The Best Outdoor Podcasts to Follow in 2023

If you’re looking for your next outdoor auditory adventure, check out some of the best outdoor podcasts we’ve been listening to this year. They’ll inspire you, make you laugh, teach you a thing or two, and possibly make you want to sub your cozy couch for your next great adventure instead. 

Whether you’re a seasoned survivalist or just looking to justify all those granola bars in your pantry, tune in, because the natural world is calling, and it’s got some seriously good stories to share.

National Park After Dark

This unique outdoor podcast focuses on what happens after dark . . . the sinister side of national parks. More people are visiting the most popular national parks than ever, but this podcast reveals the hidden secrets happening when visitors “never leave.” Their promotional video claims that nearly six people die in a national park every week. Hosts Cassie and Danielle are close friends who wanted to create a podcast to show the darker side of national parks. A podcast for the morbid outdoor enthusiast, this creepy podcast covers the history of lesser known crime cases in national parks. Don’t be afraid, still get outside, but listen and learn how to stay safe out there.

Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant

Animal and biology lovers looking for inspiration and adventure should look no further. This incredible podcast follows wildlife biologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant on epic adventures around the world to save threatened species. Not your average field trip, Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant is a journey crossing remote jungles, savannas, tundras, mountains, and deserts. After studying animals for years, Dr. Wynn-Grant aims to protect the future of the animals she and her team study. Embarking on wild adventures and learning about wildlife, what more could you want? Dr. Wynn-Grant also offers thought-provoking questions about how we, as humans, can be more responsible in our interactions with animals. 

The Call to Adventure Podcast

This British homegrown podcast, formerly known as We Need More Heroes, offers stories about adventure and activism but with a more backyard feel. Hosted by Alex Opoulos and John Duckworth, the podcast features music uniquely selected by showcased guests. Inspired by Joseph Campbell’s idea of the Monomyth or the Hero’s Journey, this podcast offers inspiring interviews that certainly call any listener to adventure. Featuring sports such as hiking, biking, climbing, and mountaineering, this podcast is for any outdoor lover.

Recent episodes include Moose Mutlow talking about a career in the outdoors and the emotional impact of being a first-aid responder, climbers Charlie and Dale talk about living and traveling full time in their self-built van “Ringo,” and a great discussion with Charlie Head, who recently circumnavigated the U.K. advocating for mental health.

Extremes

If the name doesn’t give it away, this podcast is as extreme as the title suggests. Hosted by VICE, this rebellious show doesn’t have a specific identity other than being, well, extreme. Its website claims the show is about “people who’ve lived through extraordinary situations.” Focusing on stories in which humans face their limits, this unusual podcast follows radical humans and the situations they somehow lived through. It’ll make you wonder, what would you do if you faced an extreme situation? When the stakes are high and your life is on the line, do you know how you would behave?

Take a listen to some of the recent episodes like “This Extreme Obstacle Course Includes A Balance Beam on Mount Kilimanjaro,” “All the Different Ways My Mum Tried to Poison Me,” and “I Spent 15 Months Shipwrecked on an Uninhabited Island” for a taste of what this extreme podcast has to offer.

Wild Ideas Worth Living

Sponsored by REI, Wild Ideas Worth Living is a podcast about life and the outdoors. Host and journalist Shelby Stanger interviews world-class explorers, athletes, authors, scientists, health experts, and entrepreneurs about how they’ve taken their own wild ideas and made them a reality, so you can too. This podcast features conversations with people who took the path less traveled and brought their wildest ideas to life. It’s for those who go against the grain to create change and make an impact.

From Life Lessons from Big Wave Surfing with Shane Dorian to 100 Peaks in 50 Days with Jason Hardrath to Running Across the U.S. for Trans Rights with Cal Dobbs, this podcast shares incredible stories of wild ideas and amazing feats.

The Hidden Athlete Podcast

If you’re looking to stay away from celebrities and famous athletes, then this is the podcast for you. The Hidden Athlete highlights those who achieve amazing feats but aren’t in the spotlight. Focusing on epic athletes and adventurers who generally avoid the mainstream media, the humble elites portrayed in this amazing podcast leave the listener inspired and ready to go out and run their own 100K, even if no one knows about it. How often do we truly achieve something just for the love of the sport and not for the compliments and praise? These athletes share their great feats, but the podcast is clear that it “will always be about the athlete and has not been developed for commercial gain.”

Recent interviews include Matthew Falconer, a four-time transcontinental bike race ultra endurance cyclist, Kellie Emmerson, an ultra runner and five-time National Representative, and Abdullah Zeinab, the 2022 winner of the 2,750 km Rhino Run.

The Wild Times

The Wild Times podcast calls itself the “only outdoors, wildlife, and wilderness podcast with a heavy schmackeling of comedy.” Featuring Forrest Galante, Patrick DeLuca, and Peter Fitzer, the podcast covers wildlife news, like the world’s biggest catfish or when a shark was recently found in a lake in California.

If you want to spend time with the funnest bunch of wildlife and adventure enthusiasts on the planet, check out the Wild Times. You’ll laugh, and you’ll learn some things too.

The Dirtbag Diaries

The Dirtbag Diaries was one of the first outdoor podcasts created in 2007 alongside the iPhone. As the name suggests, this podcast, which was created by outdoor writer Fitz Cahall, follows the true dirtbags of the outdoor underground. The podcast follows all types of athletes—skiers, boaters, hikers, runners, and those passionate about travel and adventure—any kind of “dirtbag” will do. This podcast claims to highlight grassroots adventures, sometimes serious, sometimes funny, but always wild. Produced by the Duct Tape Then Beer creative agency team, the Dirtbag Diaries podcast presents stories about dreamers, athletes, and wanderers.

The Adventure Sports Podcast

The Adventure Sports Podcast, featuring Mason Gravley, offers in-depth interviews with adventure sports enthusiasts all around the globe. Twice a week, you get to hear from athletes, adventurers, explorers, guides, authors, business owners, and more who find fulfillment through adventure and the outdoors.

Recent episodes have included Surviving Naked and Afraid – Na’im McKee, How to Become a Sustainable Adventurer – Tina Muir, and Kayaking 1,200 Miles in 80 Days on the Columbia River – Revisited – Marvin Owen.

Outdoors.com is launching our own podcast, Circumnavigate, which will stream weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms beginning October 16. You can subscribe now on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

Source: https://outdoors.com/best-outdoor-podcasts-to-follow/