Nature
Take the 5.5 mile trek up Bellows Pipe Trail to the summit, while your there enjoy a local cocktail a cup of chowder at Bascom Lodge.
Wine making and hiking come together perfectly in the Sonoma Valley, where California meets the Mediterranean.
Every year the salmon of the Pacific Northwest return to their birth place to spawn. See this natural phenomenon and a river of fish on an easy hike through tall pines.
Get sprayed by an oceanic geyser. Erupting every few minutes under perfect conditions, this is a natural wonder you can't miss.
The legendary shooter once said that photographs were "usually looked at, seldom looked into." Take a look into three hikes that inspired some of Ansel Adams greatest photos, and take a few pictures yourself.
A new Switzerland-based company, bluesign, is trying to regulate green manufacturing claims.
Learn how to take the perfect fall foliage photo with our tutorials and slideshows.
Learn to read a stream and snag the big fish.
Parks czar Ken Salazar talks trails, nixes ANWR drilling, and defends his boss's controversial guns-in-parks decision.
Invisible but dangerous, airborne pollutants are a danger to the West's most iconic national parks
According to folklore, the soft light emitted by bioluminescent organisms is magical. In reality, the eerie glow results from a chemical reaction–but it still looks enchanting on a moonless or cloudy night. Here's where to glimpse these living light bulbs.
Head to Northern California's Redwood National Park for a glimpse at these giants.
Superheated water sprays from Yellowstone ground.
Fiery volcanoes, 40-ton mammals, otherworldly caves–in this explorer's guide, we'll show you where to find the most mind-blowing backcountry features on the planet.
By Marcus Woolf
Trek between Buddhist villages, raft Himalayan whitewater, and ride an elephant in the shadow of 8,000-meter peaks.
Happy coincidence for wildlife-loving paddlers: Canoes and woodland caribou converge like nowhere else on Earth in Ontario's Slate Islands. PLUS: See video of caribou on the move.
Hike safely in avalanche terrain
Forget flying south. Learn the secrets of cold-weather survival from three well-adapted birds.
The flying, red, and golden-mantled ground aren't your everyday squirrels
You guessed, it, you need to head North. Here's where you'll get the best view of the Northern Lights.
Survival depends on more than dumb luck–to live to see another day, you must correctly navigate a tricky series of choices. Here's how to do it when the consequences couldn't be higher.
Traverse the wildest part of the lower 48's last great grizzly hideaway.
The world's tallest tree towers above a secret location deep within the
lush, tangled backcountry of Redwood National Park. Determined to find this
giant,
our correspondent discovers something more incredible than he ever imagined.
Learn how carnivores and their quarry interact—and what happens when humans upset the natural balance.
America's largest rodent may be clumsy on land, but in water, it's a marvel of design.
Wind power offers clean energy–but how much will hikers compromise to get it?
Looking to catch some migrating birds? Find out where to look.
Catch this national park's brightest fall foliage on a short stroll or an all-day epic.
Glimpse these rare mammals in Idaho's Salmo-Priest Wilderness.
Backcountry crooks ransack public lands, stealing the natural prizes most coveted by collectors–and vulnerable species and hikers alike suffer when these icons vanish from the trails to resurface on the black market.
Learn the secrets of nature's greatest recyclers
Hikers and ATV riders hit the ground in a new battle over trail access.
How did the bear cross the road? See a few ways engineers are helping wildlife go over, under, and around traffic.
This dignified giant stands four feet tall, making it North America's largest heron.
Of all the North American bird species, few stand out more than this trio of flyers. Their vivid plumage makes them some of the easiest springtime wildlife to spot.
Learn the difference between elk, white-tails, and mule deer.
These vertical hurricanes are rare–but deadly.
How Cold War weapons sites are becoming America's most unusual new preserves.
Looking to catch and eat the big one? Try paddling Arkansas' Little Red River.
Are these hidden containers harmless, or do they flout low-impact ethics?
Unlike their cougar and wolf cousins, these cats and dogs are (often) easier to spot.
The science behind the sky's natural fireworks display–and how to see it.
Scientists hike deep into California's wild high country to probe for answers.
Want to hike where the most predators exist? Pack your courage and follow these directions.
Looking to catch baby animals taking their first step? You can't go wrong with these picks.
Here's longtime ranger Jim Wheeler's plan for an eye-popping adventure among the ancients.
Glaciers sculpt mountains, dredge valleys, and remain an unending source of fascination for hikers.
Whether you've got hours or weeks, here's where to go for the birds.
The Lower 48's most glaciated region is losing its ice at an astonishing rate.
A big-picture biologist unearths threats to songbirds, salamanders, and a peak-loving furball.
More potent poison ivy is on the way, plus fast-growing weeds that will change the face of Eastern forests.
As the earth warms, here's how higher temps will affect our forests.
We found 17 pioneering products that will cut your carbon cost without sacrificing performance.
