Top 8 Outdoor Podcasts
I was never a podcast person until I thru-hiked the PCT and realized I needed a little bit of mental stimulation. Around the halfway point, I was starting to get bored listening to my own internal dialogue, so I turned to podcasts and audiobooks to fill the void and drown out my repetitive thoughts. On the PCT, I didn’t just listen to outdoor-related podcasts (I was living outside at the time, so didn’t really need to fill all my time with outdoor stories), but nowadays, it’s one of my favorite genres to listen to.
The below list has a variety of podcast shows, and they’re mainly about hiking and backpacking. Some of the shows are more outdoors-adjacent, telling stories related to the outdoors. Some are heavy search and rescue focused. All of them tell unique stories and highlight the experiences and learnings of real people doing things outside.
So without further ado, these are my favorite outdoor podcasts. Sadly, some of these podcasts are no longer in active production, but many of them have enough episodes to keep you listening for a long time! Happy podcasting!
She Explores
No longer in production
Average Episode Time: 40 minutes
She Explores highlights your everyday, super awesome women in the outdoors. From artists to scientists to hiking moms, this podcast doesn’t just talk about their outdoor lives, but digs deeper - exploring inspiration, entrepreneurship, advocacy, mental health, and more - finding connections in the outdoor world.
My favorite episodes (honestly, there’s too many to list here!):
Fresh Air on the Job
After the PCT: Karen Wang
Small Beauty on the Appalachian Trail: Rahawa Haile
HumaNature: The Hunt
Walking Can Change the World: Amanda Jameson
Out Alive from Backpacker
Average Episode Time: 30 minutes
This podcast retells the heart-pounding stories of people who somehow survived unsurvivable catastrophes. From grizzly bear maulings to climbing accidents, this podcast has it all. The best part is that the people who actually survived are the ones being interviewed and talking about their life changing experiences. This podcast is not for the faint of heart - some of the stories can be very graphic, but come with disclaimers before the most gruesome retellings.
My favorite episodes:
The Science of Survival
Their Plane Went Down in the Sea
A 13-Year-Old Saves His Dad’s Life
I Fought Off a Grizzly
Backpacker Radio
Average Episode Time: 2 hours
Part-interview, part-comedy show, Backpacker Radio by The Trek is an incredibly humorous podcast about thru hiking and backpacking. Hosted by a duo of thru-hikers that aren’t afraid to talk about the nastier parts of backpacking (in detail), and never afraid to ask their guests the awkward questions. I personally love to listen to this podcast when I’m backpacking or road-tripping. There’s never a dull moment!
My favorite episodes:
Any when The Real Hiking Viking is a guest (he’s a hoot)
Episode 11: Thru-Hiking Nutrition with Katie Gerber and the Best Sleeping Bags for Thru-Hiking
Episode 23: Heather “Anish” Anderson on Her Calendar Year Triple
Episode 58: Donna L-Rod Saufley of Hiker Heaven on Her 20+ Years as a PCT Trail Angel
Episode 108: Weezer & Dirty Avocado on the Arizona Trail
National Park After Dark
Average Episode Time: 1 hour
Ghost stories, true crime, death tales, and unsolved mysteries: If you like the dark and spooky things in life, you’ll love this podcast. And I’ll admit: I am NOT a fan of scary things, but the hosts, Cassy and Danielle do such a good job telling these stories and make things as non-terrifying as possible in my opinion. So I love these episodes!
My favorite episodes:
A Serial Killer in Yosemite
A Fatal Lightning Strike and the Jenny Lake Rangers - Grand Teton National Park
Lights in the Sky. Great Sand Dunes National Park
The Man Who Went Down With His Mountain. The Eruption of Mount St. Helens
The Dingo Did It. Ulru Kata-Tjuta National Park
Hello, Nature
Average Episode Time: 45 minutes
Brought to us by REI Co-op media studios, this podcast is insightful, educational, and fun. Season One is all about the host, Misha Euceph, exploring the National Parks of the USA. Misha is an immigrant from Pakistan and she dives deep into the rhetoric of our National Parks being “for all” and what that means and looks like. I love the lesser-known stories she tells and the special interviews she has. Season two is about experiencing and finding the outdoors in cities - exploring accessibility and the history of the nature that surrounds us in our urban places.
My favorite episodes:
S1. Hello, Yosemite
S1. Hello, Mammoth Cave
S2. Hello, Oakland
S2. Hello, Boston
Trail Correspondents
Average Episode Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Trail Correspondents is another podcast by The Trek that originally appeared as part of the “Backpacker Radio” podcast. Due to its popularity and expansion, it grew into its own entity! Trail Correspondents is great because it follows the path of multiple hikers in real time on the three major long trails of the USA: the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail. Each episode has a “prompt” that the hikers have been instructed to talk about. While this might seem limiting, the diaristic candor from the hikers and the different experiences on the different trails is really cool to listen to. If you are dreaming about hiking a long trail, you’ll probably like to hear this podcast: the hikers talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Out and Back
No longer in production
Average Episode Time: 1 hour
Out and Back by Gaia GPS is a great podcast with some really valuable tips and insightful interviews. They cover summer and winter outdoor sports on the podcast, and bring in experts from the field to talk about their stories, experiences, and expertise! The episodes are mostly in interview format, but there is still plenty of room for tangents and storytelling.
My favorite episodes:
Episode 8: Will “Akuna” Robinson
Episode 11: Backcountry Foodie - Aaron Owens Mayhew
Episode 13: Her Odyssey: An Adventure Across the Americas
Episode 22: Bluebird Backcountry
Walking Distance
No longer in production
Average Episode Time: 35 minutes
Another great podcast put out by The Trek, this podcast is less comedy show than the above, but still focuses on backpacking and the outdoors, particularly on the stories of the guests she brings on, who are a mix of well-known and unknown backpackers and outdoor entrepreneurs. The host, Blissful Hiker, has the most soothing voice. If you’re a fan of This American Life or NPR, you’ll love her speaking cadence!
My favorite episodes:
Episode 8: Emily Ford
Episode 10: Sing Peak ft. Yenyen Chan & Jack Shu
Hiking Thru
No longer in production
Average Episode Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Hiking Thru is a really interesting podcast and I love it because of how “normal” it is. The host, Erin Egan, is an aspiring thru-hiker, and instead of bringing on only big names in the backpacking and thru-hiking world, she reaches out to the average/ everyday thru hiker. This show is great for people who want to learn about thru-hiking or are in the beginning stages of planning their own hikes, because Erin asks the “meat and potatoes” questions to these hikers: basically, all the things you’d want a thru-hiker’s opinion on, you’re getting in these episodes!
My favorite episodes:
Episode 20: Chardonnay aka Elsye Walker
Episode 31: Grizzly aka Michael Ivey
Episode 34: Puff Puff aka Alexandra Mason
Honorable Mentions
These are podcasts that I’ve listened to a few episodes of and I really like, but I haven’t listened to enough of them to really get a good sense of the show yet. If I had a longer work commute, I’d probably have listened to more of these!
The By Land Podcast
The Sharp End
The Fine Line
Camp Monsters
Wild Ideas Worth Living
Outside Podcast
The Dirtbag Diaries
Tooth & Claw