11 Instagram Accounts to Follow if You Love the Outdoors
Need a little nature inspiration? A shot of digital fresh air to keep the wind in your sails? The outdoorsy Instagram accounts below can take you from the whitewater rapids of the Pacific Northwest to the mountain bike trails of Moab and capture why we love the outdoors. Follow them, but don’t get lost in an endless scroll. Actual adventures are always calling.
Adam Chechire Edwards
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Adam Chechire Edwards is a professional whitewater kayaker based in the Pacific Northwest. Often accompanied by his poetic prose, Edwards’ posts take followers down fern-lined rivers and streams and occasionally over the edge of one of the region’s many waterfalls. He’s often transposed on the reels, ruminating on life’s many lessons with his signature acorn cup in the most hilarious way.
Adventure Mamas
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The collective Adventure Mamas account embodies the joy of the outdoors for so many mothers, expecting mothers and women. Paired with beautiful landscapes, the account often shares supportive quotes, fun and silly moments with kids and the occasional joke about “Labor Day.”
L. Renee Blount
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You might recognize L. Renee Blount’s smile from the cover of Outside. A Harvard graduate, an accomplished designer and photographer, avid backpacker and pro rock climber, Blount’s latest project is a Youtube series called “Beyond Familiar.” Often posting teasers and stills from new episodes on her Instagram (@urbanclimbr), the short films follow her as she tries new and fun outdoorsy things like “Onewheeling” in the California redwoods and riding electric dirt bikes in the Utah desert.
Jaylyn Gough
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Though she travels often, pursuing sports like rock climbing and fishing, Navajo photographer Jaylyn Gough primarily focuses her lens on the stunning red rock and mountainous landscapes of the Southwest. She is the founder of Native Womens Wilderness and also uses her feed to bring awareness to important causes like the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women.
Pattie Gonia
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An outdoors icon, Pattie Gonia is the fabulous drag personality of hiker and photographer Wyn Wiley. On her feed, she goes “hiqueen” on spectacular trails, dons extravagant nature-themed drag and makeup, and generally has a blast making the outdoors as inviting and inclusive as possible.
Cliford Mervil
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As a professional lensman, Cliford Mervil is a master at capturing moments that perfectly illustrate our affinity for the outdoors. One scroll through his beautifully curated feed and you’re likely to shove off on your next adventure
Kirstie Ennis
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After losing part of her left leg in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan in 2012, mountaineer and snowboarder Kirstie Ennis only charged harder. She raced in boardercross and giant slalom in the Paralympics and hopes to finish summiting the highest peak on all seven continents in 2021. Her Instagram account brings viewers along for her adventures and intense training regimen.
Gina Danza
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A masterful nature photographer, Gina Danza uses creative photography techniques and a variety of equipment to capture the ethereal details of nature and wide open landscapes. Her images will definitely have you daydreaming about starry nights and mountain sunsets.
Jordan Cannon
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Pro rock climber Jordan Cannon is fortunate to travel the world pursuing new projects. Not for the acrophobic, Cannon’s account regularly updates with content from the dizzying heights of Yosemite’s big granite walls and the startling edges of multi-pitch routes in the Southwest, Spain and British Columbia.
All Mountain Brothers
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All Mountain Brothers began as a way for four friends to increase the visibility of BIPOC mountain bikers. The feed has now become an inclusive online community of riders sharing riding footage and photos from trails all over North America.
Paulina Dao
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Paulina Dao is great at capturing the spontaneous moments of happiness that spring upon us all outdoors: getting lost in the woods, chomping on cold pizza, enjoying a quiet moment next to a mountain lake. Her feed is beautiful and fun, like nature itself.
Oh, and one more account you might like…
*An earlier version of this post by Cari Morgan first appeared in November of 2014 and has since been updated.
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