Great Outdoors U.S.A.: 1,000 Adventures Across All 50 States

by National Geographic Society

Discover the adventures located right in your own backyard! From exhilarating mountain biking trails and forest rope courses to easy day hikes and lake excursions, this comprehensive collection offers more than 1,000 exciting escapades to experience across the United States.

In this information-packed guide, uncover the best walking, biking, and hiking trails in your home state, along with other outdoor activities including birdwatching, outdoor yoga, ziplining, kayaking, forest bathing, skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, and so much more. Consider


Featuring 20 activities in every state geared to a wide range of experience levels, as well as family-friendly activities and accessible options with inclusion in mind, this beautifully illustrated book will make it difficult to stay indoors—and it will inspire you to create your own bucket list of exhilarating adventures. So get ready to get out there! The magic of the great outdoors is right in your own backyard.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Nature, Outdoors

736 pages, Paperback

Published August 29, 2023

About the author

The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company), the Society operates the magazine, TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Outdoors U.S.A. is the kind of publication you expect from National Geographic: Beautifully illustrated with well written informative text. In this case, it’s a catalog of the 20 most interesting activities you can enjoy in each of the 50 states. Lots of recommendations, so you can take your pick of adventures!

But you’ll want this book for the photos—the achingly beautiful image of the Vermillion Cliffs in Arizona made me want to hop on a plane to see it for myself! And the action shot of riding the Colorado River rapids is amazing.

A few of the image choices had me scratching my head: the Grand Canyon, one of the most stunning views on the planet, is represented by a photograph of a Cactus Wren, and some photos look like they were snapped by smartphone cameras (the Pipe Stream National Monument photo gave me that vibe). But those are minor nits in this otherwise excellent book.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the Arizona section of this book in return for an honest review.

[Amanda Alviz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reviewing a sample of this book. I happened to get the Arizona portion, which is where I live. The photos are beautiful. The beginning of the chapter has a map of the state with all the locations of where the highlights are. This is a helpful snapshot of the state and can help plan out a route for exploring. I am an outdoor enthusiast and google/research all of the outdoor things to do. This book covers the biggest highlights, but then also included a list at the end with additional activities and places to explore. I was surprised to learn a few things from this list.

This book does a quick overview of each place, it is not an in depth description by any means. However, if you are looking for the best outdoor adventures in each state, this would be a great book to grab! And did I mention the photos are beautiful?

Thanks to Netgalley and National Geographic for a sample of this beautiful book.

[Lauren | TransportedLFL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and National Geographic for the complimentary book. These opinions are my own.

This is such a great book. It's a thick 700 pages because it includes more than 1,000 places and activities across all 50 states.

The table of contents is organized by state, so of course, I immediately flipped to my home of Oregon. I was so impressed to find a mix of places that I already know and love (the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail and the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm) and places that I clearly need to road trip to. Just here in Oregon, there are scenic adventures including climbing, horseback riding, hot air balloon rides, zip lining, and gorgeous hikes.

I can't wait to explore all of the neat options here and when I travel. I know I will be returning to this book time and again for inspiration. And of course, the photos that accompany the text are absolutely spectacular. I highly recommend this book for planning your next road trip.

[Inga Hein Andree · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, thank you to NetGalley and National Geographic for an early sample of this title!

The sample chapter covered Arizona, which is perfect because that is where I live! :) I absolutely loved the stunning pictures, they are certainly going to entice people to travel to those locations. Further, I really appreciated that activities other than the typical hiking and camping were covered. Snow activities, such as skiing and snowboarding, equestrian, and cycling were mentioned, and not just as an afterthought. While the "big" locations were highlighted, the chapter ended with some lesser known, but still honorable mentioned, locations and their claims to fame. Overall, I thought this book would be a good addition to any home that wants to do ALL the outdoor activities throughout all the states!

[Lorena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book is filled with exactly the sort of gorgeous photographs one might expect from National Geographic. This 736-page book provides an overview of 1,000 adventures, including hikes, ski slopes, bike trails, swimming holes, birding areas, and other sites of interest for outdoor activities. Each state gets a chapter that includes a map and a description of 20 adventures. Descriptions range from a couple of sentences to several paragraphs, just enough to inspire interest and provide a few tips.

At just over 7 by 9 inches, this paperback is a practical size to take with you on your travels. It would be a great gift for anyone with a sense of adventure who enjoys road trips combined with outdoor activities.

Thanks to National Geographic for providing me with an unproofed ARC sample through NetGalley.

[Russell Goulet · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. Of course, the first thing I had to do was to check to see what places in my home state were listed and see how many I had visited. I did the same for states where my children live and then surrounding states. This wonderful books lists a lot of well known places, but emphasizes some lesser known gems as well. Well worth a look and then make a list of the places you will want to visit. So many great ideas, so little time to see them all.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book lists off the beaten path of places to go in each of the 50 states. The photos are gorgeous. It covers hiking, biking and even ballooning. This is a great book for those who want to see the different areas without a lot of people. This would make a nice present for those who know people who want adventure but don't know what to buy them. For transparency, I won this in a giveaway but it didn't influence my review. This is a type a book to buy for myself.

[Breeny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book with details on so many interesting places. I loved the photos and summaries of each location and the key indicating what activities are best there. This is great for planning trips especially to find the best outdoor locations and activities. I appreciate winning this in a goodreads giveaway and will definitely put it to use in planning future travels.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sample has me very excited to purchase this book and get to read the whole thing. It is going to add way too many things on my dream travel list, but wow just the few I saw were inspiring. I love the cover, layout, pictures, everything.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I’ve always enjoyed National Geographic books and this one didn’t disappoint! Even though it was only a sample, the information and pictures were great. I’ll definitely be adding this to my collection.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fantastic! It is difficult to cover everything single park to hike or camp, you would have to have a book for each state. I’m leaving this as unread so I can remember to reference it when I travel! I highly recommend!

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.

[Mikaela Nabity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures and interesting ideas for what to do in every state. A great coffee table book for inspiration.

[Evin]

Very good explaining about the states of america which can help me when I go to the us