Outdoor hobbies for under $50.
Hobbies that happen outside, in a yard, on a trail or by the water, with a whole starter kit under fifty dollars. Sorted by what it costs to start.
Geocaching
Find hidden containers with your phone and sign the log. Free, worldwide, and the reason to take the long way home.
Shed hunting
Deer drop their antlers every winter. Finding them is a free spring treasure hunt.
Track casting
Pour plaster into an animal track and take the print home. A season costs one bag of plaster.
Tide pooling
Exploring the pools that rocky shores hold at low tide, finding sea stars, anemones, crabs and snails, and learning the zones of the shore.
Orienteering
A navigation sport: find checkpoints in a park or forest with a detailed map and a compass, walking or running, by any route you choose.
Snowshoeing
Winter walking on snowshoes that spread your weight so you stay on top of the snow. Rent a pair and follow a marked trail or a ranger-led walk.
Soap plants
Some plants foam. Grow soapwort, brew a gentle wash and launder with soap nuts.
Snorkeling
Swimming face-down at the surface while breathing through a tube, with a mask to see and fins to move, over reefs, rocks and sand.
Disc golf
Throw discs at chain baskets around a park course. Three discs, free courses almost everywhere, a round in an hour.
Hide tanning
Turn a raw deer hide into soft buckskin with salt, eggs and a lot of pulling.