15 Inspiring Women Adventurers You Should Know
When you think of an “outdoor adventurer,” who comes to mind?
Most media representation of adventurers feature white, male rock climbers or mountaineers who are summiting Mont Blanc or free-climbing granite rock walls in Yosemite or Nepal. The reality? The outdoors are for all of us.
Need a dose of girl power to remind you that you’re stronger than you think? These 15 women are setting records, climbing mountains and challenging the status quo—while lifting up other women and bringing them outside too.
Kirstie Mullikin
Kirstie is a certified Wilderness First Responder, an Explorer Chick Guide, and a graduate of the University of Kentucky’s Horticulture, Plant and Soil Sciences—but behind all that, she loves scrambling up mountains, dancing on summits and finding humor in the unpredictable.
In 2019, Kirstie set herself a goal to summit one mountain every month—and nailed it, clocking in more than 400 miles on her journey. When she’s not guiding Explorer Chick trips, you can probably find her exploring Rocky Mountain National Park or summitting some of the Southern Sixers.
“Whether you’re in the desert, mountains or a canyon, nature has the ability to make you feel small, forget your problems, and just slow down to appreciate the world surrounding you. Connecting to the earth helps connect you to yourself.”
Kirstie Mullikin
You can find her here.
Want to join Kirstie in the outdoors and see her greatness in action? Join her at the Grand Canyon! 👇
Jaylyn Gough
Jaylyn has done all the outdoors adventures: mountain biking, guiding, hiking, climbing, mountaineering and more, usually with a camera in hand. However, she grew frustrated with the lack of representation she saw of women of color—especially Native women—in the outdoors. She set out to change that, founding Native Womens Wilderness as “a platform for Native voices, a place to express the love and passion for the Wild, and to provide education of the ancestral lands we all love to explore.”
You can find her here.
Rhonda Harper
As she worked toward her aspirations of becoming a professional surfer, Rhonda wanted more coaches, mentors and leaders in the surfing world that were people of color—and set out to be the change she wanted to see.
After founding Black Girls Surf in 2014, Rhonda grew the non-profit to provide international training experience, education, mentorship, coaching and more to Black girls and women who want to compete in professional surfing. From beginner surf lessons to advanced training camps, Black Girls Surf now operates surf camps in the United States, Senegal, Jamaica, Brazil, Ghana, Kenya and Sierra Leone.
You can find her here.
Arielle Shipe
Most recently, Arielle completed a Thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, walking over 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Arielle—she’s also a certified yoga teacher, passionate rock climber, snowboarder and mountain biker and a holistic nutritionist.
Oh, and did we mention she’s also the co-founder of Send Femme, a community of women + gender minorities sending male-dominated outdoor sports at all levels? Through in-person meetups, training and education, and community empowerment, Send Femme helps empower all womxn to go backpacking, climbing, trail running, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering—you name it.
I’m a mountain girl at heart and returning to the mountains feels like I’m returning home. Not home like a place, but home within myself. I feel settled and joyful and content in a way that’s hard to put into words.
Arielle Shipe
You can find her here.
Chelsea Murphy
Chelsea is an outdoor advocate, creative, adventurer and a mom of three! After moving to the mountains, she quickly found a lack of representation and inclusion in the outdoor world and set out to change through community-based advocacy and representation.
She also co-edited and co-produced an outdoor film, “Expedition Reclamation.” Expedition Reclamation “highlights BIWOC (Black, Indigenous, and women of color) as they celebrate resilience, reciprocity, belonging, and a connection to Mother Nature… The women in this story show up boldly to reclaim what it means to be ‘outdoorsy’.”
You can find her here.
Sam Ortiz
Sam Ortiz is a Latinx mountaineer, climber and adventure photographer. After struggling for years to feel like she had a place in the outdoors, she founded Climb Big, a community for “fat and plus-size rock climbers,” focused on breaking down barriers, increasing representation and making climbing more accessible for plus-size folx.
