Get Outdoors

Americans’ best memories often come from time spent outdoors with family and friends on hiking trails, in neighborhood parks, at historic sites, at the beach and along the coast, or on the banks of a favorite stream.  The outdoors is where we connect with one another, explore our past, and discover our heritage.   It is part of our national identity.

Today, however, many families are losing touch with America’s great outdoors. Kids are spending less time outside running and playing, fishing and hunting, and learning about our outdoor customs.  Especially in urban areas, too few children have the opportunity to play in parks, visit farms and ranches, or camp or fish beneath the open sky. 

From coast to coast, America’s public lands and waters offer fun and healthy opportunities to get outdoors. From hiking, fishing, and hunting to exploring history at our national parks, we pass on family traditions – and create new ones – as we honor America’s outdoor legacy.

Communities and private landowners across the country are working to protect and restore their outdoor spaces, and to help people connect to them. Farmers and ranchers, land trusts and conservation groups, are coming together with governments, industry, and residents to develop innovative strategies to promote the outdoors.  As the nation’s largest land manager, the federal government has a responsibility to join in this effort. 

The two federal agencies most directly involved in of the management of  public lands and cooperation with state, local, and private partners are  the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Together, these agencies have developed the list of resources below to help you and your family reconnect to America’s great outdoors:

• Recreation.gov
• U.S. Department of Interior

  • Youth in the Great Outdoors

  • America's Oceans, Coasts and Great Lakes

  • National Park Service

    • Select a park by name, location, activity or topic
    • National Register Travel Itineraries
    • National Heritage Areas
    • Lighthouses to Visit
    • Archeology Travel Guide
    • Junior Rangers
    • Web Rangers
    • Fun Guide Go Zone

  • U.S. Bureau of Land Management

    • Recreation and visitor services by state
    • National Landscape Conservation System — interactive map
    • National Recreation Programs 

  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

    • Recreation Programs
    • Interactive Recreation Map
    • Youth Initiatives, including C.A.S.T. partnership

  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

    • Let’s Go Outside
    • Especially for Kids
    • National Wildlife Refuge System

  • U.S. Geological Survey

    • Earth-Science Gateway for Safe, Enjoyable Outdoor Experience

• U.S. Department of Agriculture

• • Recreation opportunities on national forests and grasslands
  • Travel and recreation spotlights
    
    
• Accessability Resources
  
• • www.disability.gov