time.

Katie Heaney goes looking for the dead in Minnesota's (possibly haunted) St. James Hotel

Ryan O'Hanlon is down in Honduras to cover the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team's opening World Cup qualifying match

Eric Nusbaum went to a bullfight in Mexico City, and, among other things, he realized Ernest Hemingway was totally wrong

Ryan O'Hanlon is down in Honduras to cover the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team's opening World Cup qualifying match

Ryan O'Hanlon is down in Honduras to cover the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team's opening World Cup qualifying match

Last year, Patrick Halloran finished last in the Empire State Building Run-Up. This year, he's coming back, and he's going to kick your ass.

Four options for the wildlife-conscious traveler

How to get there, when to go, and where to stay

Check out at least one of these four

Georgia is earning its reputation as the powder playground of the Caucasus

Everyone had one, and now no one does. Jason Diamond isn't alone in fondly remembering the heyday of the Volvo station wagon.

On a trip to the mountains of southeastern Europe, seven friends find untracked slopes, thriving post-Communist wildlife, and a nation of skiers that don't quite understand why they're there. After a tragedy at home, David Page looks back and wonders how he ever took it for granted.

Bill Ulfelder, the New York director of The Nature Conservancy, sees 14,000 acres of rooftops in his city that could be used for everything from generating electricity to restoring nature

Midwest ski resorts get a bad rap for too much camo and not enough snow. These four prove the stereotypes wrong.

Richard Roberts is a London piano tuner who abandoned his apartment and is living a life outdoors so that he can pay off his student debt. He bikes around town and sleeps in a bivy bag on a four-season mat—in a different location…

Meet the man who runs 30 miles a day and eats nothing but fruit

Once a layover for hippies on the overland trail to India, Afghanistan is now so dangerous even its Lonely Planet author won’t go back. Can a tourism industry rise from the rubble?

No country on earth is more geographically blessed than Colombia, with its high-altitude peaks, lush jungles, pristine beaches, wildlife-rich rainforest, and strong coffee. Now that the guerrillas of the FARC are moving toward a peace accord, the land of cocaine and kidnappings may become the best unexplored adventure haven in South America.

A 90-minute hike over a rocky trail and steep climb up Mt. Kerkis, past the Cave of Pythagoras, in which the Greek philosopher is said to have hidden before going into exile, sits the 10th-century Evangelistria Monastery

Katie Heaney recounts the history of the most famous Midwestern Yeti

A proposal to link seven mountains and 17,000 acres in one European-style network in Utah’s Wasatch Range has created a lot of controversy. While Peter Metcalf, the CEO of Black Diamond Inc., thinks it’s a terrible idea (rea

A proposal to link seven mountains and 17,000 acres in one European-style network in Utah’s Wasatch Range has created a lot of controversy. While Ski Utah’s president, Nathan Rafferty, is a big proponent (read his take here), P

Christopher Michel tries out his new Nikon D800E in Myanmar

Noah Davis swam and biked and ran—all without ever leaving home

In a place built on selective ignorance, a storm forced everyone to stop and think

With the help of a handful of dedicated volunteers, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has been holding events for disabled hunters for 40 years. Mark D'Antonio, who has been paralyzed since an on-the-job accident in 2000, is already getting ready for next year's hunt.

�����ԹϺ��� senior editor Abe Streep joins Team Rubicon USA, a volunteer group of former active military personnel who deploy at a moment's notice to disaster zones, during recovery efforts following a fire that swept through Belle Harbor, Queens, on the night Hurricane Sandy hit

Utah resort managers are working to link seven mountains and 17,000 acres in one European-style network. Here's what it would look like.

Three months after protesting the clear-cutting of forest and the use of sewage-effluent snow, Klee Benally and three other activists suddenly face half a year in prison. Leslie MacMillan tries to figure out why.

Sunset/moonrise over Canyon de Chelly. Photo: Katie Arnold [This is the third in a series about roadtripping around the Southwest. Read parts I  and II here.] On our first morning in Chinle, I woke full of hope for Canyon de…

Giant mining companies are tearing up some of the wildest places on earth to feed our hunger for gold. But do we even need it?

