Military Families Outdoors Program

Military Families Outdoors participants in Miami, FL.

Blue Star Families

Wherever You Are, the Outdoors Are Always Home

Military Families Outdoors (MFO) helps military families discover the physical, mental, and social benefits of spending time outdoors. Through free events, local community chapters, and self-guided resources, MFO makes it easy to explore national parks, public lands, waterways, and outdoor spaces wherever military life takes you.

Military Families Outdoors is administered by Defense Health Agency and the National Park Service. The program brings together the expertise of Blue Star Families and Wilderness Inquiry to address public health issues, provide a continuum of park-based health activities, empower families to independently enjoy the benefits of nature, and build capacity for sustainable programming. These partnerships ensure high-quality, expert-led programming tailored to the needs of military-connected communities.

Find Your Next Adventure with Military Families Outdoors

Whether you're settling into a new duty station, planning a PCS road trip, or simply looking for your next family adventure, Military Families Outdoors can help you discover new places, connect with your community, and experience the benefits of nature together.

• Learn about MFO events that make it easier to meet other military families while exploring the places around you.
• Join the Blue Star Families Neighborhood to join events and find community near you. This digital community helps military families to connect with other members, find events, share stories, and access trusted resources to navigate military life.
• Discover Nature Near You Guides for installations across the country. Guides for local chapters highlight nearby parks and natural spaces where military families can explore, recharge, and thrive.
• View PCS Routes Guides with family-friendly outdoor stops along common PCS routes that make a military family's moving experience (or road trip) an adventure full of fun, learning, and exploration.
• Access outdoor recreation and wellness resources including outdoor apps, skills-building, and downloadable activities to make the outdoors safe, fun, and engaging.

About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families opens doors to nearby outdoor adventures. Families can find activities that help them feel at home in both nature and their communities, such as camping, hiking, canoeing, fishing, and conservation projects.

Partnerships with the National Park Service and local organizations make these programs deeply rooted and accessible wherever military families live. With approximately 275,000 members in the Blue Star Families network, including in chapters and communities all over the world, the organization reaches more than 1.5 million military family members each year.

Blue Star Families also receives National Park Service funding for their Outdoor Explorers for All program, which seeks to improve the health and wellness of active-duty military families through positive engagement experiences with public lands. The program encourages healthy lifestyle habits and educates families on becoming environmental stewards of national parks. The program aims to engage 100 military families annually in exploration of fishing opportunities at national parks.

About Wilderness Inquiry

Wilderness Inquiry helps families discover the outdoors together—whether through a single-day Canoemobile outing or a multi-day adventure in the Boundary Waters or a national park. Through these experiences, families build strength, confidence, skills, and lifelong memories while cementing bonds with each other and our natural world.