When Hiking a Long-Distance Trail is the Road to Recovery - The Trek

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Many health care researchers and practitioners say that ecotherapy (also known as green therapy, nature therapy, and earth-centered therapy) -- a term coined by pastoral counselor Howard Clinebell in his 1996 book of the same name -- can have regenerative powers, improving mood and easing anxiety, stress, and depression.

https://www.webmd.com/balance/featur...y-ecotherapy#1

"Shinrin-yoku is a term that means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing." It was developed [or formalized] in Japan during the 1980s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine."

It's origins are much older though in Asian cultures. In Hawaii we practice a form of it.

A good meditation can be had after reading Richard Louvs' books such as Last Child in the Wood. Accounts of the consequences of Nature Deficit Disorder are another thing to consider.

"Nature-deficit disorder is the idea that human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors, and the belief that this change results in a wide range of behavioral problems."
That belief or idea, as Wikipedia defines it, has mounting evidence to support it. The connection to Nature is not being prioritized as it competes with this society's greater priority of making a stronger connection to other such things - as one to the economy.

A lot of what is reported above (improving mood and easing anxiety, stress, and depression) aligns with the benefits of meditation. There is lots of evidence that repetitive movements all have the same mind-focusing benefits as traditional stationary meditation. A well know example of this are the labyrinth pathways. I expect some of these effects are from the act of walking rather from being outside, although being outside probably contributes too. It's certainly more enjoyable to get your 100 miles of walking meditation on a trail than on an indoor walking track.