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Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is one of Colorado's International Dark Sky Parks.

Stay Up Late and Admire the Cosmos With This New ‘Stargazing Trail’ That Links Certified Dark Sky Destinations

The initiative debuts as Colorado gears up to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its statehood

A young male bongo photographed in Maasai Mau, Kenya

Trail Camera Photos Capture Rare Antelopes in a Kenya Forest Where Conservationists Once Feared They Had Vanished

Fewer than 100 mountain bongos are thought to live in the wild, and the new discovery reveals a crucial habitat for the critically endangered creatures

By combining ecological data-gathering with philosophical contemplation, Leopold bridged the art and science of conservation.

America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark

In the Early 1900s, a Young Ecologist Shot a Wolf and Watched the Life Leave Its Eyes. That Changed His Position on Conservation

Aldo Leopold’s writing reconsidered the place of humans in the natural world and challenged people to be less conquerors of the land and more citizens of it

This arrow with a pressure-flaked arrowhead made from gray quartzite dates to the Late Stone Age or Bronze Age and was found on Norway’s ice. The pitch and the animal sinew used to fasten the arrowhead are still preserved, which is exceptionally rare.

Melting Mountain Ice Is Bringing Ancient Secrets to the Surface. Archaeologists Are Racing to Find the Artifacts Before They’re Lost to Time

In Norway’s highest mountains, experts are scouring perilous terrain for pieces of the past, long stored in mint condition in ice patches. As temperatures rise across the world, glacial archaeologists must find the emerging artifacts before they degrade forever

The spray from the cascade of Bridalveil Falls captures sunlight to create a rainbow of colors.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

These 15 Breathtaking Photos of Yosemite National Park Will Have You Planning Your Next Vacation to the Great Outdoors

The park’s picturesque peaks, wonderful waterfalls and towering trees aren’t just photo opportunities; they’re visual poetry. And they’re just some of the reasons to love Yosemite

Two Alpine ibexes butt heads, slamming their horns together in a powerful battle that can be heard from far away. They wandered up the slope together afterward.

See 15 Stunning Images That Won the German Society for Nature Photography’s Annual Contest

From a lunging frog to the majestic movements of penguins, the honored photographs capture the wonder of wildlife and beauty of natural landscapes

Archaeologists think the green minerals found in the cave might be malachite, which is treated and processed to make copper.

New Research

Mysterious Green Rocks Discovered in a Remote Cave in Spain Might Be Signs of Prehistoric People Working With Copper

The find challenges assumptions that people in the region thousands of years ago did not spend much time at high altitudes

Herders have used cowbells as tracking devices for livestock for thousands of years, a practice that continues today.

See 15 Sensational Scenes of Switzerland, Europe’s Alpine Wonderland That’s Beautiful No Matter the Season

These dramatic images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest capture the splendor of the European nation home to castles, alpine huts, snow-capped mountains and much more

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Hear From a Wildlife Photographer’s Dramatic Glimpse Into the Dwindling World of the Cascade Red Fox

Gretchen Kay Stuart has chronicled the work of a small team of biologists who are trying to keep a little known and breathtakingly beautiful endangered species from disappearing

The escalator opened to passengers on February 17, 2026.

The World’s Longest Outdoor Escalator Just Opened in China. Riding the 3,000-Foot-Long System to the Top Takes More Than 20 Minutes

The new “Goddess” escalator in Wushan County features 21 individual escalators and 8 elevators. The modular design carries riders up 800 feet in elevation

A red-roofed residence is nestled in the rocks at the feet of the Cadini di Misurina.

Experience the Grandeur of the Italian Alps With These 15 Majestic Photographs

As the Winter Olympics come to their end in Milan and Cortina, enjoy these sweeping landscapes before booking your next trip to Europe

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The Tragedy of the Alps’ Disappearing Glaciers for Those Who Live, Visit and Ski There

Warming temperatures are wreaking havoc at elevation, upending the Winter Olympics and the tourism industry and imperiling communities

After capturing the 77-pound male, wildlife officials said they planned to re-collar and release the creature into the wild.

Rare Mountain Lion Standoff in San Francisco Ends Peacefully After a 30-Hour Search

Wildlife officials successfully captured the young male, known as 157M, after he wandered into the northern Pacific Heights neighborhood

The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) owns about half of Switzerland’s 320 huts, including the Almageller Hut on the southern side of Weissmies Mountain above the village of Saas-Almagell.

The Race Is On to Save the Alps’ Famous Huts and Trails as Melting Permafrost Threatens to Destroy Them

Hiking will always be a part of life in the Alps, but climate change has made navigating high-alpine routes more complicated

In the valleys and hills of Nepal’s Khumbu mountain range, high peaks tower over teahouses, where a hot cup of tea is more than just a warm gesture.

Nepal’s Mountainside Teahouses Elevate the Experience for Trekkers Heading to the Top of the World

Comforting rest stops dot the trail for adventurers ascending Mera Peak, offering food, rest and a warm cup of the local brew

Morteratsch Glacier in Switzerland

How Many Glaciers Will Survive Until the End of the Century? These Four Scenarios Show It’s Not Looking Good

Researchers calculated every glacier’s lifespan and found that even at the most ambitious Paris Agreement goal, the planet would lose around half of its 200,000 glaciers by 2100

David Rankin, operations manager at the Catalina Sky Survey, keeps tabs on space rocks in search of new and potentially hazardous asteroids.

From a Remote Observatory, He’s Defending Our Planet. Get a Glimpse Inside the Life of a Doomsday Asteroid Hunter

David Rankin of the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona spends nights scanning the solar system for potentially catastrophic space rocks. Here’s what he has to say about that “high consequence” work, an interstellar comet and living with uncertainty

Mountaineers have skied other routes on Mount Everest, but never the Hornbein Couloir, a steep, narrow gully on the North Face.

American Mountaineer Makes History by Skiing Down Mount Everest’s Most Difficult Route

Jim Morrison, 50, completed the historic run on October 15 as a tribute to his late partner, Hilaree Nelson, who died in an avalanche in 2022

The V-shaped traps funneled animals downhill into a circular enclosure.

New Research

High in the Andes of Northern Chile, Hunters Once Used These Stone Wall Traps to Capture Prey

Archaeologist Adrián Oyaneder discovered dozens of structures called chacu while reviewing satellite images of the Camarones River Basin

Conness Glacier.

New Research

By 2100, Humans Might See a Glacier-Free Sierra Nevada for the First Time Ever

A new study suggests some glaciers have existed on the California mountain range for the entirety of known human history in North America

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