When it comes to adventure travel, Peru is, in a word, legendary. And it鈥檚 no wonder. With iconic historic sites, natural wonders from peaks to rainforests, celebrated culture and food, and a commitment to sustainable and responsible tourism, Peru has it all.

Kick off your journey in the capital city of Lima. While Lima is the largest urban center in Peru, it鈥檚 also a hub of outdoor activity and adventure. With its easy access to the Pacific Ocean, the city serves up an abundance of opportunities to and paraglide. The coast along the is ideal for its waves and winds, as well as vibrant culture, food, and people to enjoy after your sesh.

Looking for an off-the-beaten-path paradise for trekkers? Head to . Situated high in the Andes Mountains, the stunningly vast Ancash region offers adventures for all levels of climbers, trekkers, and mountaineers. Explore , home to the eponymous peak. The climb is categorized as AD, or moderately difficult, and usually takes five to seven days. At 22,205 feet, Huascaran is Peru鈥檚 highest mountain and belongs on every mountain lover鈥檚 list. Not interested in bagging peaks? Take a hike to one of the icy-blue glacial lakes that pepper the region.

In the north of Peru, you鈥檒l find : a region rich with biodiversity as well as a diversity of culture and history. The weaves a tapestry of natural and cultural wonders, winding through more than 30 miles of ancient cloud forests and pre-Incan archaeological remains. On this three-to-four-day trek, learn about the lesser-known along the way. You can also opt to trek to the stunning , a 6.4-mile hike to a cascade that plunges more than 2,000 feet.

Then there鈥檚 the iconic Amazon Rainforest in the region of . While you might associate dense jungles and mazelike river systems with neighboring countries like Brazil or Colombia, you鈥檒l find the same mesmerizing landscape in the northeast of Peru. It鈥檚 also a wildlife lover鈥檚 paradise. Explore , the second-largest protected natural area in Peru, with more than 1,000 endemic plant and animal species. Float the most iconic river system in the world and feel a connection with nature that can only be found in remote places like these.

Southern Peru boasts regions like and that offer a breadth of culture, history, and adventure in the Andes. Machu Picchu is just the start in this magical region. Choose from a number of iconic treks that access archaeological sites, like the and , or fill your bucket list with to really lose yourself in the region. Or check out the birthplace of the Inca Empire in Puno and kayak in the world鈥檚 highest navigable lake, Lake Titicaca.

Whatever you do in Peru, expect an adventure that weaves together ancient civilizations and modern culture, all set among some of the most breathtaking terrain in the world. Today, Peru blends its rich past with an eye toward the future, aiming to preserve this cultural and natural wonderland for generations of adventurers to come.

is a multicultural nation filled with unique traditions, world-class gastronomy, and vast natural reserves. It is home to 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 84 of the planet鈥檚 117 life zones. Peru鈥檚 enormous territory, covering more than 1.2 million square kilometers, is composed of three regions: Coast, Andes, and Peruvian Amazon.

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It鈥檚 a big month for Alex Honnold.

In an unexpected turn of events, the world-renowned rock climber is briefly switching gears from summiting peaks to hosting his own travel show. Yep, you heard that right. The five-part “Get a Little Out There” series will premiere next year across the 国产吃瓜黑料 network.

Plans for his new show come just a week after Mr. Free Solo announced plans to star in a two-hour live TV show on Netflix in 2026, during which he will scale the tallest skyscraper in Taiwan without the use of safety ropes.

In partnership with Travel Nevada and 国产吃瓜黑料, Honnold will take viewers across his home state, shifting focus from extreme climbs to everyday adventures, curiosity, and connection.

鈥淚nvolvement in this series is awesome for me,鈥� said Honnold in a . 鈥淢y love for adventure matches the spirit of Nevada. Red Rock has been a huge part of my life, but Nevada still surprises me with how much there is to see and do. I鈥檓 excited to explore the hidden corners of this state and share what makes it so special.鈥�

From stargazing in Great Basin National Park to mining for turquoise in central Nevada, the new series follows Honnold鈥攊n his van鈥攁s he checks off bucket-list adventures. Sprinkled with strange roadside attractions dotting Nevada鈥檚 highways, Honnold鈥檚 new show combines exploration and culture to alter our view of the world, producers say.

鈥淔rom cowboy poets and clown hotels to Basque food and turquoise mining, Nevada鈥檚 unique culture experiences are as unexpected as they are awesome,鈥� said Sam Moulton, vice president of creative strategy and solutions at 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淭he state is also way wilder than you think, home to remote climbing crags, world-class mountain biking, and everything in between, making it ideal for 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 network. And Alex is the perfect host to show us the state through his eyes, as curious as he is up for any adventure.鈥�

Of his Nevada home, Honnold has said, 鈥淭here鈥檚 the best concentration of climbing in the country around Vegas, which is why I live here.鈥� Southern Nevada alone is home to more than 3,400 routes.

