Is Nature Boring? 20 Tips for Quality Outdoor Time

It’s healthy to get outside . . . So what do you do when your go-to walk is boring?

Hours after moving to southeastern Minnesota, I visited the nearby grassland prairie. A tree-lined path passed a large, sprawling tree before opening up to rows and rows of grass. Tall grass grew everywhere. Three trails, short and interconnected, wound through waist-high grasses. Nearby birds sang, and a few wildflowers nestled themselves at the trail edges.

I walked the trail, thinking of nothing, noticing some things, and enjoying everything.

Trail in SE Minnesota; Photo by Amy Torbenson on Unsplash

The benefits of getting outside are well-researched and documented. The benefits of time in a forest and in nature include reduced hypertension, improved immune function, reduced inflammation, reduced stress, reduced anxiety, and reduced depression. Doctors are prescribing forest bathing or nature walks as medication. Indeed, people understand that time in nature can improve emotional well-being and mood.

And I returned to the prairie. After work, I strode out to the prairie to clear my thoughts. Every time I went, I traveled the same paths. The tree stood in the same place. The grass remained about the same height. The distant songbirds flew away before I got close. There weren’t many hills. There weren’t enough trees. The flowers faded with time.

I knew I should make a habit of going outside — but the prairie felt mundane. I found excuses — it was too cold, too wet, too rainy, too . . . boring. My coworkers were visiting the pub, my friends invited me out to a restaurant, or there was a show I wanted to watch.

I felt . . . ok. But I didn’t feel good.

I am not alone in this feeling. Despite all the benefits, Americans spend less than 8% of their time outdoors. And it’s easy to understand why — there are so many distractions indoors! We ignore the memory of fresh air and instead choose to stay cooped up. Many of us go outdoors only when we’re commuting between indoor spaces.

I did find my way outside again — I had to. My well-being declined enough that I needed respite. The outdoors offered a solution free of charge.

The prairie still offered the same path . . . and if I wasn’t careful, it was boring. I had to learn to be curious and engaged to reap the benefits the landscape offered.

So for a person bored of the outdoors, what can make a hike more interesting?

To keep the outdoor experience fresh, change your perspective. Sometimes all you need is a new focus or a creative restriction.

Here are 20 ideas to re-enliven an outdoor experience, so you can get back to enjoying the benefits:

1. Go at a different time of day. Ever started a hike early enough to watch the sun rise? How about after dark, when the stars are out and the crickets chirping?
2. Visit during different weather. What does your go-to outdoor place look like in rain? What does it sound like either right before or right after a storm? Have you visited during all the seasons?
3. Invite a friend. Together, enjoy an engaging conversation.
4. Go outside right after exploring someone else’s thoughts on the outdoors. Read a book, listen to a podcast, or watch a movie about the outdoors right before you plan to hike. Need recommendations? Check out Mary Oliver’s poetry or Sigurd Olson’s essays.
5. Learn from an expert. Spend time with someone who knows more than you about part of the local ecosystem. For example, watch a local naturalist program. They may help you identify a new species to watch for during your outdoor time.
6. Enjoy music, a podcast, or an audiobook. Listening to something engaging may help the walk feel more interesting.
7. Focus on a particular sense. Throughout your walk, consider what scents you smell. The next time you go, you can focus on sound (be careful when choosing what to touch or taste!).
8. What would someone else notice? Think of someone you know and, during your walk, consider what that person would be noticing. Or try considering what a younger version of you would see. Would your 8-year-old self be watching that bird?
9. Pick up trash while you hike. Make it your mission to find every piece of trash along your route.
10. Make this walk part of something larger. For example, train for a larger goal, like a race. Challenge a friend to count steps, or join your local hiking club to track your miles.
11. Track your findings. Early in the hike, pick a focus to count. It could be a particular plant, a bird, or even a certain color. Try to find this as much as possible during the hike. How many times on your walk did you hear a chickadee call?
12. Incorporate a scavenger hunt. Find one online, or make a checklist for yourself of various objects. If those are too much work, look up the nearest geocache.
13. Pause and listen. Mid-hike, pick a spot to stop and listen for two minutes. Make a list of everything you notice during those two minutes. Want more of a challenge? Stay still for five or more minutes. As you stay still, birds and animals may resume their activities around you. You might get a more intimate wildlife experience.
14. Pick an activity to do while you’re out there! For example, bring a picture frame, notepad, and pen with you. Set the frame down somewhere. Using the notepad, draw whatever part of nature you can see within the boundaries of the frame. If you prefer games, you can find many suggestions with a quick Google search. One of my favorites, the “Tree Hugger” game, works great if you have a friend to join you.
15. Struggling with an idea or a situation? Think about it while walking. Your increased blood flow may improve your thinking. This is also a great way to break rumination cycles.
16. Contrast the environment. Spend time in the noisiest, most bustling, or most urban place you can find. Within a day, visit your typical nature spot.
17. Go at a different pace. Do you usually walk? Consider power-walking or running.
18. Choose an alternative mode of transportation. If the trail allows it, travel by bike, rollerblade, scooter, or a different method of transit.
19. Sing. Most natural areas don’t have any restrictions on loud noises. Pick a song and sing it as loud as you can. It is invigorating to hear your voice in the wind.
20. Enjoy a Main Character Moment. This is the idea of imagining yourself as the titular character in a book or movie. As a main character, would you make any different choices to make this walk more interesting? For example, would you wear a costume or walk in a more distinctive way?

Remember, none of these ideas are cheating. If your goal is to get outside, any method that gets you outside is a good method.