11 Best Adventure Travel Movies

Sharing is caring!

“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” – Henry David Thoreau

What happens when you have a serious drive to get outside and hike or travel but it’s just not possible? You gorge yourself on inspiring and thought-provoking adventure travel movies. Or at least that’s what I do. Below are my top picks for awe inspiring adventure travel movies. How many have you seen?

A Walk in the Woods (2015)

I read Bill Bryson’s book before seeing this adaption of the hit novel. Bill and his friend Katz take off on their journey along the infamous Appalachian Trail. Unprepared and out of shape, it’s a struggle from the beginning, especially for Katz.

With some funny supporting characters, this movie covers most of the high points from the book. But as I say for every movie that is based on a book, it’s never quite the same. Entertaining yes, but not the same. They leave out some significant chunks and add in a couple of things that were not in the book at all.

But if you take for what it is and don’t spend your entire time comparing it to the beautifully written novel, it’s a fun movie that will inspire you to get out on the trail.

Wild (2014)

This was one situation where I actually watched the movie before I read the book. And I loved it. Then I read the book and I loved them both even more. It’s a touching true story about Cheryl Strayed, battling the loss of her mother she embarks on a thru hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. A trail that at the time, was not quite as famous as it is now.

Not quite prepared and having never done anything like this before, it becomes a life line, setting her on a new path. It’s inspiring and moving and gives you a true sense of what a long-distance hike and time in nature can do for your mental health.

Free Solo (2018)

It wins an Oscar and becomes one of the most well-known documentaries ever and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Alex is a free climber. Climbing mountains with no ropes, no safeties, no nothing. It follows Alex’s hopes and dreams to climb El Capitan in Yosemite.

This documentary made my palms sweat. The tiny bits of rock that he uses as foot and hand holds will keep your eyes glued to the screen. Filmmaker Jimmy Chin weaves a beautiful story to help you learn about Alex, like the guy, feel like he is an old friend. Making the stakes seem so much higher because now you are invested. For you true adrenaline junkies, this is the film for you.

Jungle (2017)

Starring Daniel Radcliffe (AKA Harry Potter) this true story is a story of friendship and survival. After an encounter with a mysterious stranger in Bolivia Yossi (Radcliffe) and two others head into the rainforest to get closer to the indigenous tribes of the area, but it quickly unravels.

Yossi and photographer and new friend Kevin decide to take a raft to the next community, but it quickly becomes a case of survival as they encounter heavy rapids and Yossi is swept away. He then needs to survive in the jungle alone, trying to reach the community on foot, while Kevin goes in search for him. It’s a harrowing tail of survival with vivid imagery and the brutal beauty of the rainforest. An inspiring tail of strength and the courage to never give up.

Meru (2015)

Another climbing film with Jimmy Chin, and a good prequel to Free Solo, three well-established climbers take on Meru. A mountain that no one in history had been able to successfully summit. Many had tried, all had failed.

Another documentary, these were not free climbers but the climb to the summit took more than one try, with the team of three battling weather and avalanches. It’s a great warm up before settling down to watch Free Solo and an inspirational movie for all you climbers out there.

Everest (2015)

The mighty Everest, many have tried, too many have died, and few have seen that summit. One of the seven summits, Everest is a behemoth of a mountain, not for the faint of heart. This movie made me reconsider my thoughts of climbing and settling, instead, on reaching base camp.

If your bucket list includes the 7 summits, this harrowing true story is a must see. To understand the unpredictability of this sleeping giant and really understand what you are getting yourself into. As the group heads up to the summit it all seems as though it will go smoothly, until the unpredictable weather roles in changing lives forever.

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

This might seem like an odd choice, but it is great story of survival and love. Two passengers trying to get home during a snow storm hire a small aircraft pilot when no other flights were going out. Of course, the plane crashes, and the two passengers survive the crash but then need to survive the snow-covered mountains and find civilization. I thought it was a well-done movie and inspires you to brush up on those survival skills.

Into the Wild (2007)

Ever want to just leave it all and get back to nature? Directed by Sean Penn this movie follows Christopher McCandless (AKA Alexander Supertramp) as he graduates and then takes off towards Alaska to live alone in the wild. He forgoes all of the things society tells him he should do and treks into the unknown.

It’s a fantastic story about survival and discovering that life is about sharing it with others. The original novel was taken from a 9,000-word article written by Jon Krakauer on Christopher McCandless titled, “Death of an Innocent.” This true story about McCandless was published in Outside magazine, highlighting his journey to Alaska and his ultimate death.

The Beach (2000)

I think everyone has seen this movie and it has made countless adventure travel movie lists. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, who learns of this pristine beach where people live away from the crazy world in peace and off the grid. He easily integrates into the group, falling in love with a girl, before everything starts to unravel. He is shunned from the group, people get injured and die and ultimately it all falls apart.

The music is great, the scenery makes you want to go there, and you could at one time. Recently the famous beach closed to tourists due to the amount of garbage left behind and the destruction to the natural plant life in the area. So it is closed until the area has recovered.

The Way (2010)

Telling the story of a man who decides to hike the Camino after losing his son (Emilio Estevez) on it, it’s a moving story about how the Camino changes you. Everyone hikes the Camino for one reason or another, it is a pilgrimage after all.

Some do it for religious purposes, some do it for health reason, and some do it to get over something or someone. And sometimes you change in ways you didn’t know you would. This movie only deepened my need to walk The Way myself and my longing to just get out on the trail.

127 Hours (2010)

It has been said that it is one of James Francos best movies, and I would have to agree. Set in Utah, Franco is an adrenaline junkie that gets trapped. The movie follows his survival during the 127 hours he was stuck under a large boulder and what it took to survive. There were times when it was hard to watch but it was raw and it was real, without adding any fluff or sugar coating it. This is what it takes to survive a situation like this.