With more features, a new look, and the most informative content this side of the trail, the new Backpacker.com is amped up with the best in adventure, gear, travel, skills, and survival on the web.
On the trail and in camp, beat the cold with these tips.
Beat the itchy stuff with creams or homeopathic measures.
Here are the seven guidelines to Leave No Trace
Hit the wilderness in search of beasts big and small.
Welcome to Yosemite, iconic American landscape, hikers' paradise, and all-you-can-eat home of the wiliest bruins on earth.
Inside Idaho's Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, humans and wolves learn to co-exist.
Spot lizards, wrens, and javelinas in the desert Southwest with these tips.
Rangers despise him. The law is after him. Yet in chopping down trees in an overgrown national park, Bob Garrison has become a hero to some hikers.
To see how animals stay cool in a hot climate, just look up.
Looking to get more than scenic views out of your hikes? The U.S. Forest Service's Passport in Time program turns trekkers into weekend archaeologists.
Head to Hawaii for three of the tallest
A rarely-attempted traverse reveals the Navajo Nation's vast red-rock wilderness.
America's 100 Best Hikes–chosen by you.
A hiker's guide to fighting climate change
Drought is giving Glen Canyon--and those who love it--a second chance. Here are four spectacular reasons why we should protect this Southwest wilderness by making it America's next national park.
Climate change isn't just melting glaciers--it's messing with wildlife everywhere
We follow a giant, endangered caribou herd from the Yukon to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Part 6.
Bats have nothing on this nocturnal hiker.
Will anyone ever climb the dangerous northwest face of Alaska's Devil's Thumb? Maybe they shouldn't.
We follow a giant, endangered caribou herd from the Yukon to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Part 5.
Hike and canoe through the pristine springs of Missouri's Ozarks.
If you can't hook a monster in one of these fishing holes, you better hang up your rod.
Come to this tropical oasis for great weather, an array of fruit and some great swimming.
Berries Prove Balance Can Be Sweet
One camper sweats and another shivers. What's the deal?
On this trip you'll find everything from alpine meadows to ancient rainforests
Why are Sherpas so studly?
3 waterproof secrets from veteran mountaineer Pete Takeda
Learn the latest survival smarts with this military acronym
We follow a giant, endangered caribou herd from the Yukon to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Part 4.
Visit this remote section of the Arctic before climate change alters it forever
We follow a giant, endangered caribou herd from the Yukon to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Part 3.
We follow a giant, endangered caribou herd from the Yukon to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Part 2.
Spring comes earlier to this mountain paradise.
This summit will put you high above what many consider to be Colorado's finest mountain range.
Some of the most classic glacier scenery is offered to all visitors of this national park.
Beantowners love the sights the High Ledges area has to offer.
Don't miss these 200 foot candles carved from sandstone towers.
The most-studied glacier in the park lets you see global warming in action.
Paddle blue inlets too new for any topo.
Explore a glacier-covered forest near the Canadian Rockies' highest peak
The ultimate guide to greenhouse adventure, featuring 8 surprising new trips, acres of virgin terrain, and a peek at the future of North American wilderness.
Michigan's Proud Lake has many flavors of wilderness to offer.
The beauty of this hike comes alive with the rain.
This wild paradise is the Galapagos of California.
You'll never get a bad view of Rainier's glacier-clad slopes.
Abandon the Big Apple for a visit to this great wilderness.
This favorite Pennsylvania destination of our editors is filled with old trees, shale cliffs, wildlife and stunning wildflowers.
Don't let well-known Sierra neighbors like Yosemite overshadow this stunning wilderness.
Scenic ridges and some high White Mountain peaks abound on this great hike.
This Indiana Dunes trail offers visitors views of the lake, the Chicago skyline, wildflowers and some of the tallest trees in the region.
This summit offers the finest view anywhere of the Grand and surrouding peaks.
A thousand-foot-deep gorge is the centerpiece of this tri-state park.
Who wouldn't want to be marooned on this Florida barrier island?
Waterfalls abound on this great 8.2 mile loop.
If you are in search of southwestern wildlife, this is the place to be.
Here's a lush and hilly Arkansas oasis snuggled in an area known for being flat and dry.
Come to Acadia and you'll earn your lobster.
Receding water levels mean more miles of choice desert hiking and kayaking.
The Cascade scenery on this hike can only be compared to those of the Alps.
This Texas park holds true to its name with some of the best preserved dinosaur tracks in the world.
We follow a giant, endangered caribou herd from the Yukon to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Part 1.
Can anyone really know what lurks in the heart of a grizzly? In the wilds of Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, Charlie Russell believes he is beginning to find out.
Will he keep up? Karsten Heuer embarks on an audacious 1,200-mile expedition-cum-caribou chase.
How do you plan a route following 123,000 migrating caribou across Canada and Alaska? Try to keep up.
