{"id":9429,"date":"2026-03-25T21:34:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T21:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=9429"},"modified":"2026-03-25T21:34:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T21:34:32","slug":"spending-time-outdoors-is-great-experiencing-awe-is-even-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=9429","title":{"rendered":"Spending Time Outdoors is Great. Experiencing Awe is Even Better."},"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>Groundbreaking research shows how spending time in awe-inspiring places like Lake Tahoe boosts well-being in measurable ways<\/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\">Hiking in Lake Tahoe.<!-- --> (Photo: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published March 25, 2026 02:14PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Until recently, \u201cawe\u201d was not something that academic researchers studied. But when Dr. Paul Piff, a social psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, became interested in the experience of awe, he had a radical idea. What if you could actually measure it? What if you could design a research project that produced evidence-based data about the effect of awe on the people experiencing it? The result was an unprecedented study led by Piff and his team, who traveled to one of the most awe-inspiring places in the world\u2014<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=2285648&amp;s=2285646\">Lake Tahoe<\/a>\u2014and interviewed more than a thousand people.<\/p>\n<p>Good news for everyone who likes the outdoors: The study shows that feeling awe produces measurable improvements on overall well-being, contentment, connection to the world, and care for the environment. And that\u2019s just the start. Whether people were on the hiking trail, along the lakeshore, on the water, or looking out from stunning viewpoints, their feelings of awe had lasting effects. Learn more about this groundbreaking research in the three-part video series, \u201cBeyond Awestruck: The Scientific Search for Connection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here are some of the key findings shared by Dr. Piff.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight:400\" aria-checked=\"false\" aria-level=\"1\">Focusing on an epic view for two minutes can increase happiness by 33%.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight:400\" aria-checked=\"false\" aria-level=\"1\">A quick hike can make you 9% more refreshed, calm, and re-energized.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight:400\" aria-checked=\"false\" aria-level=\"1\">Going kayaking can reduce anxiety by 7%.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight:400\" aria-checked=\"false\" aria-level=\"1\">Awe experiences boost life satisfaction by 8%.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight:400\" aria-checked=\"false\" aria-level=\"1\">Experiencing awe boosts environmental stewardship by more than 20%.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight:400\" aria-checked=\"false\" aria-level=\"1\">Experiencing awe increases connection to the world by 12%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Convinced? Do Your Own Experiment on These Awe-Inspiring Tahoe Hikes.<\/p>\n<h2>The Tahoe Rim Trail<\/h2>\n<p>The 165-mile <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=2285650&amp;s=2285646\">Tahoe Rim Trail<\/a> is one of the country\u2019s best \u201cshort long\u201d trails, as it can be done in less than two weeks\u2014no need to quit your job\u2014and the views-per-mile can\u2019t be beat as it circumnavigates the lake and surrounding mountains. For thru-hikers, it\u2019s a great way to experience the High Sierra landscape, but it can also be completed in smaller chunks. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association breaks it into <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/tahoerimtrail.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/How-to-Break-the-Tahoe-Rim-Trail-into-14-Day-Hikes-updated.pdf\">14 individual day hikes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2735727\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Tahoe Rim Trail\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2735727\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tahoe-Teaser-2_inline_1-scaled.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tahoe-Teaser-2_inline_1-scaled.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">Tahoe Rim Trail.<\/span> (Photo: Visit Lake Tahoe)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><b>Mount Tallac Trail<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s hard to miss <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=2285652&amp;s=2285646\">Mount Tallac<\/a> standing watch over the vibrant blue waters of Lake Tahoe. No other mountain in the region strikes that awe-inspiring balance of towering height (9,738 feet) and proximity to the shoreline, and the view from the top is just as spectacular. This imposing peak is a popular yet strenuous hike. The five-mile trip to the summit tackles almost 3,300 feet of elevation as it wanders through tall pines, past serene alpine lakes, and atop open ridgelines, culminating in the most dramatic views of Lake Tahoe found anywhere.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2735725\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Mount Tallac.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1698\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2735725\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tahoe-Teaser-2_inline_2-scaled.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tahoe-Teaser-2_inline_2-scaled.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">Mount Tallac Trail.<\/span> (Photo: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><b>Round Lake via Big Meadow<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The hike to Round Lake via the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=2285657&amp;s=2285646\">Big Meadow Trail<\/a> is like a Tahoe highlight reel, meandering through the aptly named meadow toward the lake, passing shady forests, pockets of wildflowers, and quiet creek crossings. Surrounded by rugged High Sierra cliffs, Round Lake gives hikers a remote backcountry feel after only three miles of one-way travel. The trail slowly gains its 1,200 feet of elevation after a quick series of steep switchbacks.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2735726\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Big Meadow\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2735726\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tahoe-Teaser-2_inline_3.jpeg?width=1080&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x, https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tahoe-Teaser-2_inline_3.jpeg?width=2048&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 2x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tahoe-Teaser-2_inline_3.jpeg?width=2048&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">Big Meadow Trail.<\/span> (Photo: Visit Lake Tahoe)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr\/>\n<p><i>Lake Tahoe is a jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, awe-inducing experience. (And there is research to prove it.) Visit Lake Tahoe shares the wonder of this iconic alpine lake with the world and works passionately to preserve its grandeur and good times for endless generations. Explore things to do, places to stay and all the reasons to visit the South Shore of Lake Tahoe 365 days a year at <\/i><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=2285659&amp;s=2285646\"><i>VisitLakeTahoe.com.<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/adventure-travel\/destinations\/north-america\/spending-time-outdoors-is-great-experiencing-awe-is-even-better\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Groundbreaking research shows how spending time in awe-inspiring places like Lake Tahoe boosts well-being in measurable ways Hiking in Lake Tahoe. (Photo: Getty Images) Published March 25, 2026 02:14PM Until recently, \u201cawe\u201d was not something that academic researchers studied. But when Dr. Paul Piff, a social psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, became interested<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9429","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wild-living"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9429","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=9429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}