鈥淓ven on the worst days, in the worst weather, you can climb outside if you鈥檙e motivated enough,鈥� Honnold said.

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On September 30, Marriott Bonvoy launched Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors, a new digital hub that shifts trip planning from where to stay to what to do. The platform brings together more than 450 hotels, 50,000 Homes and Villas, and outdoor activities organized around seven categories: ski, hike, bike, scuba, surf, fish, and paddle.

Alongside the hub, Marriott introduced the Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy, a brand designed around properties that put travelers closer to the landscapes they come to see. The collection will debut with two partners: Postcard Cabins, Scandinavian-inspired retreats near major cities, and Trailborn Hotels, boutique stays set near national parks and other marquee destinations.

To mark the launch, Marriott is rolling out a campaign with adventure filmmaker Dylan Efron called the Drop Pin Challenge, a treasure hunt that will scatter 10 million Marriott Bonvoy points across 20 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Experiences are also a key piece of the rollout. Through a new partnership with our parent company, 国产吃瓜黑料 Interactive, Marriott Bonvoy is creating adventure-focused Moments packages that include experiences like kayaking in the Maldives. Another highlight: an opportunity to join 国产吃瓜黑料 editors in Kauai for a hiking excursion on gorgeous Hawaiian trails.

The collaboration with 国产吃瓜黑料 will expand further in 2026, when guests staying at Outdoor Collection properties begin receiving in-stay benefits from the 国产吃瓜黑料+ platform. Linking Marriott Bonvoy and 国产吃瓜黑料+ accounts will unlock more in-stay benefits and experiences for Marriott guests.

For both companies, the goal is the same: to make outdoor travel more immersive and accessible.

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鈥淲hy are you lacing up your running shoes? You鈥檙e supposed to be relaxing,鈥� they ask, a bewildered look on their face, pi帽a colada in hand. Well, I鈥檓 going to have my pi帽a colada later, thank you very much. First, I need to let my Strava followers know that I鈥檓 still putting in the work.

A vacation is obviously a great way to kick back and take a load off, but for those of us who run, it can also be a great excuse to go for a run (or five) in a new, exotic place, even though it may leave our fellow travelers scratching their heads.

Last month, I went to France for the first time. The trip began with a few days exploring Paris, followed by a few days in Chamonix to cover UTMB and enjoy the scenery. Just this past weekend, I drove five hours from LA to the Eastern Sierra to race the 50k during Mammoth Trailfest. Both trips were heavily focused on running, yet they were also very different. One involved flying across the world, pesky checked bag weight limits, and gear that could pull double (or triple) duty, while the other offered me all the space an SUV has to offer, though I did have to pack everything I needed for a race鈥攔esulting in me bringing considerably more than what I packed for France.

You may think that if you鈥檙e traveling and want to run, you can just throw a pair of running shoes in your bag and call it a day. But there鈥檚 more to an expert-level packing job than that, and I鈥檓 here to offer a few packing considerations and gear recs for the next time you find yourself running on vacation.

How Much Space Will You Actually Have?

The first thing you should figure out is exactly how much gear you鈥檒l have space for on your trip. If you鈥檙e driving, my vote is to load up the car with everything you can think of. For my trip up to Mammoth last week that鈥檚 pretty much exactly what I did. I filled my with clothes, gear, and even a few extra pairs of running shoes so I could make a gametime decision about which pair I鈥檇 wear for the race. Then I filled a duffel with all the extra food I wanted for my few days away, I packed a cooler for the front seat, and loaded a tote bag with all my work stuff and some extra bits. I even packed an extra watch and two heart rate monitor chest straps, just because I could.

For Paris and Chamonix, on the other hand, I had to make compromises. I had airline weight limits to think about, and I knew I didn鈥檛 want to try to lug more than two suitcases up and down city streets. Packing for nine days away, unsure if I鈥檇 be able to do an actual load of laundry or not, and knowing I鈥檇 probably be coming home with more stuff than I left with, forced me to be picky when I was packing for the trip. This is where I had to get creative, which leads me to my next tip.

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Everyone who loves adventure must, at some point, make a pilgrimage to Moab, Utah. Just don鈥檛 be surprised if one trip turns into many. Cradled in a sprawling, three-dimensional garden of spiraling towers, sandstone arches, plunging canyons, and wind-polished slickrock, Moab is the hub of a 20 million-acre desert wonderland. The landscapes are otherworldly. The sunsets are second to none. And the opportunities for adventure, solitude, and self-reflection are virtually limitless.