In the rough: Road 7950 out of Chaco Canyon. Photo: Katie Arnold. There’s no direct route from Chaco Canyon, in northern New Mexico, to Canyon de Chelly, across the border in Arizona. Rugged badlands, sandy washes, and vast tracts of…

Brian Blickenstaff spent a day without his clothes on, taking baths with complete strangers

Airstream in repose, Gallo Campground, Chaco Canyon (note trash bag window). Photo: Katie Arnold This year we decided to do something different for Thanksgiving. Instead of traveling to be with extended family or entertaining them here, we opted to stay put in Santa Fe and keep…

Push Pop Press co-founder Mike Matas chronicled his two-week-long, 3,000-mile, San Francisco to New York City road trip in the above three-minute-long, 5,000-photo timelapse posted to Vimeo. We've shown plenty of such road trip videos on the site before, but what's different about Matas'…

Eric Hansen gets a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of a project to surf in each of India's states, nevermind that 21 (of 28) are landlocked and that the coastline is known for little more than ankle-slappers

It snowed in the Twin Cities on Thanksgiving, and Katie Heaney went to a dog park

The Southeastern Ohio Bigfoot Investigation Society is committed to the quest for Bigfoot. But instead of finding the mythical beast, they might’ve stumbled onto something else entirely.

Game for adventure: The Cairns-Locke girls cozy up in the Yukon. Photo: Peter Mather When I opened the latest Patagonia catalog and saw this picture by nature photographer Peter Mather, I was instantly filled with envy and awe. Lying on…

My parents ignored the dire warnings about Hurricane Sandy and didn't evacuate. By the time they called for rescue, it was too late.

Waves for Water founder Jon Rose has been on the East Coast since Hurricane Sandy struck, cutting through red tape and providing disaster relief alongside a groundswell of surfers

This week Raising Rippers is launching a new feature. It’s called Picture of the Week and every week—or as often as we’re inspired—we’ll post a particularly riveting or rad photo about adventuring with kids and give you the backstory behind the shot. What were they thinking? How'd they…

Along for the ride with the homesteaders of the Discovery Channel's Alaska: The Last Frontier

While it may not appear that way, Noah Davis thinks that Manhattan and ultramarathons might just be made for each other

Just two

Leslie MacMillan investigates the questionable destruction of a Crow Indian religious site in Montana

International humanitarian-aid group Doctors Without Borders, best known for conducting emergency health care interventions in war-torn countries, set up a makeshift clinic for Hurricane Sandy victims in one of New York’s worst-hit communities to fill in the gaps in the government’s response. Matthew Power joined volunteer physicians for a day in the field duri

The leader of the Free Burma Rangers keeps his identity secret. But he’s real, and he’s definitely hardcore. A former U.S. Special Forces operative—and an ordained minister, climber, and triathlete—he trains rebels and refugees in the fine art of outwitting one of the world’s most oppressive regimes to deliver humanitarian aid. Adam Skolnick hits the trail with a soldier on a mission from God.

We spent months scoring and ranking dozens of resorts from California to Maine, British Columbia to Quebec, to come up with this, your cheat sheet for figuring out which mountains are right for you this snow season. We don't expect you to agree with all of our decisions, but we do think you'll be able to find something for everyone in our final list.

�����ԹϺ���'s East Coast editor takes a walking tour of Freeport, Long Island, with Steven Townsend, lifelong fisherman and Long Island native, after Hurricane Sandy

One of the ironies of Churchill is that its residents, who have so much to lose from climate change, often have to drive for their own safety. Signs emblazoned with the silhouette of a polar bear warn pedestrians not to walk in certain areas…

What's it like to watch the Storm of the Century hit your home from 2,000 miles away?

After wandering to a bar in Sandy's aftermath, Jason Diamond was reminded of the best parts about living in New York

With Manhattan slowly coming back to life after Hurricane Sandy, �����ԹϺ���’s East Coast editor joins the leader of Long Island Search and Rescue for a tour of places the cops haven't made it to yet, where looters prey on homes in communities that will take years to rebuild

After sticking out Hurricane Irene, Maksim Charnyy didn't think Sandy would be any different. Ignoring mandatory evacuation orders, he stayed in his building with 70 or 80 percent of the other residents. And then the water came.

�����ԹϺ���'s East Coast editor visits the town he grew up in, situated on the west side of the Hudson River about 25 miles outside of Manhattan, in the middle of Hurricane Sandy

You don’t have to give up the amenities of a large urban environment just because you prefer traveling on two wheels over four