Outside in MN

No experience required. From Minnesota Public Radio and MPR News, Outside in MN provides timely weather updates, events and how-to guides to prepare you for your next outdoor adventure. Download the app and get outside!

Have an event you’d like added to our calendar? Share it with us! Already use the app? We’re working on updating and improving the experience there. Help us by giving your feedback here!

Orange you happy it's leaf-peeping season? Where to find fall colors this weekend
It's still too early to see the most vibrant shades, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. But portions of northwestern Minnesota are between 25 percent and 50 percent peak.
Adventure sports like mountain biking and climbing are all the rage right now. In Duluth, the city has invested in new bike and ski trails and an ice climbing park. Even as the state grows more diverse, however, those sports remain overwhelmingly white. But groups in Duluth are working to change that. 
A summer tradition changes with the climate
Climate change is affecting everything from campers’ schedules to infrastructure needs to the kinds of trees on the property at Camp Mishawaka in Grand Rapids, Minn. And it isn’t alone; a major insurer of summer camps has pulled out of the business as camps on the coasts lose property to wildfires and hurricanes.
Can the BWCA survive its own popularity?
More people are visiting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota than ever before while development, fires and other climate change agents are getting closer every year.
How to heat-proof your summer workout
With much of the U.S. already sweltering this summer, even avid runners, hikers and bikers are wilting. We've got 10 strategies from experts on how to enjoy hot weather exercise without keeling over.
Funky fish: Gar garners protections from Minnesota lawmakers
The long, slender, toothy and prehistoric-looking fish will, for the first time ever in the state, be protected in ways similar to other gamefish, the result of a bit of an outcry on social media following a series of mass killings that some saw as wantonly wasteful.
Video: How to get out on Lake Superior
Whether it's a boat tour, paddleboarding or sailing there are many ways to enjoy Lake Superior and the Duluth-Superior Harbor from on the water. Watch this video from the Duluth News Tribune.
Venturing to a national park? What you need to know
Pandemic fatigue has sparked a surge of interest in outdoor recreation. The National Park Service is expecting one of their busiest years on record. As vacationers prepare to venture out for summer, what can they do to make the national park experience more enjoyable?