The Fourth of July, Public Land, and the Freedom to Be Outside

Photo by Andrew Patrick

A reflection on nature, belonging, and spending the holiday with intention

The Fourth of July usually arrives with a very specific soundtrack.

Fireworks. Cookouts. Someone’s uncle on the grill taking his job very seriously. Kids running around with sparklers. A cooler that somehow has everything except enough ice. A group text asking, “What’s the plan?” even though the plan has allegedly been discussed for three weeks.

It is a holiday we often associate with noise, celebration, and summer at full volume.

But there is another way to think about the Fourth of July, too. A quieter way. A more grounded way. One that has less to do with the loudest fireworks and more to do with open sky, public parks, beaches, forests, trails, and the feeling of being able to gather outside with people you care about.

Because when we talk about freedom, we can also talk about land.

We can talk about who gets to experience it. Who feels welcome on it. Who has historically had access to it. Who has had to fight for that access. And how something as simple as a walk in the park, a morning hike, a beach day, or an afternoon under the trees can carry more meaning than we sometimes realize.

This Fourth of July, we are thinking about what it means to belong outside.

The Outdoors Has Always Been Part of the American Story

America’s identity has always been shaped by land.

Forests. Mountains. Rivers. Deserts. Prairies. Coastlines. Canyons. Lakes. Trails. Big skies. Long roads. Small town parks. City greenways. Beaches where people gather with folding chairs, snacks, and just enough sunscreen to pretend they planned ahead.

The outdoors is woven into how this country imagines itself. It shows up in our road trips, our national parks, our summer traditions, our family reunions, our camping stories, and our idea of escape.

For many people, being outside represents possibility. It is where we go to breathe deeper, move slower, feel smaller in the best way, and remember that the world is bigger than whatever has been sitting heavy on our chest.

That feeling matters.

And on a holiday centered around freedom, it is worth asking: what does freedom feel like in the body?

Sometimes, it feels like a quiet trail.

Sometimes, it feels like bare feet in the sand.

Sometimes, it feels like sitting under a tree with people who make you laugh.

Sometimes, it feels like turning your phone over and watching the sky change colors without needing to document every second of it.

Sometimes, freedom feels like fresh air.

Public Land Is a Powerful Idea

One of the most powerful ideas connected to the American outdoors is the idea of public land.

The idea that some places should be protected, shared, and experienced by people rather than locked away entirely for private use or commercial consumption is a big one. Public parks, national parks, state forests, beaches, trails, and green spaces give people a way to encounter nature, history, beauty, and stillness.

In 1872, Yellowstone was established as the world’s first national park when President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law. Later, the Forest Reserve Act of 1891 gave presidents the authority to set aside public lands in the West as forest reserves, which eventually helped shape the national forest system we know today.

These moments helped create a framework for protecting outdoor spaces at a national level. They also helped build the idea that nature is not only scenery. It is part of our shared inheritance.

Of course, the story of public land is not simple. Much of the land now called “public” exists on land long stewarded by Indigenous peoples. The history of conservation in the United States includes both preservation and displacement, both beauty and harm. That truth matters.

So when we celebrate public land, we should do it with humility.

We can be grateful for parks, trails, forests, and protected spaces while also being honest about the complicated histories beneath them. We can enjoy these places while learning whose land we are on. We can take in the view while remembering that land has memory.

That is part of exploring with intention.

Public Does Not Always Mean Welcoming

There is another truth worth naming: public land may be public, but not everyone has always felt free in it.

For Black Americans and other marginalized communities, access to outdoor recreation has often been shaped by exclusion, segregation, safety concerns, and cultural messages about who “belongs” outside.

The National Park Service notes that African American outdoor recreation is tied to a long history of freedom, justice, equality, and the ability to enjoy life even in the face of ongoing struggle. The NPS has also published historical work highlighting how institutionalized segregation and racism affected African American recreation. And while the Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped outlaw discrimination in public accommodations and required equal access in many areas, discrimination did not simply disappear overnight.

That history still echoes.

