Stephanie Pearson

Stephanie Pearson is a National Geographic Explorer and a contributing editor to Outside. She is the author of “100 Hikes of a Lifetime U.S.A.,” “100 Great American Parks,” and a beautifully illustrated children’s book “50 True Tales From Our Great National Parks.”

Pearson earned a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, then began her career at Outside, where she was on the editorial staff for 13 years. Her freelance assignments have included reporting from Mount Everest Base Camp, meditating with Tibetan Buddhist Scholar Robert Thurman in Bhutan, and producing an online science curriculum while traveling through Australia and Latin America with National Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner and his team.

Pearson has received six Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation including the 2023 Gold Award for Travel Journalist of the Year. Her work has also been anthologized in “The Best American Travel Writing” series.