Stephen Matera
Stephen is a Seattle-based outdoor adventure, lifestyle, and landscape photographer. He has worked with companies in the outdoor industry for over 15 years as well as some of the biggest national magazines in the adventure world. He travels and shoots for his clients in the western U.S., Alaska, and internationally, but is completely happy to shoot in his backyard mountains in the Pacific Northwest.
Ski Touring in the Ruth Amphitheater
Talkeetna, AlaskaThe Ruth Amphitheater is a lesser known, but spectacularly beautiful glaciated part of Denali National Park. There is terrain for any skier's tastes, from flat, wide open touring to steep, gnarly descents, and house-swallowing crevasses. If you're lucky and plan ahead, you can reserve the Sheldon Mountain House to stay in and have a warm fire, a padded shelf to sleep on, and a place to shelter ...
Hike to Jumbo Pass
East Kootenay F, British Columbia
6 mi
/ 2200 ft gain
From Invermere, British Columbia, head West towards Panorama Ski Area on Toby Creek Forest Service Road. At the turnoff for the bridge that heads towards Panorama, set your trip odometer to 0. At a fork in the road at about 12 miles, stay right on Jumbo Creek Road. In another mile, stay left. At about 15 miles, stay left and cross the bridge to cross over Jumbo creek and then right after the br...
Bike the North Cascades Highway
Winthrop, Washington
38 mi
/ 3500 ft gain
The North Cascades Highway is one of the most beautiful roads in the country. A popular, but long bike ride is to ride from Marblemount on the West side of the Cascades to Mazama on the east side. But for those who aren't up for an epic ride, there is an out and back option from Mazama on east side in the Methow Valley at 2,000' to Washington Pass at the crest of the North Cascades Highway at a...
Backpack the Easton Glacier Railroad Grade
Concrete, Washington
10 mi
/ 3000 ft gain
Begin at the Park Butte trailhead, trail 603. Hike past the first Scott Paul trail sign a few hundred feet from the trailhead. Continue on and cross appropriately name Rocky Creek heading up on the Park Butte Trail. Continue up the Park Butte trail passing the Scott Paul trail again at about 4,500'. At about 4,700 feet the trail forks, take a right which goes up to the Railroad Grade itself. T...
Þórsmörk's Skógar Hike
Gönguleið um Fimmvörðuháls, Iceland
5.0
15.5 mi
/ 6233.6 ft gain
It is said that half of the population of Iceland believes in elves. If you spend time exploring the wilderness of Iceland, you'll begin to understand why. If elves do exist, this is where they would live.The Þórsmörk – Skógar hike, along the trail known as Fimmvörðuháls, cuts right through the kind of territory where you can imagine elves would thrive – it is a treeless, active volcanic landsc...
Backcountry Ski at Powder Creek Lodge
Nelson, British ColumbiaAsk most people about the mountains of eastern British Columbia and they'll likely think you mean the Canadian Rockies. But mention the Purcell Mountains and you're more than likely to get a blank stare back at you. And that's a good thing.The Purcell Mountains in British Columbia run parallel to the Canadian Rockies to the west. They are little known outside of the Northwest. But it is a huge ...
Hike Exit Glacier
Seward, Alaska
4.8
It's hard to fathom how massive some Alaskan glaciers can be. But spend a day hiking along one and you'll start to get an idea of how much ice there is in Alaska. The Exit Glacier is a small tongue of glacier from the Harding Ice Field that comes down to almost sea level.Drive the Exit Glacier Road just North of Seward to the Exit Glacier Nature Center in Kenai Fjords National Park. There are e...
Carne Mountain
Leavenworth, Washington
7.4 mi
/ 3599 ft gain
Drive USFS Road 62 for 23 miles from Lake Wenatchee (turn left at Cole's Corner off of Highway 2 towards Lake Wenatchee). Turn right on USFS Road 6211 for ~2.5 miles to the end at the Phelps Creek Trailhead.
Begin to hike the Phelps Creek Trail but in 1/4-1/2 a mile, take a right on the Carne Mountain trail, #1508. Ascend the at times steep Carne Mountain trail to a subalpine basin and spend s...
Gobbler's Knob Fire Lookout
Eatonville, Washington
4.0
11.67 mi
/ 2789 ft gain
Entering the Park from the Southwest Entrance, bear left when you approach the forking Westside Rd. This road has been closed a few miles in due to massive rockfall. When you reach the road closure, just park along the side of the road. In Spring and Summer, you should be able to see plenty of other cars about, as the road is now used as a popular trail system for the Western half of the park. ...
Discover
Community
Mobile Apps
© 2026 The Outbound Collective - Terms of Use - Privacy Policy