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Desert Companion
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The Great Outdoors

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summerlinpeak2.jpg

Summerlin Peak
Christopher Smith

A whole lot of outdoors in one great place!

Collection of Stories: 
KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada
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Strolls, Walks, Hikes Around Las Vegas, Reno - And A Bit Beyond

Aug 09, 2017

There is no question that Nevada has some of the best strolls, walks, and hikes in the country. But do you know where they are? 

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Desert Companion
Get out!

From tyke to trekker

Jul 12, 2016

Tips on introducing your family to the outdoors

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Desert Companion
Get out!
Springs Preserve
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Wild in the streets (and trails)

Jul 08, 2016

Introduce your little ones to the great big world outside with these resources.

Desert Companion
Feature
This Hike is Personal
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This hike, it's personal

Feb 23, 2016

Whether you’re a weekend warrior, seasoned camper, wildlife-watcher or dog-lover, we’ve got the perfect hike just for you

Desert Companion
Outdoors
Mishaps
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Trails and tribulations

Feb 23, 2016

Tight spaces, terrifying falls, broken bones — and ultimate triumph. Hold on tight as you read this digest of outdoor adventures gone sideways, told by those who lived it

Desert Companion
All things to all people
Gear
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Gear: Out and about

Feb 25, 2016

Rain or shine, this season's outdoor gear does double-duty as stylish casual wear.

Desert Companion
All things to all people
Waxy Current
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Outdoors: A taste for nature

Sep 24, 2015

How to have your wilderness and eat it, too

Desert Companion
All things to all people
Flash flood
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Outdoors: Slippery slopes

Jul 28, 2015

A foolhardy hike during a flash flood could have killed me. Instead it awakened awe — and a taste for danger.

Desert Companion
Leisure
Mountain Biking Beatty
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Build it and they will bike

Apr 23, 2015

Can mountain biking save the flagging fortunes of Beatty? Those behind the push see a new kind of gold in them hills.

Desert Companion
Outdoors
Arden Peak
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Nature right next door

Mar 01, 2015

Find a walk to remember among these nine great hikes in your own backyard

Desert Companion
Feature
Joanne Urioste
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Stone Temple Zealots

Mar 01, 2015

Rock climbers around the world flock to Southern Nevada for its legendary climbing. many settle here to pursue a life among the rocks — a life of hunger, danger and ecstasy.

KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada
Nevada National Security Site
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One Man's Walk Through The Nevada Test Site

Mar 11, 2015

The Nevada National Security Site might not ring a bell right away, most people will know it better by its previous name: the Nevada Test Site. There...

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Desert Companion
History
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Out there

Nov 01, 2014

Twenty-five years ago this month, the author opened the door on Area 51. The story could hardly have been stranger had he found the aliens

Desert Companion
All things to all people
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Hiking: Straight, narrow and high

Oct 01, 2014

From a slot canyon to rocky mountain highs, the Muddy Mountains hike has it all 
 

Desert Companion
All things to all people
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Zeit: Hiking

Jun 01, 2014

Sloooow…

For most of my hiking life, I was strictly goal-oriented. I looked for the easiest way to a peak or the deepest point in a canyon.

Desert Companion
Essay
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Off the map

Apr 01, 2014

Impressions from 10 years of wandering Zion.

It started like it does for dads from the Midwest, Boy Scouts from Texas and newlyweds from the Bronx: with a hike up Angels Landing, that predictably obvious, narrow fin of orange rock so tantalizingly cast out from Scout Lookout, a benign place to sit and watch, to lunch, beyond that other squiggly, curious haven, yes, Walter’s Wiggles, there in the mind-numbing center of the universe you and I call Zion Canyon.

DC Blog
See/Hear/Do
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Hike it slow

May 27, 2014

For most of my hiking life, I was strictly goal-oriented. I looked for the easiest way to a peak or the deepest point in a canyon.

Desert Companion
Feature
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Wild in the city

Mar 01, 2014

Go take a walk, run or ride on these seven civic trails — right in your own neighborhood

Sure, nature beckons — but we’re often too busy to heed the call. A weekend camping trip? A leisurely daylong hike? They’re wonderful — when our crowded calendars allow it.

Desert Companion
All things to all people
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Travel: White Dome

Feb 01, 2014

Get loopy

At the end of an amazingly scenic drive down Valley of Fire’s lone paved side road lies a short hike that’s long on scenery: White Dome Loop. The two-mile circle begins up a sandy wash, then drops down into an incredibly colorful canyon used as a backdrop in the 1966 Burt Lancaster western, “The Professionals.

Desert Companion
All things to all people
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Backyard jaunt: Gone fishing and hiking and camping

Oct 01, 2013

Spring Valley State Park is famous for being the best fishin’ hole within driving distance of Las Vegas. In fact, it’s so famous for fishing, most Southern Nevadans think it’s called Eagle Valley (the name of the park’s reservoir).

Desert Companion
Discomfort Zone

The grating outdoors

May 01, 2012

The first rule of backcountry hiking: Be prepared. But what if you’re too prepared?

The discomfort: His first big solo backpacking trip — carrying everything but the kitchen sink

The zone: Zion’s beautiful — but rugged — West Rim

My feet were hamburger, socks soaked through with blood.