It echoes when people do not see themselves represented in outdoor media. It echoes when someone is the only person who looks like them on a trail. It echoes when outdoor spaces feel intimidating instead of inviting. It echoes when the phrase “the great outdoors” sounds beautiful to some people and complicated to others.

This is one of the reasons drfter exists.

Not to make the outdoors feel exclusive. Not to make nature feel like something you need the perfect gear, perfect body, perfect background, or perfect childhood camping memories to enjoy.

Drfter is here for the people who are curious. The people who want to reconnect. The people who want to try. The people who want community. The people who want to feel like the outdoors is for them, too.

Because it is.

A Different Way to Celebrate the Fourth

Photo by Get Lost Mike

The Fourth of July does not have to only be loud.

It can be joyful, yes. It can be social. It can include food, music, laughter, beach blankets, grills, and that one person who swears they make the best potato salad. We love a holiday spread.

But it can also include reflection.

It can include a morning walk before the day gets hot. A hike with friends. A picnic in the park. A quiet hour by the water. A beach day that does not require doing the absolute most. A sunset you actually stay present for. A moment of gratitude for the land beneath your feet.

A more intentional Fourth does not mean a boring Fourth.

It means paying attention.

It means remembering that being outside is not just a backdrop for the day. It is part of the day. The trees, the park, the beach, the trail, the lake, the open field, the block, the stoop, the breeze. All of it holds the experience.

So maybe this year, before the fireworks start, spend a little time outdoors in a way that feels grounding.

Take your coffee outside. Go for a walk without turning it into a fitness challenge. Bring a blanket to the park. Invite someone who might need the company. Visit a local beach or green space. Learn a little about the land you are on. Leave the place cleaner than you found it.

That last one is not optional. Nature is not your post-party cleanup crew.

Celebrating Outside Also Means Caring for Outside

If we are going to gather outside, we also have to care for the places that hold us.

That means packing out what we pack in. It means not leaving trash behind after cookouts, beach days, hikes, or fireworks. It means respecting wildlife, staying on marked trails when asked, being thoughtful with fire, and remembering that public spaces are shared spaces.

The National Park Service’s Leave No Trace guidance includes principles like disposing of waste properly, respecting wildlife, leaving what you find, being considerate of others, and minimizing campfire impacts. In other words: enjoy the outdoors, but do not act like you were raised in a barn unless the barn had excellent environmental ethics.

The outdoors gives us a lot.

Shade. Beauty. Space. Quiet. Movement. Wonder. A place to gather. A place to reset.

The least we can do is not leave behind plates, cans, wrappers, fireworks debris, or the remains of a cookout that nature absolutely did not RSVP to.

Respect is part of the celebration.

Freedom Can Feel Like Fresh Air

The Fourth of July can be complicated. For many people, it carries joy, tradition, family, and celebration. For others, it brings up questions about history, freedom, exclusion, and what this country has promised versus what it has delivered.

Both can be true.

That is why spending part of the day outside can feel meaningful. Nature gives us room to hold complexity. It does not demand that everything be simple. A forest can be beautiful and layered. A coastline can feel peaceful and powerful. A trail can remind us that progress is often uneven, but still possible.

Outside, we can breathe.

We can gather. We can reflect. We can laugh. We can remember. We can imagine something better.

And maybe that is one of the most honest ways to honor the idea of freedom: not just as a word, but as a lived feeling.

The freedom to rest. The freedom to move. The freedom to gather safely. The freedom to experience beauty. The freedom to belong. The freedom to take up space outside.

This Fourth, Go Outside With Intention

This year, we are thinking about the Fourth of July through a different lens.

Not just fireworks.

Not just flags.

Not just long weekends and out-of-office replies.

But public land. Shared space. Community. Belonging. Stewardship. The freedom to be outdoors and the responsibility to care for the places that make that freedom feel real.

So go outside if you can.

Sit under a tree. Walk by the water. Find a trail. Visit a park. Watch the sky. Gather with people you love. Make room for joy. Make room for reflection. Make room for the kind of quiet that helps you hear yourself again.

And wherever you go, leave it better than you found it.

Because the outdoors should not feel like a luxury. It should feel like something we all get to be part of.

That is a freedom worth celebrating.

-Phaon K. Spurlock, Founder