A Few Outdoor Activities to Put on Your Spring To-Do List

By Sylvia Karcz, Contributing Blogger

Warming temps and longer days, flowers and leaf buds sprouting on trees, harmonies of birdsong from dawn til dusk— just a few of the wondrous things that announce Spring is near and adventures are about to get all that more exciting. 

Sure, wintertime certainly has its magic and thrill, but there’s no denying that the spring equinox brings on a certain awakening; one that puts pep into our outdoor step and somehow renews our inspiration to try new things in new environments.  

If you’re looking for some fresh ideas to have a go at this Spring season, read on for a few of our favorite springtime pastimes and adventures!

Go on a Bike Picnic

A bike, a picnic, and a beautiful setting: need I say more?! 

Whether you prefer to go solo, with a bestie, or with a group, pack lightweight to-go lunches and an assortment of snacks, research a new cycling or mountain bike trail in your area, and voila—  let adventure take hold! Although planning a specific picnic spot is an option, I encourage you to find something off the beaten path (as long as it’s not disrupting or damaging the local landscape!) It doesn’t have to be a grand ordeal or a grand picnic to be a memorable adventure. Keep it simple, start small and local, and explore options from there. Who knows— maybe it’ll become a weekly tradition!

Make a Spring-Inspired Nature Mobile

Sometimes, it feels good to have a certain “mission” behind a micro-adventure, and this outdoor outing strikes the perfect balance of movement in nature, curiosity-fueled treasure hunt, and creative endeavor. The goal: to make a nature mobile using found items from a hike!

The process begins with a no-frills stroll along a wild, unmanicured trail; don’t forget to bring a small bag for your findings! As you walk, keep your eyes open for unique sticks and branches, feathers (I usually bag them until they can be sanitized), flowers, small rocks, etc. Make sure a few pieces are larger branches or sticks, for the “base” of the mobile. 

After your hike comes to an end, gather your supplies— it helps to have twine or thread, hot glue, and scissors at the ready. There’s no right or wrong way to make a mobile, so let your creativity take hold and see where it takes you. In the end, you'll be left with a memorable keepsake that hopefully inspires you to get outside and play more!

Become a Birder!

No matter if birding is something you’ve always wanted to do or something you’ve never even thought about, trust when I say that learning about the world of birds provides a whole new lens to the outdoors. Not only does it connect us to nature on a deeper level by engaging our senses, it also helps raise appreciation for the entire ecosystem that supports birds and other animals. 

And you don’t have to become an ornithology expert to have fun with the process! Start with a cheap pair of binoculars and a book on local birds; you can borrow one from your local library or even buy a used copy online. Then, plan a simple stroll around your neighborhood. Follow the birdsong and see how many different species you can spot! From there, the options are truly endless. Take your birding kit on a hike, to a public park, on a camping trip, on a national park road trip….anywhere and everywhere. You’ll be amazed by how such a seemingly simple activity can prompt us to be more alert, connected, and immersed in the nature around us. 

Get Artsy on a Wildflower Hike

Spring and early summer are synonymous with wildflowers, and if you’re anything like me, I long for those brilliant pops of color long after peak blooms have retreated. And while impermanence is indeed a fact of life as we know it, there’s something special about trying to preserve those fleeting wildflower hikes, even in the smallest of ways— like by documenting them through artwork!

Now, I don’t paint or draw or watercolor particularly well, and I have tools that would hardly pass as mediocre even in a kindergarten art class. But once or twice every spring, I gather a handful of art supplies and go out in search of wildflowers to paint, and, well— it feels invigorating. Painting and drawing force one to be fully present and focused on what’s in front of us, similar to a long hike. And if that focus is on a field of ephemeral wildflowers that will never look quite the same as they do at that very moment…there’s a magic in that that’s worth exploring. It’s an exercise in outdoor reflection that reaps benefits through and through.