Name: America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2022-07-05

Overview

Follow Baratunde Thurston, bestselling author and podcaster, as he explores the country’s diverse landscapes to see how they shape the way we work, play and interact with the outdoors. From coal miners turned beekeepers in Appalachia to Black surfers catching waves in L.A., uncover a deeper understanding of our passionate and complex relationship with the natural world.

Seasons

Season 1

6 Episodes

2022

E01

Death Valley: Life Blooms

7/5/2022

Baratunde explores the hottest place on Earth and finds it is remarkably full of life. Meet an ultra-marathoner who runs in the brutal heat of summer, the mayor of a town of one, and an elder of the Timbisha Shoshone tribe.

E02

Idaho: Tied to the Land

7/12/2022

Baratunde ventures into the wilds of Idaho to explore its evolving outdoor culture. He finds ranchers and backcountry pilots sharing the wilderness with newly resettled refugees and sees how climate change is impacting an age-old salmon fishery.

E03

LA: Its a Vibe

7/19/2022

Baratunde explores his adopted hometown of Los Angeles to learn how Angelinos connect with the outdoors in their sprawling city. Meet kayakers saving a polluted river and Black surfers claiming their place on the waves.

E04

Appalachia: A Different Way

7/26/2022

Baratunde meets the people of Appalachia who are driving a revolution in how we see and interact with nature. Meet a record-breaking hiker, former coal miners raising bees, and activists working to make the outdoors accessible to everyone.

E05

Tidewater: Homecoming

8/2/2022

Baratunde treks along the coast of North Carolina and discovers surprising ways in which history has shaped these environments. He explores a daunting swamp, soars above the dunes on a Wright Brothers glider and tracks wild horses on the beach.

E06

Minnesota: A Better World

8/9/2022

Baratunde ventures to Minnesota’s Arrowhead Region, one of the last places where you can hike or paddle into the remote wilderness. He meets with passionate birders and harvesters of wild rice and hears from them why wilderness means so much.

Season 2

6 Episodes

2023

E01

Suwannee: Wild River

9/6/2023

The Suwannee is one of the last wild rivers in America. From jet skiers to herpetologists, manatees to snapping turtles, Baratunde learns how this unique environment inspires a whole range of passions.

E02

Arkansas: Hidden Gems

9/13/2023

In Arkansas just about everyone you meet is into the outdoors, yet to the rest of the country, the state barely registers as an outdoor destination. Now, Arkansas is on a mission to earn recognition as a wild mecca.

E03

New Mexico: Timeless

9/20/2023

The Ancient Puebloans were the first inhabitants of what's now New Mexico, and their ruins can still be found there. From turkey hunting to rafting on the Rio Grande, Baratunde explores how New Mexico's history shapes its outdoor culture.

E04

Oregon: New Heights

9/27/2023

Oregon is known for its wild coastline and misty forests, but it's a place where a few hours in your car can take you from the coast to the high desert or the Cascade mountains. Embracing this incredible variety, Baratunde embraces forest bathing, goes spearfishing to discover underwater kelp forests, rides along with cowboys on the cutting edge of sustainable ranching and rollerblades through Portland.

E05

Utah: Choose Your Path

10/4/2023

From the nomadic Diné tribes who have been here since time immemorial to the Mormons who made their religious pilgrimage in 1847, the expansive beauty of Utah has been a magnet for centuries. So what draws modern pilgrims? Baratunde journeys west to find out what they’re seeking, and how are they shaping the outdoor culture today.

E06

Maine: Embrace the Cold

10/11/2023

With its magnificent coastline and densely wooded interior, Maine is a place where outdoor adventure has a long history, and a love of wilderness starts in childhood. Baratunde meets a Mainer reviving the timeless craft of harvesting ice, straps on snowshoes to understand how being outside can help folks recovering from addiction, and takes an icy plunge in the winter ocean to embrace the cold.