“You don’t have to be a 5.11 climber in order for it to be your sport and to have fun,” Ortiz said in an interview with REI.
You can find her here.
Savannah Tuttle
With over 11,000 miles of long-distance hiking under her belt, er… under her shoes, Savannah is an advocate for meditation on foot. She’s hiked from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail, from Phoenix to Albuquerque on the Grand Enchantment Trail, from Denver to Durango on the Colorado Trail, from Glacier National Park to Cape Alava on the Pacific Northwest Trail and from Florida to Maine on the Florida Trail and Appalachian Trail.
Her favorite adventure, though? “I hiked the Sky Islands Traverse in the Sonoran Desert of southeast Arizona, climbing up and over ten unique mountain ranges, spanning 500 rugged miles,” Savannah recalls.
“On that trail I was one fierce mother trucker—I carried 5 liters of water in a Palante for a month. I scrambled up and slid down ridges that were damaged by both fire and flood. I walked through some of the most intense and beautiful moments of my life. I try to remember that woman is somewhere inside of me.”
Savannah Tuttle
Now, when she’s not taking on solo long-distance backpacking trips or exploring the Grand Canyon, she’s leading Explorer Chick trips and helping other women find their inner fierceness in the US National Parks!
Join Savannah on the trail in Moab 👇
Syren Nagakyrie
Syren is a writer, hiker and founder of the nonprofit Disabled Hikers. Through Disabled Hikers, Syren is working to advocate for increased community, accessibility and justice in the outdoors, especially for disabled adventurers or anyone with mobility challenges. She’s also written a guidebook, “The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon.”
“My time in the outdoors has been profoundly healing, has helped me regain my confidence, and given me a home that I can always return to. I want to give that opportunity to as many people as I can, both for themselves and for the places they will come to love.”
Syren Nagakyrie
You can find her here.
Sophia Danenberg
Sophia is a climber, hiker, mountaineer and skier. In 2006, she became the first Black woman to summit Everest, although she didn’t realize it at the time. “Someone actually had to tell me that I was the first, I wasn’t doing it for that reason,” Sophia has said. “I was just a normal climber, I wasn’t pushing to be a first.”
She’s also summited plenty of other super-high peaks, including the Matterhorn, Mount Tasman, Aconcagua, Cotopaxi and Kilimanjaro. Besides climbing, she’s also an international policy expert and environmentalist working alongside businesses and governments to enact change and protection for public lands.
You can find her here.
Nirvana Ortanez
Nirvana is a professional snowboarder and videographer. Recently named one of “Snowboarding’s 30 Under 30,” Nirvana is working to make snowboarding more accessible and inclusive, especially for Asian women.
She co-founded Soy Sauce Nation, a community for Asia Pacific Islander (API) snowboarders to share experiences, advice, support and encouragement. Founded alongside fellow snowboarder Andrew Kelly, they wanted to “create something to riff on that moment when you think you’re the ‘only one’ but actually aren’t.”
You can find her here.
Caroline Gleich
Caroline is a professional ski mountaineer, endurance athlete and ultramarathoner who has summited some of the highest peaks in the world (including Mt. Everest!). Although her list of outdoor achievements is seriously impressive (2018 US Ski Mountaineering National Champion! 2x Ultramarathon finisher! Fastest Known Time holder on the Timpanogos Traverse!), she’s also a passionate activist for social and environmental justice.
Through her podcast, The Caroline Gleich Show, she interviews athletes, activists, politicians and other change-makers on how sports can change the world—and what each of us can do to disrupt climate change, bias in the outdoors, and more.
You can find her here.
Quena
Quena is a skier, climber and adventurer based in Seattle. “I didn’t really find the outdoors until later in life,” Quena said, “but once I did I’ve held onto it tightly. For a long time hiking felt like the only thing accessible to me.” Although friends and mentors helped her get into sports like rock climbing and skiing, “women of color mentors and community always felt far away.”
