A home for people who spend their lives outside, and write about it.

Who it's for

• — Outdoor writers and storytellers
• — Nature writers and essayists
• — Scientists and researchers
• — Naturalists and field observers
• — Conservationists
• — Anglers and hunters
• — Hikers, campers and paddlers
• — Curious readers

How we run it

1. 1

   Writing comes first

   This isn't a photo or video feed. Stories, essays, field notes and knowledge are the heart of it.

2. 2

   People, not machines

   Field Journal has no AI features: no AI writing, summaries, recommendations or moderation. Writers who use AI to help with their own work say so, and readers see a note.

3. 3

   Real pictures only

   Every photo is a real photograph or hand-made artwork.

4. 4

   Writing here, sales elsewhere

   Writers and businesses can mention and link their own work, guide service or shop. But gear, products, and bookings for guided trips or outfitting aren't sold or booked through the site. For now, the only things paid for here are part of the site itself: trail passes, sponsor notes and, later on, writers' own pieces.

5. 5

   Honest about money

   Building and running Field Journal costs real money, and it can't keep going without some coming in. Here's how that works, and why.

   • — Trailhead (Free): read 5 stories at a time and a few recipes and how-tos each month, with a sponsor card after each story. Anyone can read and write here without paying.
   • — Backcountry ($5 a month, 1 month free): read as much as you like, write longer pieces, and see a sponsor card only after every third story.
   • — High Country ($10 a month, 2 months free): no limits, and only a small sponsor note after every fifth story. Good writing takes time and skill, and the people who give the most to this place should be rewarded for it, so High Country writers will be able to set a price for their own pieces. Field Journal keeps 20% of that price to help run the site.
   • — Outfitter's Post ($25 a month): for guides, outfitters and makers, with a business profile, a link to your website, customer reviews and half-price sponsor notes. Nobody sees a sponsor note on your own pieces.
   • — Sponsors pay to be seen: $40 a month, or $20 a month for Outfitter's Post members, for a clearly labelled note, shown first on stories about the topics they choose. Every sponsor is hand-picked to fit the outdoors, in the hope that it brings them new customers.

   What paying doesn't do: your feed stays in date order, from people you choose to follow, and no one can pay to push a story up the list. Paid passes and paid pieces aren't switched on yet. They'll open once the site has grown, and we'll say so clearly when they do.

   See the Trail Passes · Sponsor prices

The full rules are in the community guidelines.

Just getting started

Field Journal is new and independent. The stories and writers marked Demo are samples written to show how the site works; they'll be replaced by real writers' work.