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95 Ways to Spend More Time Outside

Greg Dyer|

We created a list of ways to spend more time outside. Some big. Some small. Some you can do right outside your door. Others might require more effort.

Either way, we want to help change the fact that we spend 95 percent of our life indoors, with 95 ways to spend more time outside. We hope this list serves as inspiration and motivation, or at least a little nudge in the right direction (hopefully, that’s outside).

  1. Explore a local park
  2. Walk a mile
  3. Check out a new neighborhood
  4. Camp someplace new
  5. Camp someplace old
  6. Dance in the rain
  7. Find the end of a rainbow
  8. Take a nap in the grass
  9. Park your car and walk
  10. Take a hike
  11. Run around your block
  12. Swim in a swimming hole
  13. Swing on a swing
  14. Take your dog for an extra-long walk
  15. Run your hand through wet grass
  16. Sit on your stoop
  17. Watch the sunset from a rooftop
  18. See what’s under a rock
  19. Count how many creatures you can identify
  20. Take a short backpacking trip
  21. Play on a playground
  22. Jump in a lake
  23. Surf with a friend
  24. See the sunrise once a week
  25. Read a book under a tree
  26. Ride a single-track trail
  27. Listen to a new album under the sun
  28. Look for shooting stars
  29. Climb the biggest hill you can see
  30. Reflect on your time outside through journaling
  31. Do yoga in the park
  32. Start gardening
  33. Learn to ski
  34. Snowboard till the lifts stop
  35. Explore a micro trail
  36. Ride your bike to work
  37. Take a walk at lunch
  38. Spend an extra day in the woods
  39. Stand barefoot in a bog
  40. Run a mile at any pace
  41. Have a picnic
  42. Feel sand in your toes
  43. Plant a tree
  44. Get a grass stain
  45. Splash in a stream
  46. Jump in a puddle
  47. Hang out in a hammock
  48. Dunk your head in a waterfall
  49. Watch the moon rise
  50. Kayak wherever you can
  51. Jump in some leaves
  52. Get your boots dirty
  53. Frolic in a meadow
  54. Drink hot chocolate in the snow
  55. Catch a snowflake on your tongue
  56. Chase your dog
  57. Count the stars in the night sky
  58. Let your dog chase you
  59. Have a snowball fight
  60. Cookout in the backyard
  61. Boogie board. Just because.
  62. Feel the wind on your face
  63. Go paddle boarding
  64. Ride your bike like a kid again
  65. Get muddy. Like really muddy.
  66. Surround yourself with trees
  67. Walk a dry creek bed
  68. Stroll around the city
  69. Stop and smell the roses. Literally.
  70. Get saltwater in your hair
  71. Go to sleep in a tent
  72. Wake up in a tent
  73. Take a friend fly-fishing
  74. Go trail running
  75. Look for a four-leaf clover
  76. Listen to the birds
  77. Play catch with your kids
  78. Take your lunch break out back
  79. Sit on a pier
  80. Visit a national park
  81. Float a river
  82. Go on an outdoor scavenger hunt with your kids
  83. Have a walking meeting
  84. Play a game in the park
  85. Check out a local farmers market
  86. Take a walk before work
  87. Take a walk after work
  88. Stand on a summit (any size will do)
  89. Make dinner and eat on the deck
  90. Just hang out on the grass
  91. Skip a rock
  92. Cook something on a camp stove
  93. Listen to the ocean
  94. Drink from a spring
  95. #OptOutside
Greg Dyer
Greg Dyer

Greg Dyer is a senior writer at REI. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, he spends as much time as possible searching for good fishing spots and sleeping in his station wagon. REI member since 2009.

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14 Comments

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  2. David

    I have been outside for almost the entire day.
    Rising at 5:15 my run was completed by 7am.
    Breakfast was in an open air place. Then I had a massage for 90 minutes on the porch. Following the massage I read and eventually took a nap.
    Lunch was at another open air eatery. After a couple of errands I sat in the shade and wrote some emails. It was hot without a fan so I went into the pool and scrubbed the sides before swimming and lounging around. I am back on the porch in front of the fan drying off. The mosquitoes come out around now so I will lite some coils and maybe put on some repellent.
    Dinner will be outside as well. I might get a mosquito net and sleep outside since it’s cooler than our room. This is my daily routine for the most part in Nan Thailand when it’s cooler there’s some great places for bicycle riding.

    Reply
  3. Carl Betsill

    We are not exactly the first indoor species. The house mouse and the German cockroach come to mind. In much of the world these two species wouldn’t thrive in the wild without existing in the comfort of our homes.

    Reply
  7. Fabio M.

    This is a great list. I think it will be my (not) bucket list in a sense for the next few weeks ahead. I’ve been needing to spend more time outside and I keep making too many excuses. At least I finally got geared up again for camping (side note, Thanks REI for the great gear!).

    Reply
  9. Brian Varney

    how about 95 ways to get the kids outdoors, simple things like “Let’s go a spider hunt” Lets build a hide in the woods….and so on. Before you know it kids want to get outside, explore, take little risks and then you find that your all having fun in the big outdoors

    Reply
  10. Amy Farrington

    I discovered this list while shopping for a Mother’s Day gift for myself at REI Missoula. My goal is to take my child camping for the first time. This list gives me many more goals!

    Reply
  12. Radford Bean

    Many items on this list don’t seem very serious, especially at this time of year. And yet some serious outdoor recreation activities were left off: canoeing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Hard to take this list serious when those items are left off but you include drink hot chocolate in the snow.

    Reply