Just be an informed pilgrim. While the area鈥檚 marquee national parks鈥擜rches and Canyonlands鈥攇rab most of the headlines, they encompass only a fraction of the region鈥檚 trails and campsites. Dead Horse Point State Park and Bears Ears National Monument together encompass millions of acres of . In Bears Ears, you鈥檒l trace emerald rivers hemmed in by soaring mesas and sheer cliffs. In Dead Horse, a network of wildflower-fringed trails connects cliffside campgrounds. Just a few minutes out of town, offers an uncrowded alternative to the postcard-famous Delicate Arch. is littered with dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs as pristine as anything you鈥檒l find on national park land.

If you prefer to do your exploring on two wheels, you鈥檙e still in the right place. Moab is a with more than 150 miles of trail accessible from downtown. Hit the world-famous and ride through canyons and sage-lined arroyos. Or knock out a section of the , a legendary ribbon of singletrack that climbs from Moab to the riverside town of Loma, Colorado.

While spring and fall are peak seasons for hiking and biking, early summer brings a surge of alpine snowmelt, topping up the and drawing paddlers from across the continental United States. Here, you鈥檒l find everything from calm, cool stretches of flatwater to demanding Class V rapids. Load up your raft for a weeklong excursion, or target a half-day route for a leisurely afternoon on the water. If you don鈥檛 have your own boat, dozens of local companies can take you out on the river, providing all the necessary gear, food, and expert guidance.

The expansive desert terrain also makes Moab the country鈥檚 epicenter, with rugged jeep tracks, vast swaths of BLM land, and countless remote campsites. Rent a 4×4 vehicle in town, bring your own rig, or book a guided tour to experience the raw beauty of the desert with someone else behind the wheel.

One word of advice as you plan your next adventure in Moab: While you鈥檒l find an infinite number of things to do here, be careful not to pack your itinerary too full. The desert has a quiet magic that only comes in moments of stillness. Leave time to watch the stars come out or the sun rise amid the junipers. Times like these, stitched together with all the adventure action, make it clear why Moab is a sacred place for so many.

is Utah鈥檚 most iconic adventure epicenter. It鈥檚 a place to look inward and experience the beauty of the desert. Every traveler has an edge. In Moab, you find yours. Moab calls to those drawn to raw beauty, challenge, and connection. Come with intention and leave changed.

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Making a pilgrimage to one of the most iconic and remote land art installations of our time, The Lightning Field (1977) by American sculptor Walter De Maria, in the high desert of western New Mexico, isn’t easy to get to by any measure. After arriving in Albuquerque, you drive two and a half hours southwest through the vast desert to the ranching town of Quemado. There, a staff member then shuttles you another 45 minutes on dirt roads to the site, where 400 stainless-steel pointed poles jut out of the barren plain. You must stay the night in a rustic cabin; no day-tripping allowed. This isn’t a walk up, walk away piece of art hanging in a gallery. This is an experience of leaving one world and entering another, and one that has the suspended possibility of a next-level lightning show. De Maria once said isolation is the essence of land art. Standing there, small and silent in all that space, you begin to get it.

Nearly a half-century later, land art is having a moment again鈥攅specially in the American West, where the terrain still inspires the big, the wild, and the weird. The new era of outdoor art isn’t just for those who seek transcendence in stillness; it’s for people who want to hike past it, bike through it, or ski to it. You might find a massive steel paper airplane planted in the dust like a crash-landed idea. Or a James Turrell piece streaming color next to a ski slope.

This is land art reimagined for the now鈥攎ore accessible, more kinetic, and just as cosmic.

Big Sky, Bigger Art

A few hours drive north of Yellowstone National Park, a working sheep and cattle ranch houses large-scale sculptures scattered against the dramatic backdrop of the Beartooth Mountains.

, at 12,500 acres, is one of the largest sculpture parks in the world, offering visitors a chance to take in monumental sculptures and attend classical music concerts in uninterrupted landscapes. Located in Fishtail, Montana, halfway between Billings and Bozeman, the art center was founded in 2016 by philanthropists Cathy and Peter Halstead. Artists themselves, the Halsteads drew inspiration from in upstate New York to take art out of the museum鈥攖o open up art and the land to people.

“When you’re moving through a museum, you see piece after piece, and you’re consuming a lot of art at once,” Pete Hinmon tells me. He and his wife, Lindsey, are the co-directors of Tippet Rise Art Center, and help bring the founders’ artistic vision to reality. Former ski patrollers, they posses the varied outdoor experience to keep both safety and weather in mind. The sustained engagement with The Lightning Field is something they hope to spur as well. Just as De Maria’s seminal sculpture was meant to be walked in, and taken in over an extended period of time, so are the pieces in Tippet Rise, says Pete.

