10 Adventure & Nature Movies Streaming Right Now
Even if you can’t go on an outdoor adventure right now, you can at least binge-watch one at home. Here are a few of the best nature and adventure movies, shows, and documentaries to stream right now so you can channel the outdoors while flattening the curve.
1. Free Solo
Documentary
Found on: Disney +
With the warmer weather taunting us, we’ve been anxious to get back out, dust off the ropes, and hit the crag. Be strong, avoid outdoor climbing (for now), and watch Alex Honnold free climb El Cap instead.
2. Under an Arctic Sky
Documentary
Found on: Amazon Prime
There isn’t a shot of Iceland out there that hasn’t blown us away. We also typically don’t associate the country with … surfing. Our friend and adventure photographer, Chris Burkard, found five characters crazy enough to follow him to the Arctic Circle in search of the world’s best waves.
3. Alone
TV Series
Found on: Hulu
This one hits close to home, especially for those of us stuck in studio apartments. In a slice of the Canadian backcountry, 10 contestants try to outlast each other—completely alone. It’s a good reminder that, while isolated, we’re still just a phone call away from friends and family.
4. Paddle to Seattle
Documentary
Found on: Vimeo
Two friends, two hand-made kayaks, and 1,300 miles of ocean. In this modern-day hero’s journey, we found ourselves calmly immersed in the scenes, struggles, and strangers of a paddle trip through the Inside Passage.
5. Mile … Mile & a Half
Documentary
Found on: Amazon Prime
There’s a subtle magic in distance backpacking that we can’t get enough of. In Mile … Mile & a Half, five friends capture that magic while navigating the 211-mile John Muir Trail, filming some of the most sublime alpine landscapes in the country.
6. Where the Trail Ends
Documentary
Found on: Amazon Prime
Through squinted eyes and gritted teeth, watch three bikers take on some of the most remote freeride terrain in the world. Though this film is seven years old, it’s still considered one of the best mountain bike movies out there. Where the Trail Ends is perfect for any biker (or wannabe), who can’t currently answer the calling trails.
7. Treeline
Documentary
Found on: YouTube
This documentary from Patagonia poetically captures the remarkable toughness, endurance, and stillness of trees. Simple yet beautiful cinematography coupled with a serene piano soundtrack put us into a peaceful trance for the entire 40-minute film.
8. The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young
Documentary
Found on: Netflix
The Barkley Course always sounded like a fun race—that is, until we watched this documentary. At 100 miles and 50,000+ feet of elevation within 60 hours, the Barkley is one of the hardest ultramarathons in the world. This documentary follows the few who attempt to finish it.
9. Meru
Documentary
Found on: Netflix
Put Jimmy Chin in a harness and give him a camera and you know we’ll be watching whatever he’s shooting. Meru captures Chin, Conrad Anker, and Renan Ozturk attempting the daunting climb of the 4,000-foot wall known as Shark’s Fin on Meru Peak in the Himalayas. The trio face physical hardships and internal demons all while battling gravity and the elements.
10. Planet Earth
Docu-series
Found on: Netflix
Whenever we want to slow things down and enjoy world-class nature cinematography, we put on Planet Earth. With 11 family-friendly, educational episodes about our earth and the animals that inhabit it, you’ve got 11 good reasons to get cozy and bring a little bit of nature in.
BONUS: Banff Mountain Films
Documentary shorts
Found on: The Banff Centre
The annual Banff Mountain Film Fest is beloved by outdoor enthusiasts the world over, and many of us flock to local theaters to see screenings every winter. But with the outbreak, many of the 2019 Film Fest screenings were cancelled.
In response, the Banff Centre has made the 2018 and 2019 finalist films available for free online. From a German story about night skiing to a portrait of a champion skijoring cowgirl in Montana, these short films will give you unexpected and enlivening tastes of adventure around the world.
Posted March 30, 2020