Photo Credits

We use freely licensed photography rather than stock imagery, and we credit every frame we publish. Images are cropped to a 16:9 frame for layout; nothing else is altered. Licences that forbid commercial use or derivative works are never used, because this site carries advertising and affiliate links.

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Home page hero (1)

• hero Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer) CC BY 4.0 Sunrise over a valley in Capileira, Sierra Nevada National Park (DSCF5388).jpg

Section covers (6)

• destinations Roy Egloff CC BY-SA 4.0 CH.VS.Zermatt 2021-10-17 Matterhorn 8726.jpg
• gear BLM Oregon & Washington Public domain Rincon Wilderness Study Area (34578059096).jpg
• planning mypubliclands Public domain Outstanding Achievement- Janice Shepherd, Grand Junction Field Office, CO (34690015331).jpg
• safety 1st Lt. Jeffrey Rivard Public domain 15th CST trains with Army Mountain Warfare School instructors in South Carolina 130417-A-WM282-629.jpg
• stories Coconino National Forest Public domain Fossil Springs Trail No. 18 (32269296005).jpg
• travel-tips Austin Ban austinban CC0 Backpackers following a dirt trail (Unsplash).jpg

Destination covers (10)

• dest-alps kuhnmi CC BY 2.0 Alps of Switzerland Matterhorn (23979169808).jpg
• dest-amazon Unknown Public domain Amazon.A2002182.1405.1km.jpg
• dest-cambodia Pierre André Leclercq CC BY-SA 4.0 2014-Cambodge Angkor Wat (21).jpg
• dest-iceland Jakub Hałun CC BY 4.0 Skógafoss Waterfall, Iceland, 20240720 1318 2975.jpg
• dest-japan Alpsdake CC0 Mount Fuji from Lake Yamanaka 1994-12-10.jpg
• dest-nepal Bijay Chaurasia CC BY-SA 4.0 Annapurna-I, Annapurna South and Himchuli from Ghorepani Poonhill.jpg
• dest-new-zealand W. Bulach CC BY-SA 4.0 00 1371 New Zealand - Milford Sound.jpg
• dest-peru Diego Delso CC BY-SA 4.0 Machu Picchu, Perú, 2015-07-30, DD 37.jpg
• dest-southeast-asia Jakub Hałun CC BY 4.0 Bai Chay beach, Ha Long, Vietnam, 20240129 0915 3958.jpg
• dest-usa Dietmar Rabich CC BY-SA 4.0 Grand Canyon (Arizona, USA), South Rim nahe Tusayan -- 2012 -- 5892.jpg

Natural wonder covers (7)

• place-canyons King of Hearts CC BY-SA 4.0 Lower Antelope Canyon November 2018 001.jpg
• place-caves Trantuanviet CC BY-SA 4.0 A Beam Through the Darkness - Son Doong Cave.jpg
• place-deserts Mustang Joe CC0 Berber guide walking the dunes of the Sahara - Morocco.jpg
• place-glaciers IlyaHaykinson CC BY 2.0 Glacial iceberg in Argentina.jpg
• place-islands Ibrahim Asad CC BY 3.0 Hithadhoo Road side, The Island Nation - panoramio.jpg
• place-lakes Terry Ott CC BY 2.0 Canada - Alberta - Banff National Park - Moraine Lake.jpg
• place-landforms Chmee2 CC BY 3.0 Giant's Causeway (14).JPG

Expedition guide covers (8)

• guide-camping National Park Service Public domain A small tent with a blue tarp draped over it sits in a clearing between trees. (46645bde-1a56-4bca-bdcf-5d48330ee411).jpg
• guide-caving James St. John CC BY 2.0 Broken travertine stalactites (Crystal Onyx Cave, near Cave City, Kentucky, USA) 1 (23920237015).jpg
• guide-diving Jstuby CC0 Star coral 12e Molasses Reef 20230714.jpg
• guide-hiking Hermann CC0 Mountaineering Man Trail Path Mountains.jpg
• guide-ice-climbing Wilson Hui from Calgary, Canada CC BY 2.0 Ice Climbers on Frozen Waterfall - Johnston Canyon (15634069953).jpg
• guide-photography Vyacheslav Argenberg CC BY 4.0 Geghard landscape, Armenia.jpg
• guide-planning BLM Oregon & Washington Public domain Chimney Rock Hike (28116034280).jpg
• guide-safety Jason Hollinger CC BY 2.0 Pack Gong (3144438149).jpg

Gear library covers (6)

• gear-backpacks Vyacheslav Argenberg CC BY 4.0 Baikal Railway, Hiker, Hiking, Russia.jpg
• gear-cameras Suyash Dwivedi CC BY-SA 4.0 +20x Macro Lens 58mm for DSLR (3).jpg
• gear-hiking-boots GT1976 CC BY-SA 4.0 2018-01-01 (212) McKinley Hiking boots.jpg
• gear-navigation BLM Oregon & Washington Public domain North Barr Trailhead – Cline Buttes Recreation Area (27802145814).jpg
• gear-tents Abir Khan 47 CC BY-SA 3.0 Camping at Fairy Meadows.jpg
• gear-water-filters Tony Webster from United States CC BY 2.0 Cnoc Outdoors Vecto 2L Water Bag (49052147112).jpg