“The Lightning Field is this in-depth, multi-day experience. You spend the night. It’s a really lengthened and heightened experience. We’re interested in that as well, and how you physically move through the space,” he says.

And space there is: more than 15 miles of trails and 14 miles of gravel road can be traversed by mountain bike or on foot. And while visitors usually spend at least a half day here, no two visits are the same. Sculptures are scattered hundred yards to a few miles apart on hilly terrain and steep inclines. “Through this extended time and space, it allows people to have a deeper connection with the outdoor environment,” says Pete.

Visitors for hiking and biking are limited to 100 people per day, so it’s possible you won’t encounter another soul during your Tippet Rise visit. That’s the luxury of open space here, not exclusivity. Hiking and biking is free; concert tickets, as well as sculpture van tours, are $10, and the number of people who can come per day is controlled via a ticket drawing system. “We limit the reservations, because we really want it to be an intimate experience,” says Pete.

Exiting the parking lot, the first work visitors come upon is Aps谩alooke (Crow) artist Wendy Red Star’s The Soil You See鈥� (2023). Red Star grew up on the Aps谩alooke tribe’s reservation, roughly 120 miles east of the art center. Her monumental piece sets the mood immediately for letting art-goers know they’re on her sacred homeland.

A giant blood-red fingerprint, nearly eight-feet tall and modeled from Red Star’s own fingerprint, rests on top of granite rock. Etched in whorls on kiln-formed glass are the names of 50 Aps谩alooke chiefs and tribal representatives who were coerced to sign treaties giving away their land to the United States government between 1825 and 1880. Often these treaties were signed with thumbprints (and Xs).

The sheer distance of terrain to cover means there are many ways to heighten the experience鈥攁nd the effort. “You are having this sort of raw, visceral experience because you are putting in effort and moving through the landscape at a pace where you can notice the nuance of it,” says Pete. Sixteen permanent sculptures are scattered across Tippet Rise, including pieces by internationally renowned artists Ai Weiwei and Richard Serra.

“It’s this sense of exploration; you’re on this journey, climbing up this hill, or running or biking, and you pop around the corner and there is this stunning red piece, Archway II by Alexander Liberman, like a gateway arch into the Beartooth Mountains,” says co-director Lindsey Hinmon.

“We hope to maintain that openness of the land, so that there is that experience of being able to see the sculptures on foot or on land, and not feel like you’re seeing sculptures, every way you turn your head,” she says.

Last August, the art center debuted its new open-air music venue, The Geode, which is an art piece itself: four triangle structures envelop the sound and project it in all directions. The newest installed sculpture is site-specific Bronze Bowl with Lace by Ursula von Rydingsvard, which stands at nearly 20 feet tall and is made from cedar wood planks cast in bronze, set within a natural bowl surrounded by plateaus and canyons.

“It references the rock formations that are visible beyond it; the texture of it, the shadows and light that it creates, and all of the hues are just so at peace with the landscape,” says Pete.

A likely question that arises around putting any man-made structures in nature: how does this affect the environment? Pete is quick to respond. “We essentially have conserved 12,500 acres, and yes, we’ve installed several large outdoor sculptures on it. But [the land] is not being developed beyond that,” he says. “It’s private ranch land that is now open to the public.”

Using private land this way has a powerful place in creating more space for wildlife, Pete explains. If we were to confine wildlife to just public land managed by the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management, it creates “islands,” lessening the amount of safe land wildlife can live and traverse. By not developing land adjacent to those public land masses, a larger ecosystem is able to be created.

Tippet Rise is located in what’s called the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which spans 22 million acres and includes the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area, Yellowstone National Park, Teton National Park, and big tracts of ranch land. “Tippet Rise is one of those tracts of land that is helping create a buffer between highly developed areas and the wilderness areas,” says Pete. What’s more, all buildings on campus are heated and cooled with a geothermal system, solar panels provide electricity to the buildings and vehicles, and a gray-water system collects runoff.

“Humans are a part of nature,” Pete says. “I think that pairing these wonderful highly creative, amazing human creations alongside and right in nature help remind us of that.”

A Skiable Sculpture Park

Hiking and biking miles to the next sculpture takes the experience up a notch at Tippet Rise, but skiing to sculptures? That’s the ambitious idea behind Powder Mountain’s new open-air land art park.

