In July, I joined a rafting expedition down the Lower Nahanni with Nahanni River Adventures, during which wildfires and weather caused us to spend a few wayward days getting to and from the river. At takeout, wildfire smoke blanketed the sky as we drove east to Fort Providence and our final camp after traveling more than 150 miles on the water. A bear cub stood in the road halfway there, staring at our slowing van and looking as puzzled by his hazed surroundings as we were.

To experience the landscape of Nahanni National Park and Reserve, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, and not be compelled to protect it seemed, to me, unfathomable. Here, the Nahʔą Dehé Dene Band of the Dehcho First Nations have stewarded the landscape for nearly 10,000 years. Since the turn of the century, it has partnered with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and Parks Canada to keep their ancestral lands intact.

The trip down the river was life-changing, and the conservation work to protect it is a testament to the power of what happens when people come together to do the right thing. I hope this story inspires you to not just get out and enjoy a national park this fall, but also to advocate for the natural places you love, because they need the support now more than ever. The next threat is never far off. 

– Tim Wenger, editor #protectyosemite

Every November, thousands of sandhill cranes, nearly four feet tall, descend on Lodi, California, to winter in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The city celebrates with the free Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival (November 6-8, 2026): crane art, wildlife talks, and guided Delta excursions.

While buying gear rated for lower temperatures can be an easy way to fix the problem, it doesn’t need to be your first move.

On your next camping trip, try these seven tips on how to stay warmer, even if it’s the middle of summer.

A July 2026 proclamation cut Bears Ears National Monument by 91 percent, reopening more than a million acres of ancestral land and red rock canyon to potential mining.

Advocates say the best way to fight for it is to show up this fall, and here's how to do it right.

Shore lunch is a Canadian lodge tradition dating back more than a century: a meal built around your fresh catch, cooked and eaten right in the great outdoors.

This one, at Eagle Nest, is one of the best.

The Matador Editorial Team

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