{"id":13926,"date":"2026-05-27T10:14:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T10:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=13926"},"modified":"2026-05-27T10:14:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T10:14:29","slug":"the-future-of-the-american-outdoors-is-already-taking-shape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=13926","title":{"rendered":"The Future of the American Outdoors Is Already Taking Shape"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>As the United States&#8217;s big birthday approaches, meet the people and forces redrawing its outdoor future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\"> (Photo: Kathleen Fu)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published May 27, 2026 04:01AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>This July 4, the United States will celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Across the nation, this semiquincentennial milestone provides a moment for reflection on where we\u2019ve been, where we\u2019re going\u2014and what we dream of achieving. What will the next 250 years hold for our nation? (Will we still be a nation in 250 years?)<\/p>\n<p>On the eve of this big birthday, we look at the people, places, and forces reshaping our outdoors, from sea to shining sea.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"1\">Beyond Belonging<\/h2>\n<p>By Gloria Liu<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2742564\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2742739\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"colorful illustration of someone DJ'ing in the back of a car with a surfboard\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1529\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2742739\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/OM0226_FEA250_002-scaled.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/OM0226_FEA250_002-scaled.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">(Illustration: Kathleen Fu)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From surf clubs to land trusts, leaders are broadening culture and protecting land to ensure nature is truly accessible for the next century and beyond.<\/p>\n<p class=\"buy-button flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-0 md:gap-2\"><span class=\"\">READ MORE<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"2\">The Route 66 Redux<\/h2>\n<p>By Jessica Dunham<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2742611\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Classic cars in front of fake wigwams.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2742611\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250-route-66_wigwams.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250-route-66_wigwams.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">(Photo: Destination Scenics\/Alamy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On its centennial, the nation\u2019s Mother Road gets a glow-up with boutique hotels and pavement that sings (for real).<\/p>\n<p class=\"buy-button flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-0 md:gap-2\"><span class=\"\">READ MORE<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"3\">Tribal Current<\/h2>\n<p>By Len Necefer<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2742702\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"illustration of an EV charging station on Route 66, representing the work of Electric Nation\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2742702\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/electricnationfeat.png?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/electricnationfeat.png?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">(Illustration: Kathleen Fu, Background Image: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Forget federal maps\u2014Native nations are bypassing gridlock to lead the electrification of the road on their own terms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"buy-button flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-0 md:gap-2\"><span class=\"\">READ MORE<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"4\">Meet the Politician Who Ran Across America<\/h2>\n<p>By Frederick Dreier<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2742578\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Greg Nance holding a flag in front of a state sign.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2742578\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_greg-nance-flag.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_greg-nance-flag.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">(Photo: Roc Powell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Greg Nance, House Representative from Washington, recently jogged the length of the Mississippi River to learn more about the country\u2019s political divide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"buy-button flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-0 md:gap-2\"><span class=\"\">READ MORE<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"5\">Finders, Keepers<\/h2>\n<p>By Beth Kracklauer<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2742570\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Two people foraging food in the woods.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2742570\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_foraging.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_foraging.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">(Photo: Kristian Thacker)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>American Rust Belt landscapes are ripe for rediscovery. In postindustrial Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, these foragers are taking a radical approach to stewardship of their environment: they\u2019re eating it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"buy-button flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-0 md:gap-2\"><span class=\"\">READ MORE<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"6\">The Campfire Is Dead. Long Live the Campfire.<\/h2>\n<p>In a hotter, drier American West, manufactured fire pits are the new thing to gather \u2019round.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2742626\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Illustration of a person heating skewered hotdogs over a fire pit.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2742626\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_campfire.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_campfire.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">(Illustration: Kathleen Fu)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Colorado is in the middle of its driest year since record-keeping began: In the middle of April, snowpack was at 19 percent of the median, meaning it\u2019s less than one-fourth of what the state usually has this time of year, according to the USDA National Water and Climate Center. Twenty-four counties are already in various levels of fire restriction, from warnings to outright bans (no smoking, no sparking, no friction at all, please). For Coloradans\u2014and the more than 95 million visitors to the state each year\u2014that means no campfires this summer.<\/p>\n<p>The campfire is an enduring image: the first concept of human ingenuity and community, enshrined as an American icon thanks to Westerns, made modern by campfire rings. It\u2019s where we go to cook hot dogs, roast s\u2019mores, and swap stories from the trail. Is it bound to be another casualty of climate change?<\/p>\n<p>Maybe. But American companies are stepping in to help you keep the fire going. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/breeo.com\/\">Breeo<\/a>, designed and manufactured in Pennsylvania, makes smokeless, portable fire pits with stainless steel canisters and heat shields so that embers are better contained. Still want a fire in a stage 2 ban? <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howlcampfires.com\/\">Howl Campfires<\/a> designs and builds propane-powered pits in Colorado.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGathering around the fire\u201d may change, from a smoky, crackling bonfire to a calmer, blue-based flame\u2014but at this point, evolution is the American way.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><em>\u2014Jessica Campbell-Salley<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"7\">The Great Urban Dip<\/h2>\n<p>By Patrick Scott<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2742644\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A swimmer dives into a large city river at sunset.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2742644\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_urban-swimming-sunset.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_urban-swimming-sunset.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">(Photo: Dustin Pattison)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Once-toxic rivers are becoming the nation\u2019s newest playgrounds as swimmers reclaim their right to city waters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"buy-button flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-0 md:gap-2\"><span class=\"\">READ MORE<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"8\">The Rewilding of the Schoolyard<\/h2>\n<p>By Abigail Wise<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2742554\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Collage showing a before and after of a schoolyard transformed into a park.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2742554\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_schoolyards.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_schoolyards.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">(Photo: Courtesy Trust for Public Land)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A national movement is swapping concrete playgrounds for ecosystems to ensure every child has nature within reach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"buy-button flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-0 md:gap-2\"><span class=\"\">READ MORE<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"9\">Georgia\u2019s Ocmulgee Mounds and the Race for Park Number 64<\/h2>\n<p>By Sheeka Sanahori<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2742665\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Ocmulgee Mounds\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2742665\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_ocmulgee-mounds.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/americas-next-250_ocmulgee-mounds.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">(Photo: Courtesy Visit Macon CBF)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And 65, and beyond. From the ceremonial earth lodges of Georgia\u2019s Ocmulgee Mounds to the rugged peaks of Maine\u2019s Katahdin, America\u2019s landscape could be on the verge of a historic expansion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"buy-button flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-0 md:gap-2\"><span class=\"\">READ MORE<\/span><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>This article is from the Summer 2026 issue of Outside magazine. To receive the print magazine, <i>become an Outside+ member here<\/i><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/culture\/essays-culture\/americas-next-250-outdoors\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the United States&#8217;s big birthday approaches, meet the people and forces redrawing its outdoor future. (Photo: Kathleen Fu) Published May 27, 2026 04:01AM This July 4, the United States will celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Across the nation, this semiquincentennial milestone provides a moment for reflection on where<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}