With its old-school vibe and endless pow, 鈥擯owMow聽as it’s affectionately called鈥攊s one of the largest ski resorts in North America, with some of the most skiable acres in the U.S. It’s a throwback to what skiing used to be, with uncrowded slopes and its indie spirit. With more than 8,000 acres of in-bounds terrain, it’s virtually a ski sanctuary.

But staying independent and free from lift lines, while still being a viable ski resort, hasn’t been easy in recent years, and its new owner has brought in some controversial changes. In a bold business shakeup, Powder Mountain’s new billionaire owner, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, announced he was taking the resort semi-private for homeowners and lifting a longtime season pass cap. Adding on an ambitious approach to preserve its magic by creating an open-air museum with artworks that are reachable via hiking鈥攁nd yes, skiing鈥攊s, understandably, being met with more excitement and open minds.

The visionary idea behind using the Utah ski resort’s vast terrain as an art park came from Powder Mountain’s chief creative officer Alex Zhang. “I always had a really strong connection to the mountain, and it held a special place in my heart, mostly because I think in the American West, so many ski resorts and ski towns are overdeveloped. They’re super crowded. They’ve lost a lot of that soul,” says Zhang, who has been skiing Powder Mountain for the last ten years.

“Powder Mountain seems to have retained this sort of rawness and the sort of soulful magic of like a throwback to where ski resorts, in the seventies, eighties, nineties, could just sort of be whatever they wanted to be,” he adds.

Zhang heard the rumor swirling that Hastings was going to acquire Powder Mountain, where Hastings was already a homeowner. So when Hastings asked Zhang what he would do with Powder Mountain if he were him, he had already given it great thought. At the time, Hastings was asking everyone from the executives of the resort to the shuttle driver: “What makes this place special? And what would you do to protect it?”

That feeling of the sublime, the feeling of spirituality, you get that when you’re in the presence of great nature, you get that when you’re in the presence of great art, too.

Zhang said Hastings was in a very receptive, open-minded mood to dream up something exciting. So in that first conversation, he shared his idea for how you preserve the soul of a place without overdeveloping it, all while increasing visitation and tourism in a way that honors the culture and the place.

“The easy thing to do just to make it a solvent business would be to build a bunch of retail, shopping, restaurants, condos, and sort of do that over seven years and build as fast as you can, and call it a day,” says Zhang, noting that’s what most American ski towns have done.

“So I came to him with this idea around involving artists and involving culture at an earlier level of this development, so a lot of that magic will actually be preserved,” he says. “It will increase visitors not as fast as a shopping mall, but it will be a lot more enduring, and with a more diverse, interesting audience.”

Zhang was inspired by the Japanese “art islands” of Naoshima and Teshima, where art breathed new life into these depopulated and aging islands. And unlike Desert X, the biennial contemporary art show held in the Coachella Valley, these would be permanent installations.

The perceived weaknesses of Powder Mountain鈥攊solation, the single road, and the expansive, underdeveloped terrain鈥攃ould be just the thing to save it, thought Zhang. Its shoots and glades, powder skiing in the trees, and off-piste terrain all make it the perfect place for discovery. There’s a “magic school bus,” as the locals call it, an abandoned school bus that found its way into the middle of the forest some 15, 20, years ago, that people hang around and take pictures in.

“What if instead of that old hippie-dippie bus, it was contemporary art by a really important artist, and it had even more of a wow factor, because it was a 30-foot sculpture that had a ton of excitement and artistic merit behind it,” Zhang imagined.

Awe, Art, and the Sublime

This initial idea evolved into creating an outdoor, skiable, open-air museum, one that will unlock a multi-season art experience: biking in the summer, hiking in the fall, skiing in the winter. There was a resounding “hell yes” from world-class artists, Zhang says, who were so excited by the ambition of creating something monumental at scale and integrated into nature and landscape. Light master James Turrell, text-based artist Jenny Holzer, and provocative sculptor Paul McCarthy are part of the lineup of iconic artists on board. And a major work of late land art pioneer Nancy Holt will be permanently installed at Powder Mountain.

These site-specific works will be permanently installed on Powder Mountain; several of the large-scale pieces already are, while some are in the works for an official unveiling in 2027. All the art will be free and accessible to the public via hiking and biking during summer and fall, and skiable with a lift ticket or season pass during the winter. And you don’t have to worry about dodging sculptures in the middle of a ski run: all artworks will be carefully placed to avoid disruption of the ski experience. In fact, you might not even find them, they’ll be so integrated into the landscape.

