Sponsored by The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), in partnership with the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (HFNHP)
Saturday, June 2nd, 2012  - 10:30 am to 2:00 pm
The event will showcase some of the rich history that occurred along the Harpers Ferry section of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.)
W E B Du Bois
A moderate 1-mile guided hike will begin at ATC’s Visitor Center and end by following the Appalachian Trail downhill past numerous scenic spots and historic structures. At each historic site, a Harpers Ferry Park ranger will give an interpretive presentation about its …

Join Outdoor Afro in getting excited about the second annual National Kids to Parks Day May 19th, 2012! What a great opportunity to celebrate nature with kids, families, and fellow outdoor people!
Photo By Nkrumiah Frazier
The National Park Trust and our mascot Buddy Bison wants everyone to have an American park experience. We are inviting every family in America to visit a national, state or local park and play outdoors on May 19, 2012! As Buddy Bison says, “Explore outdoors, the parks are yours!”
Last year, nearly 200 mayors coast to coast signed …

Outdoor Afro A. Breeze Harper writes about her experiences hiking in Utah as a new mom and appeals for more black people to get outside and into our beautiful National Parks.

Bryce Canyon National Park, May 2012 with Eva Luna (9 months old). She nursed 1/2 the time during the 7 mile hike.
I just got back from a 7 day road trip that started in Denver CO and ended in Berkeley CA. I spent most of my time in Utah. I went to Arches National Park, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National …

Did you know that many National Parks highlight the African American experience?
The National Parks will be FREE to enter April 21-29, 2012 - 
Now is the time to start planning your National Park Week adventure! 
Did you know there are nearly 400 parks located all over the United States? These parks can be found close to home in urban centers as well as near pristine lands. They also provide a broad range of recreational experiences and opportunities to learn more about our collective history, and there are several parks that highlight the African American experience.
Visit …

On a recent bright and beautiful Saturday morning, several folks got together to visit the Richmond Shoreline for a bike tour of California’s Rosie the Riveter Memorial and other historic sights hosted by Outdoor Afro Sela Steiger. This was the first of several planned events this year designed to connect people all over the country to our local National Parks.

Invited by two wonderful National Park Rangers, Raphael and Reggie, we learned so much about the historic Richmond area and engaged in compelling conversation about the rich, complex historic diversity surrounding this part of …

The Way Home: Returning to the National Parks from NPCA on Vimeo. 
“You shouldn’t have to convince people to go to paradise,”
–Shelton Johnson, Ranger, Yosemite National Park
Although our national parks belong to all Americans, it’s a sad fact that very few people of color ever set foot in some of our country’s most beautiful places. Take a journey to Yosemite National Park with the Amazing Grace 50+ Club, a Los Angeles-based senior church group whose members are looking to reverse that trend.
Click to learn more about efforts to bring more diverse …

 
Dear Outdoor Afro Friends,
2011 has been a terrific year! Through the power of social media, we have seen our community steadily grow, and help people make culturally-relevant connections to nature and outdoor recreation.
Throughout my travels this year, the hot topic has been relevancy: “How can we connect more diverse audiences to the outdoors?” people ask. While there is not one neat and tidy answer that can work for everyone (nor should we expect there to be), what we have discovered is that people embrace what is important to them. So …

It is always gratifying for me when the digital conversation leads to action, especially when it involves connecting folks to nature!

At the start of the week, I had the pleasure of leading twenty-four Outdoor Afros on a day trip to Point Reyes National Seashore in California via the local MeetUp group. Many in the group had never visited Point Reyes, in spite of the short drive from where many of the participants live, and our Point Reyes veterans took delight in spending time in the outdoors with a group of people …

It does not matter if you choose to take to the streets, the #Occupy Movement has captured the imagination of everyone, and is not going away any time soon. The #Occupy prompt has become a symbolic directive to give voice to a wide range of concerns; from corporate bastions, to conceptual ideals, to icons of popular culture.
Of course, being me, I thought of nature – the outdoors, and found it almost ironic how Occupy protesters in my hometown of Oakland, and in every urban hub, were also making themselves sustainably visible in protest by camping outdoors in …

Contributed by Outdoor Afro Chelsea Griffie:
Here is the follow-up from Balanced Rock Foundation’s  Women of Color Backpacking Trip we wrote about last summer – check out all the fun they had!

The 2011 Women of Color Backpacking Trip participants knocked my socks off, and they went straight into the washing machine!  We had a professional videographer and photographer who is also the mother of the two cutest twins I know; an esteemed aerialist; a nearly 50-year-old “Bike Diva” takin’ some just-shipped-her-daughter-off-to-college time; and a smart and practical sister who has become a …