We don’t necessarily have to go outside to witness how amazing Nature is. We can do it from the comfort of our homes while protecting others. Whether you’re choosing to stay indoors or not, here are some amazing indoor experiences to try:
Virtual Tours
To bring the outdoors inside, Travel and Leisure lists five national parks you can visit from your couch. It includes Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park, Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park, New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park, and Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park.
Explore Yellowstone National Park and learn about the history of the park at the same time.
Virtual Yosemite Tour provides us a tour unlike any other. With full 360° photos, it almost feels like you’re there.
Google Earth lets us island-hop the Hawaiian islands without expensive airline tickets.
We also created a list of our Top Ten National Parks to visit virtually.
Outdoor Adventure Movies and Videos
Everyone loves a good adventure movie that takes us to places we may never be able to visit in person, especially when we want to bring the outdoors inside. If you’re a movie buff, check out some of these movies and videos to keep you entertained for hours, even days.
Netflix
Uproxx lists the best travel movies on Netflix right now. The ones that stood out to us the most were Kon-Tiki Expedition (2012) and On The Road (2012). GearJunkie created its own list of 10 Best Outdoor Documentaries Streaming on Netflix like Dawn Wall, Night on Earth, Icarus, and National Parks Adventure. So if we can’t hike it, climb it, or bike it, at least we can watch others do it.
If outdoor movies aren’t your thing and you’re looking for more survival films, check out this list by GearJunkie. They list films like Into the Wild and The Way Back, both inspired by true stories. We can rest assured knowing that we won’t accidentally eat poisonous berries on our couch.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime offers a decent choice of outdoor flicks. Again, GearJunkie provides a solid list of outdoor documentaries that may make you appreciate the outdoors (and indoors alike) a little bit more.
Outsider also lists several adventure videos on Amazon Prime like The Great Alone, where a once-homeless addict and cancer survivor takes on The Iditarod Trail, the toughest dog sled race in the world. Or get lost in Six Million Steps: A Journey Inward, as you watch endurance hikers attempt the 2,650-mile course of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Hulu
We found a few movies currently available (as of March 2020) to inspire wanderlust. There’s Free Solo, a hand-sweating documentary of Alex Honnold’s free solo climb up El Capitan.
Watch Jane, a documentary on the life of Jane Goodall’s research on chimpanzees that changed how we view the natural world.
Throw it way back to 1845 with Meek’s Cutoff, a film about three families hiring Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade Mountains.
Red Bull TV
If you want more adrenaline-pumping action films to bring the outdoors inside, try out Red Bull TV. Red Bull TV produces its own videos that you can stream for free here. They have their own list of adventure movies you can watch on their website like Rebecca Rusch’s Blood Road. Check out some of these adventures of a lifetime.
Teton Gravity
Red Bull TV isn’t the only video-producing company. Teton Gravity produces videos that are bound to get that adventure bone itching. Lucky for us, Teton Gravity curated a list of their best content to keep you stoked all Coronavirus-season long.
Ted Talks
If you’re simultaneously looking for adventure with some education built-in, look no further than Ted Talks. Here’s a list of some educational, motivational, and inspirational Ted Talks about the outdoors.
How I Climbed a 3,000-foot Vertical Cliff Without Ropes
Photos of Africa, Taken From a Flying Lawn Chair
Why I’m Rowing Across the Pacific
9 Life Lessons From Rock Climbing
How We’re Saving One of Earth’s Last Wild Places
The Mysterious World of Underwater Caves
To Raise Brave Girls, Encourage Adventure
Get Lost in a Book to Bring the Outdoors Inside
If you’re more of a bookworm, we searched through Good Reads. Here are the Top Ten most popular outdoor adventure books based on the number of ratings:
Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston
Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
The Last Season by Eric Blehm
Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read
No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World’s 14 Highest Peaks by Ed Viesturs and David Roberts
For other outdoor adventure books check out Outside’s Essential Books for the Well-Read Explorer, Backpacker’s 13 Outdoor Books Everyone Should Read, and Outward Bound’s Best Outdoor Books to Read in 2018.
The most important thing is to stay positive during times like these and to appreciate what we currently have. For those who can go outside and explore (locally), take solace in the fact that you have access to open space and nature. Not everyone around the world has the privilege to explore the outdoors right now.
For those who cannot go outside, immerse yourself in virtual tours, videos, and books and live vicariously through others.
When you go back outside, remember the Leave No Trace Principles and to minimize your impact on the environment.