Article images (60)

• 10-most-dangerous-hikes-in-the-world-and-how-to-survive-them Frayle from Salamanca, España Public domain Caminito del Rey (33354003622).jpg
• 12-places-on-earth-that-look-like-another-planet Vyacheslav Argenberg CC BY 4.0 Jordan, Wadi Rum Desert, Camel.jpg
• 5-abandoned-towns-in-the-american-southwest-you-can-still-visit King of Hearts CC BY-SA 4.0 Bodie September 2016 004.jpg
• 5-extreme-caves-only-expert-divers-can-enter Serge Melki from Indianapolis, USA CC BY 2.0 Dos Ojos Cenote (4313199821).jpg
• 7-hidden-hiking-trails-in-utah-almost-no-one-knows-about BLMUtah Public domain Day 4- Slot Canyon (19963963168).jpg
• 7-navigation-skills-every-explorer-needs-no-phone-needed Department of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994 Public domain A member of the A-10 recovery team checks his heading with a compass and map as he searches for the four 500 pound Mark 82 bombs that were carried by the A-10 that crashed on Gold D - DPLA - 23f1c408cba2de431ae1517c991323d9.jpeg
• 8-deserts-that-look-nothing-like-a-desert Giles Laurent CC BY-SA 4.0 006 Dune 45 in Sossusvlei at sunrise Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg
• adventure-travel-insurance-guide brewbooks from near Seattle, USA CC BY-SA 2.0 At Rainier Summit Crater - Flickr - brewbooks.jpg
• best-hiking-destinations-for-beginners Cactus26 CC BY-SA 3.0 AntonispitzeFromSE.JPG
• best-portable-water-filters-compared-2026 Forest Service Photography Public domain El Yunque National Forest Recreation (20230408-FS-PJK-3023).jpg
• best-tents-for-wild-camping-in-2026 mypubliclands Public domain -TravelTuesday with My Public Lands (25263595532).jpg
• best-travel-camera-bags-for-hikers Alexander Andrews alex_andrews CC0 The Photographers Backpack (Unsplash).jpg
• best-travel-camera-gear Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de CC BY-SA 3.0 Balanced Rock sunset.jpg
• beyond-machu-picchu-inca-sites-almost-nobody-visits Ordzonhyd Rudyard Tarco Palomino CC BY-SA 4.0 Sitio arqueológico Choquequirao 10.jpg
• cave-diving-why-it-kills-even-experts Rob Robbins Public domain 2017Nov22-Kirsten-Carlson-diver-artist-ice-caves-HR.jpg
• crossing-the-sahara-a-real-travelers-account Patricia Ilizaliturri CC BY-SA 4.0 Above Moroccan Dunes.jpg
• digital-nomad-destinations-2026 Shixart1985 CC BY 2.0 Workspace with laptop, sandwich, and juice during afternoon in a cozy cafe setting.jpg
• first-time-camping-10-mistakes-to-avoid Daniel Case CC BY-SA 3.0 Campsite along Firth River at Joe Creek confluence, seen from above.jpg
• forgotten-islands-east-of-bali Eileen Sandá CC BY 3.0 Lopranseidi View to Beinisvord.JPG
• hidden-hot-springs-of-iceland-beyond-blue-lagoon Jakub Hałun CC BY-SA 4.0 Geysir Geothermal Field, Haukadalur, Iceland, 20230501 0845 3717.jpg
• how-glaciers-carve-valleys-reading-the-landscape Wilfredor CC0 Laguna El Suero, Sierra Nevada, Merida, Venezuela.jpg
• how-to-build-a-10-essentials-survival-kit Jason Hollinger CC BY 2.0 Pack Gong (3144438149).jpg
• how-to-build-a-survival-shelter-in-the-wild NASA/JSC Public domain S90-48876~orig.jpg
• how-to-plan-a-backpacking-trip Bureau of Land Management Public domain Red Cliffs NCA (9422682477).jpg
• how-to-purify-water-in-the-wild-5-methods-tested Forest Service Alaska Region, USDA Public domain Eagle Glacier Cabin lakeshore (8078592736).jpg
• how-to-read-a-trail-map NPS staff Public domain Landscape Views at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon (0771cc31-b155-423c-89de-29effe8006ef).jpg
• how-to-start-a-fire-without-matches-7-methods Region 5 Photography Public domain Pile Burn- Shasta-Trinity National Forest Campground (20221206-ShastTrinity-Campground-4K-asa-45).jpg
• how-to-travel-on-a-budget Andre Carrotflower CC BY-SA 4.0 Asia Food Market, Amherst, New York - 20230211.jpg
• iceland-ring-road-itinerary Diego Delso CC BY-SA 4.0 Seljalandsfoss, Suðurland, Islandia, 2014-08-16, DD 201-203 HDR.JPG