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Desert Companion
Feature

Lake Mead: Water world

May 01, 2012

Take the plunge — and  rediscover the lake you  thought you knew Psst. Here’s a secret: You’re missing out on Lake Mead.

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Desert Companion
Feature

Water trips: Make a splash!

May 01, 2012

From mild to wild, here are nine trips to ‘wet’ your appetite for adventure, relaxation and family fun

A (worthwhile) trek to Eden in the desert

Baker Lake, Nevada

Get wet: If you’re looking to evade not only heat, but also neighbors and civilization in general, get out a Nevada map and circle Great Basin National Park, 286 miles from Las Vegas, near the Utah border. The 77,100-acre park is often overlooked because of its distance, but Great Basin offers something many nearer parks don’t: water.

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Desert Companion
All things to all people

Travel: Give Cedar Breaks a little love

Apr 01, 2012

Destination known

Give Cedar Breaks a little love

If Bryce and Zion had a love child, it would look like Cedar Breaks National Monument. Located only 56 miles to the west of Bryce — and an even shorter drive north out of Zion’s Kolob Canyon area — Cedar Breaks is significantly smaller and much less crowded than more popular attractions in southern Utah, but it’s no less spectacular.

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Desert Companion
Leisure

Not just for picnics anymore: Our favorite parks

Mar 01, 2012

Whether you want to nosh with the family, log some miles or run your dogs ragged, there’s a perfect park for you

Best park for the whole family

Centennial Hills Park

Sweet, glorious springtime is in effect year-round at Centennial Hills Park, with soaring flower and butterfly shade covers to make you want to kick your heels up and frolic. Children and those with a soft spot for whimsy will be enthralled by the Alice in Wonderland vibe, completed by red toadstool tables and little froggies that spit water.

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Desert Companion
Feature

Eyes on the prize: hikes with hidden treasures

Mar 01, 2012

Sure, hiking is all about the journey. But these five boast destinations — stunning views, historic sites and other treasures — that are well worth the huffing and puffing

1.

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Desert Companion
Letters

Wrong on Red Rock

May 01, 2011

My name is Alan Gegax, and I am the chief of the Las Vegas Hiking & Outdoors Meetup. We are the hiking group that Branch Whitney singled out, without naming, in his essay in Desert Companion’s April 2011 issue (“Twenty-one is a crowd”).

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Desert Companion
Feature
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One tank, endless trips

May 01, 2011

How much Southwest can you see on a tank of gas? The answer from our
road-trip guru: Plenty — in every direction

We may live on an island in the sand, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t dozens of great voyages beckoning you and your land schooner. Tank up and head out on one of these 10 rewarding routes that will have you back in Las Vegas — without a refill.

Desert Companion
All things to all people
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PROFILE: Susan Malcher overcomes a stroke -- with hiking

Apr 01, 2011

Four years ago, she was standing on the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Desert Companion
Essay
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Into the wild: An outdoor girl dates in the indoor world

Apr 01, 2011

What happens when an outdoor girl dates in the indoor world? A whole new kind of adventure The desert just wants to be loved The conversation died. My date made a brave attempt to fill the silence.

Desert Companion
Essay
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Twenty-one is a crowd

Apr 01, 2011

From towering peaks and deep canyons to seasonal waterfalls and wild burros, Red Rock National Conservation Area is a premier destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Hikers have found some of the best rock scrambling hikes in the country here.

Desert Companion
Feature

15 Great Hikes (Practically) in your own backyard

Apr 01, 2011

Just imagine. An hour from your couch, you can be on a lake, rock face or ski slope — not a claim most other cities can make.

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Desert Companion
All things to all people
Trail
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Zeit bites: Sense of place: Trail and tribulations

Sep 27, 2016

An occasional series in which writers seek meaning in specific locations around Southern Nevada.

Desert Companion
The look back
Look back
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Hike, hike!

Feb 24, 2017

As we write this, our story “Fifteen great hikes (practically) in your own backyard” is number one on the Desert Companion website’s “most viewed” list.

Desert Companion
Feature
Wildlife Refuge
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By air and by land

Feb 24, 2017

A “rare treasure,” the Desert National Wildlife Refuge is home to diverse wildlife, and is a hub of research and recreation — but the Air Force has it in its sights. We take a deeper look into this conflicted landscape and what’s at stake in the dispute.

Desert Companion
All things to all people
Coyote
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Wild women

May 01, 2017

Why are fewer American females than males into outdoor recreation, and why does it matter?

Desert Companion
Feature
Land Sailing
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The Adventure Traveler's Guide

May 01, 2017

Desert thrills with a sense of place.

Desert Companion
All out
Sloan Canyon
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Hiking: Sacred Site

Nov 01, 2017

It’s easier than ever to see the rock-art riches of Sloan Canyon — it takes more responsibility, too.

Desert Companion
All in
Hike. Love. Share. Protect
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Outdoors: Hike, Love, Share, Protect

Feb 23, 2018

Keeping your favorite “secret” hike a secret might just kill it. Here’s why sharing the love is the right thing to do.

Desert Companion
Feature
Off the Beaten Path
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Off the Beaten Path: Remember getting away from it all?

Feb 26, 2018

These 16 hidden-gem hikes are rich in sights, silence, And solitude.

Desert Companion
Feature
Tule Springs
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Saturdays in the Park

Mar 01, 2020

Reflections on our favorite parks for playing, pondering, exploring, and unwinding

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