The first newly installed art piece, Relay (Powder Mountain) (2023), created by the art duo Gerard & Kelly, is a whimsical but functional ski magic carpet that takes people 90 feet up the ski slope on a converter belt covered by rainbow-banded canopy. Listener, Reflector, and Mother (2024) by Davina Semo consists of three six-foot bronze bells at the peaks of Powder Mountain. Right before you drop into your ski experience, you ring the bell, and it creates this amazing sound. The ring and echo is like a call and response that you hear in different parts of the mountain.

One of the much-anticipated works is by Turrell, who is no stranger to ambitious projects. (Take Roden Crater, a two-mile-wide extinct volcano in Arizona he’s been carving a naked-eye observatory into since 1977). The 82-year-old artist’s walk-in light installation Ganzfeld Apani (2011), originally commissioned for the 2011 Venice Biennale, is set to be installed in a trailside pavilion at Powder Mountain in 2027.

It’s a particularly fitting piece, as “Ganzfeld” refers to the German word to describe a “complete field” or perceptual deprivation, also known as the Ganzfeld effect. One of the ways this disorienting loss of depth perception is caused is by snow blindness during a blizzard, which can cause hallucinations. Turrell’s immersive installation changes colors and covers the entire space鈥攁 simulated “snow blindness” effect that could occur naturally on this same mountain.

“There’s always been this sort of fear coded into [our] DNA about [mountains], but always viewed as the sublime,” says Zhang. “Think of the landscape paintings in the 19th century of this sort of Manifest Destiny, and looking out and surveying a great land.”

For Zhang, the scale of mountains and the scale of land art both help us connect to a feeling that’s bigger than us.

“There’s an intrinsic obsession with the wonder and the scale of the mountains. It’s very humbling. It makes you feel smaller,” he says. “And to me, great art makes you feel the same. Great art is spiritual, or it’s transcendental, and it fills you with awe, and makes you, for a moment, forget about whatever was on your mind and be in the present moment.”

That feeling of the sublime, the feeling of spirituality, you get that when you’re in the presence of great nature, you get that when you’re in the presence of great art too, he believes. “And I think the fusion of those two together will create a very, very transcendental experience for people who might not even know that they’re looking for it.”

The Desert Canvas

A radical movement paved the way for today’s land art.

Picture this: It’s 1970, and you’re an artist who’s fed up with stuffy galleries and urban sprawl. So what do you do? You go west to push some boundaries and to collaborate with nature.

In the seventies, renegade artists decided the American West’s endless stretches of wild space were everything they needed. Armed with heavy rocks and cranes, and a healthy contempt for convention, they set out to make art so big, utterly un-sellable, and in the remotest of spaces that it would break the system.

Take Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (1970), a 1,500-foot-long coil of earth and black basalt jutting into Utah’s Great Salt Lake like some prehistoric sea monster taking a nap. Smithson moved 6,000 tons of material to create this 15-foot-wide walkway that spirals into pink algae鈥搕inged waters. The best part? Sometimes it disappears entirely when water levels rise, as if the lake itself is playing curator.

Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels (1973鈥�76) consists of four massive concrete cylinders arranged in Utah’s Great Basin Desert, like an ancient astronomical computer. Twice yearly, during solstices, the sun aligns perfectly with these tunnels, creating a light show that would make Pink Floyd weep. As Holt put it in a 1977 Artforum article, they “bring the vast space of the desert back to human scale.”

Michael Heizer looked at Nevada’s Mormon Mesa and thought, “You know what this needs? Giant trenches.” His Double Negative (1970) is exactly that: two massive cuts creating sculpture made entirely of absence. His City, a 1.5-mile behemoth of compacted rock and concrete, took 50 years to complete.

Then there’s James Turrell, who has spent the past five decades transforming Arizona’s Roden Crater鈥攁 two-mile-wide extinct volcano in the Painted Desert鈥攊nto a naked-eye observatory, carving chambers and tunnels that will, one day, open to the public.

The desert, it turns out, makes an excellent gallery. It never closes and the lighting is always perfect.

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I used to hate packing. It stressed me out because I never did a good job; I either forgot something important or brought stuff I didn’t need. But I鈥檝e discovered the best travel backpack that’s singlehandedly curing my travel stress: .

Here’s how the bag’s organization and design has reduced my packing volume and time by almost half, and, to my amazement, even made me look forward to the formerly dreaded task.

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As a former Washingtonian, I’m always quick to bust the myth that our nation’s capital is only about politics鈥攏o matter who’s in the White House. There’s so much more to do than hit the free Smithsonian museums and monuments along the Mall. Consistently ranked among the country’s fittest cities, D.C. is home to 694 parks鈥攊n a city of 68 square miles. And its nearly 2,000-acre outdoor heart, Rock Creek Park (the oldest federally-managed urban park in the United States), is more than twice the size of New York City’s Central Park. The miles of green space aren’t hard to access, either: it’s all Metro-accessible and easy to get to by hopping on a Capital Bikeshare e-bike (D.C. was the first city in North America to launch a modern bike-sharing program).