• inside-the-worlds-most-isolated-tribes MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC Public domain Thailand (MODIS 2022-01-09).jpg
• islands-that-rose-from-underwater-volcanoes Diego Delso CC BY-SA 4.0 Islas Brandur, Álsey y Surtsey, Islas Vestman, Suðurland, Islandia, 2014-08-17, DD 046.JPG
• japan-off-the-beaten-path lumoplank CC0 Shirakawa-go - Shirakawa156.jpg
• japans-forgotten-pilgrimage-routes U.S. Air Force 118AW by [null Courtesy] Public domain “Purified by the Path”- Team Kadena’s Misogi on the Kumano Kodo (9489194).jpg
• lakes-that-vanish-every-year-and-come-back Theglennpalacio CC BY-SA 4.0 Blue Water Cave.jpg
• lightweight-camping-gear-checklist Stefan Kühn CC BY-SA 3.0 DDR Museum Zeitreise Radebeul Camping.jpg
• my-first-solo-backpacking-trip-lessons NPS; Larcom Public domain Laurel Highlands Forest Trail (436c32e7-1dd8-b71b-0b6c-b8d2c173ea54).jpg
• nepal-valleys-beyond-everest-base-camp Patricia Sauer CC BY-SA 4.0 ACAP Upper Mustang Tangye.jpg
• new-zealand-great-walks-the-quiet-ones Krzysztof Golik CC BY-SA 4.0 Lake Waikaremoana 01.jpg
• off-the-beaten-path-10-secret-villages-in-the-alps U.S. Department of State from United States Public domain A Swiss Mountain Village (12137111955).jpg
• road-trip-planning-checklist Tristan Mimet CC BY 3.0 Lilly Campervan (209675829).jpeg
• solo-travel-safety-tips Mario Cotrina Montoya CC BY 3.0 La Calma Del Lugar Me Hace Sentir Solo (242649739).jpeg
• surviving-a-desert-vehicle-breakdown Michelle Kim michelleyejinkim CC0 Roadtrip (Unsplash).jpg
• the-best-headlamps-for-night-hiking-and-camp Joshua Tree National Park Public domain Boy Scout Trail at Night with Hiker using a Headlamp (40503845552).jpg
• the-best-hiking-boots-for-rough-terrain-in-2026 U.S. Department of Agriculture Lance Cheung/Multimedia PhotoJournalist Public domain 20190925-FS-LSC-0344 (49618249683).jpg
• the-best-undiscovered-islands-in-southeast-asia-not-bali Ray in Manila CC BY 2.0 A Beach in Limestone. Coron, Palawan, Philippines.jpg
• the-blood-falls-of-antarctica-explained Jill Mikucki/University of Tennessee Knoxville CC BY 2.0 "Tatort" Blood Falls (16293969810).jpg
• the-deepest-canyon-in-europe-tara-river Pudelek (Marcin Szala) CC BY-SA 3.0 Durmitor, canyon Tara - Montenegro.JPG
• the-forgotten-ruins-of-cambodia-a-guide-beyond-angkor-wat Photo Dharma from Penang, Malaysia CC BY 2.0 Banteay Chhmar - 013 Causeway (8594278758).jpg
• the-last-roadless-areas-in-the-lower-48 Fredlyfish4 CC BY-SA 4.0 Sawtooth from Stanley Lake Creek.JPG
• the-ultimate-3-day-hiking-packing-list-beginner-edition Jason Hollinger CC BY 2.0 Pack Gong (3144438149).jpg
• travel-photography-tips-for-beginners Wilfredor CC0 Backlit Margarita Island Sunset in Las Guevaras, Venezuela CaptureNX2.jpg
• trekking-essentials-for-high-altitude Pustam.EGR CC BY 4.0 Langtang Mountains and Trail.jpg
• what-happens-below-40-meters-deep-diving-risks Diego Delso CC BY-SA 4.0 Tiburón azul (Prionace glauca) y submarinista, canal Fayal-Pico, islas Azores, Portugal, 2020-07-27, DD 08.jpg
• what-happens-if-you-get-lost-in-the-amazon-rainforest flowcomm CC BY 4.0 Sunset at Amazon rainforest, Brazil - 2026-5.jpg
• what-happens-to-your-body-above-8000-meters Carlos Pauner CC BY-SA 3.0 Amanecer desde la cima del Everest por Carlos Pauner.JPG
• what-to-pack-for-southeast-asia Artem Beliaikin CC0 Couple of tourist in the jungle of Bali island.jpg
• what-to-wear-winter-hiking-layering-system Michal Klajban CC BY-SA 4.0 Angelus Hut in the winter, Nelson Lakes National Park, New Zealand.jpg
• whats-inside-the-worlds-deepest-blue-hole The TerraMar Project CC BY 2.0 Belize Blue Hole.jpg
• why-are-some-mountains-flat-on-top-tepuis-and-mesas Tinhojv CC BY-SA 4.0 Monte Roraima, ponto mais alto.jpg
• why-does-lake-hillier-look-pink-7-strange-colors-of-nature PruneCron CC0 Lake Hillier Shoreline Pink Hue Salt Deposite.jpg