As a result, Quena teamed up with Liselle Pires to found Trail Mixed Co., a collective for women of color to find mentorship, education and community in the outdoors. In 2022, they were able to host over 100 community events featuring 18 different types of outdoor activities.
You can find her here.
Christina Bruno
Christina is a professional snowboarder and PSIA-AASI National Team member whose snowboarding adventures have taken her all over the world, from the US and Canada to New Zealand and more.
She’s not just a snow bunny, though—she’s also been a mountain bike patroller, rafting guide, and once spent two months climbing and summiting peaks over 21,000 feet in Nepal. “The beauty of the dramatic peaks, glaciers, and rivers filled my soul,” Christina said when recalling her adventure in Nepal. “It was a really special time of my life as I physically pushed myself, experienced a new culture, and was immersed in one of the most beautiful places on earth.”
When she’s not busy teaching snowboarding and skiing, she’s leading Explorer Chick trips and helping other women find time and space to reconnect with themselves in remote wildernesses and through different cultures.
“Traveling solo as a female can be daunting, but is one of my favorite ways to immerse myself in a culture and challenge myself. I love the freedom you have to change your plans, make friends, or try something new without the restriction’s others may put on you. In my adventure to Cotahuasi Canyon, I had a hard time finding much information online…I started asking locals in the town I was in for help or information. The hotel manager at the place I was staying heard of my adventure and was so impressed with my desire to travel to this remote location, he began calling bus companies and helping me make travel plans. He even gave me his cell phone number in case I had any issues once I got to the canyon (if I had service). Overall, don’t be afraid to talk to locals and make new friends, trust your gut, you never know how making a new friend can help you along your adventure.”
Christina Bruno
You can find her here.
Jennifer Pharr Davis
Jennifer has been adventuring outdoors for decades, but she’s also a recognized writer, speaker and entrepreneur. Over the years, she’s racked up more than 14,000 miles of trails on six different continents, including setting some records like the FKT (fastest known time) on the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail in Vermont, among others. She’s been named National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year, Asheville’s Female Entrepreneur of the Year, and one of Men’s Running’s 25 Most Adventurous Women.
She also has two kids, which hasn’t slowed her down at all. “When I got pregnant, people kind of acted like I was retired. I wanted to change that,” Jennifer told REI. So, she did—hiking over 600 miles in 2012 while pregnant. She also founded Blue Ridge Hiking Company with the aim of helping more women experience the outdoors.
You can find her here.
Katie Burrell
Katie is a veteran skier, mountain biker, and trail runner—but she’s also a comedian, entertainer and filmmaker. Behind everything Katie does? A sense of levity and fun, and an encouragement for other women not to take themselves too seriously. While she’s had her fair share of adventures, she describes herself as a “professional leisure athlete.”
“Not everything needs to be a frickin’ epic,” she said in a conversation with Outside Magazine. “You shouldn’t always need gels.”
Besides being really funny and relatable, Katie’s work—and adventures—are a great reminder that you have to ski the highest slopes or be a Triple Crown hiker to enjoy and belong in the outdoors.
You can find her here.
Ready to Get Outdoors?
Are you feeling inspired yet with all this girl power? Because we sure are! Whether you’re a beginner just lacing up your first pair of hiking boots or a pro with thousands of miles behind you, join our community of like-minded, badass women taking on the world via hiking trails, kayaking trips, and so much more.
Check out our upcoming trips for Explorer Chicks—and join us!
About The Author | Rachel Bicha
Rachel is a hiker, traveler, writer and adventurer. Whether she’s home in New England or halfway across the world, she’s probably just looking for her next mountain to climb. If she’s not traveling or hiking, you can probably find her sketching, taking long walks around town, reading on the porch or perfecting a new recipe.
Favorite outdoor adventure: solo-hiking through the Dolomites in Italy!
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