While summers are notoriously muggy and spring is crowded with cherry blossom鈥搒eeking tourists, the fall has always been my favorite time of year to get outside in the District, especially as the leaves start to turn fiery gold. I’m not alone; this October in D.C., a record-breaking 40,000 runners will take on the Marine Corps Marathon, aka the “People’s Marathon,” for its 50th anniversary.

On a recent visit to my once-hometown, I returned to my favorite parks and trails, and caught up with a few current locals to get their picks for what visitors shouldn’t miss right now.

Parks and Trails

1. Hike Through D.C.’s Urban Oasis

“Go in one side, and come out the other. Get lost a bit,” recommends D.C. local Kay Rodriguez, founder of , a new social platform that matches like-minded people for walks around D.C. Her go-to escape in D.C. is , which has more than 32 miles of wooded trails and paths. By popular demand post-pandemic, there’s now approximately five miles of twisty-turn roadway through the park that’s car-free year-round. This is not only welcome by cyclists, but for visitors with disabilities who now have more access to the park.

2. Paddle on the Potomac River with Monumental Views

Some of my most memorable evenings outside in D.C. were catching the sunset from a kayak, or stand-up paddleboard on the Potomac River, as I paddled past aglow landmarks, such as Watergate, the Kennedy Center, and the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. , a Georgetown institution under the Francis Scott Key Bridge, offers rentals, classes, and group paddling tours.

3. Explore Nature Trails on Theodore Roosevelt Island

After kayaking around it for years while living in D.C., I finally stepped foot on in the middle of the Potomac River. You won’t believe you are still in the city while strolling through 2.5 miles of nature trails in this 88.5-acre wooded sanctuary.

4. Stroll Through Meridian Hill Park

For the last 50 years on any Sunday afternoon with decent weather, you’ll find a lively drum circle and dancing in , aka Malcolm X Park. This longtime tradition began in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement, and now celebrates black liberation and defines this community park between Columbia Heights and Adams Morgan. “We end all our Outerly walks at Meridian Hill Park; it’s a great spot to see the cross populations of this city,” says Rodriguez.

5. Run or Roller-skate Along the River

, with its wide paved trail, frequently is used as a site for 5Ks. But the coolest thing here? An open-air roller-skating pavilion鈥攖he only one in a National Parks Service site, which also offers free skate rentals in the summer.

Food and Fuel

6. Bike for Brews

links 12 of the city’s most popular breweries and bars, all bikeable or walkable via the , which stretches from Union Station through the revitalized neighborhoods of NoMa, Eckington and Brookland. “Grab a Rowdy Rye Ale or Silent Neighbor Stout, two favorites, from , a 100-percent solar powered brewery,” recommends O’Shannon Burns, a D.C. local and sustainability consultant.

[Editor鈥檚 Note: Atlas Brew Works announced after this issue went to print that it will close its location along the Metropolitan Beer Trail at the end of September. They have several other locations in the area, including at the Navy Yard in DC, and at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport airport.]

7. Low-key Food Heaven

If a Top Chef is in town, is where you’d spot them. D.C.’s hippest food hall in NoMa features gourmet bites from more than 40 food and beverage spots. Standouts include: the two-story Levantine-themed La’ Shukran bar-bistro-roof terrace; TaKorean’s Korean style Bulgogi beef and tofu tacos; Fishwife’s salmon cheesesteak; and Immigrant Food’s Havana sandwich.

8. Hyperlocal and Forest-to-table

“The owners of D.C.’s Spanish cider company ANXO have opened a new restaurant called Poplar with chef and forager Iulian Fortu. Their weekly veggie-centric menu often features wild ingredients from around D.C., and their candied candy cap mushroom cheesecake was incredible and unlike anything I’ve ever had before,” says Burns.

9. Year-round Waterfront Farmer-focused Dining

Rain or shine, Farmers Fishers & Bakers’ patio on the Potomac River in Georgetown is open. This is one of the three DC locations of , a farmer-owned restaurant group sourcing from local family farms, ranches and fisheries. Their scratch-made American classics include chicken and waffles and seafood jambalaya.

10. D.C.’s Signature Dish: The Half-smoke

Forget oft-mentioned Ben’s Chili Bowl鈥攁nd your plant-based diet鈥攁nd try D.C.’s iconic half-smoke, a spicy sausage meets hot dog dish, at local hot spot . You can visit two locations in D.C.: one in Bloomingdale NW and the other in historic Anacostia SE.

Where to Stay

11. Arlo Washington DC

Last fall I checked out , one of the newest hotels in D.C. While the White House is only a 20-minute walk away, you won’t see any sign of buttoned-up politics at this new Arlo outpost in the Judiciary Square area. There’s a fresh, creative vibe here with Mindbender local art covering the elevators, rooftop yoga, soundbaths, live music, and affordable restaurants (and happy hours) created by one of D.C.’s most famous chefs, Pepe Moncayo.

12. Eaton Workshop

“ is more than a hotel鈥攖hey host local art exhibitions, vinyl DJ nights, wellness activities, and a coworking space where many local community organizations base their operations. Throughout the property there are nods to the many Black Americans who have shaped D.C.’s history and culture, and their bar Allegory is one of the best in the city,” says Burns.

Wellness and Fitness

13. DC Bouldering Project

“[] is hands-down one of my favorite community spaces in the city,” says Rodriguez, who climbs and works out at the gym and uses the coworking space. “Not only is it friendly for climbers of all levels, but it’s a great place to make friends, get some exercise, and push yourself,” says Tyrhee Moore, the founder of , a nonprofit bridging Black and Brown communities to nature. He hosts some of Soul Trak’s meetups here. “It’s been such a powerful space for both new and seasoned climbers to grow together. It’s been more than a gym for us, it’s a space for connection, community and pushing boundaries.”

14. Kraken Kourts & Skates

Pick up a paddle and a beer at , what Rodriguez calls a “social fitness center” with indoor pickleball, roller skating, and a bar. Indoor lawn games like cornhole, giant Jenga, and darts surround 14 pickleball courts.

15. Vida Fitness at The Yards

When I was back in town, I got a day pass ($45) at , in D.C.’s Capital Riverfront neighborhood. I was blown away by all the amenities in the 30,000 square foot wellness and fitness club: steam rooms, saunas, full-service locker room, Peloton bikes, and an array of classes, from Sweatbox to heated yoga and Pilates. They offer cold plunge tubs at their Logan Circle location, too.

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This year, experts predict 21 states across North America will experience the most vibrant fall foliage, making these the top stops for leaf peeping in the coming months.

Most states will begin to experience fall foliage around mid-September through early November. Those located in the northern and midwestern U.S. states can expect to see fall foliage by late September, according to . Areas in New England, the Pacific Northwest, and the Blue Ridge Mountains will see peak foliage by mid-October.

When tree leaves change color depends on the latitude in which they鈥檙e located. As the days get shorter and temperatures cooler, trees slow their growth and production of the green pigment chlorophyll, shifting foliage from shades of green to deep hues of red, orange and yellow.

September 22 marks this year鈥檚 Autumnal equinox, when the Earth鈥檚 equator is directly aligned with the sun鈥攐ne of just two days each year with roughly equal amounts of daylight and darkness.

The Best Places to Leaf-Peep This Fall

According to the Almanac, these are the top 21 places you can see fall foliage this year:

1. Acadia National Park, Maine
2. Ozark Mountains, Arkansas
3. Adirondack and Catskill Mountains, New York
4. Traverse City, Michigan
5. Black Hills, South Dakota
6. Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia and North Carolina
7. Kancamagus Highway, White Mountains, New Hampshire
8. Pere Marquette State Park, Illinois
9. Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia
10. Jackson, Wyoming
11. Connecticut River Valley, Connecticut
12. Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, Utah
13. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
14. Buckhorn Lake State Park, Kentucky
15. Vogel State Park and Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia
16. Door County, Wisconsin
17. Poconos, Pennsylvania
18. Green Mountain Byway, Vermont
19. Gatlinburg & Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
20. The Berkshires, Massachusetts
21. Taos, New Mexico

A time-lapse map showing predicted peak foliage of these areas and more can be viewed .

Since 1792, The Old Farmer鈥檚 Almanac has predicted weather forecasts, calculated tides, and compiled sunrise and sunset times. Forecasters at the Almanac聽compile their fall foliage predictions based on reports by readers. Though the publication claims 80 percent accuracy, others suggest they are only .

Regardless, foliage peepers say it鈥檚 best to visit these places when the weather is calm, as rain can make trees look soggy and wind can cause trees to prematurely lose their brightly hued leaves. Not all trees change color, so be sure to visit areas rich in broad-leaf deciduous trees, or those that shed their leaves annually, such as oak, birch and beech trees.

If you want to scout out the fall foliage ahead of visiting in person, the webcam site has dozens of livestream views of fall foliage across North America, from Sitka, Alaska, to Rising Fawn, Georgia.

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