Protection one of Alaska and Canada's largest caribou herds is so close, yet so far away.
How do you plan an expedition to follow 123,000 migrating caribou across Canada and Alaska? Very carefully.
River rats wait years to ride the wild Selway River. Hikers can taste its raw beauty right now.
18 facts you didn't know about Alaska and Canada's Porcupine Caribou herd.
Just minutes from Anchorage lie dozens of world-class hiking and paddling trips. This guide gives you the best, plus gear and travel tips to smooth the way.
A definitive guide to the hottest, sweetest, looniest, and most colorful spots in the great outdoors.
Spring is for the birds. Here's where to find a flock near you.
Don't let itchy eyes and a sneeze-machine nose ruin your hike. Here's our guide to keeping allergies at bay.
It's as big as California, boasts more volcanoes than Alaska, and counts nearly as many geysers as Yellowstone.
Here's a detailed hiking planner that will take you to the hidden corners of Colorado's most scenic park.
Bust out of winter doldrums on one of these stellar snowshoe routes.
Want a ceremony that reflects your passion for the outdoors? Here's everything you need to know to pull off a wilderness wedding.
Learn the weird science behind our addiction to waterfalls, and the location of the best trails in North America.
City life got you down? Head for the quiet hills of southeastern Washington, where the air is clean, the water clear, and bighorn sheep outnumber hikers.
With an abundance of wolves and water--two rarities in the desert--Arizona's remote Blue Range may be the Southwest's best kept secret.
Hidden deep in Montana's high country lies the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, a seldom-visited range of cool forests and skyscraping peaks.
To get closer to the critters, you need to look like a tree and smell like a raccoon.
When you hike the world's highest peaks in search of the legendary snow leopard, be prepared for the unexpected.
You'll have a hard time keeping track of all the critters along Mississippi's Black Creek Trail.
Watching snow fall is a backcountry joy--unless it's barreling 80 mph down a mountain and you're in its path.
How to hike safely across frozen lakes and ponds
With fossils present in all states (although New England tends to be fossil poor), you can get a glimpse of the past almost anywhere you backpack.
Say hello to North America's newest long trail.
Feeling people-shy? Follow Wisconsin's wolves to this lonely section of the Ice Age Trail.
For years, hikers have dreamed of trekking in Baca Ranch's untouched, wildlife-thick backcountry. You'll soon get your chance.
What's the best way to treat bug bites? Don't get bit in the first place.
Follow the hummingbirds in the Mt. Naomi Wilderness to the best high-country wildflower show in all of Utah.
How to deal with and treat those bloodsucking leeches.
They may look sweet and innocent, but blooming plants are the floral world's version of a hot 'n' steamy orgy.
Our guide to spotting wolves on Michigan's Isle Royale.
Washington's Elwha Trail is a rain-forest classic: green, primeval, spongy soft, and wonderfully wet.
Years and even decades after a forest fire, the healed land tells amazing tales about the benefits of flame.
If you're caught in a lightning storm on the trail, head for the hills.
Follow these tips when hiking in burned country.
In an ancient cycle older than man, the fires that torched the West in summer 2000 are causing a dramatic and stunning rebirth of the once-charred landscape.
From North Carolina to Alaska, bushwhacking is easier with the proper preparation and attitude.
Seven places where you can walk through a whole new landscape, plus opportunities to help rebuild charred trails.
There's a fascinating world of fur and claws underfoot. Here's how to tell who's down there.
Above treeline, there's no easy way to hoist your vittles.
Arizona's Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness is so incredible, you'll want to tell the whole world.
A 5,200-year-old artifact provides insight into early man's walking habits.
Forgot your toothbrush? You can still practice good hygiene.
Take along your plant guidebooks for this flora-filled treasure.
Carved limestone cliffs add even more to love on Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail.
A good pile of scat speaks volumes about your backwoods animal neighbors, if you know how to read the calling card.
How do you protect the largest trees on Earth? Don't harm them in the first place.
New research suggests that bear bells don't work, and colorful tents and clothing may attract bruins.
When you have park visitors asking such questions as, "The animals aren't really wild, are they?" you have a recipe for disaster.
Its bite is more than painful -- it could be deadly.
Is the legendary jackalope the most endangered species in the Lower 48 or just an old cowboy tale that refuses to die?
Montana and Wyoming's incredibly wild and beautiful Absaroka needs your help.
Horns or antlers?
A quick guide to antler spotting in the wild.
Here's what little we've learned about the mysterious Jackalope.
On the hoof, antlers and horns are a regal sight. Once discarded, they speak volumes about the former owner.
Roads end in Arizona with tall tales, natural gardens, cacti forests, and shoe scorpions.
Myths and cactus in California: A life-filled land of sand and mountains.
Porpoises escort you to a rugged island where buffalo really do roam.
A primordial oasis of rivers, bighorn sheep, and canyons.
Alaska's premier area for fish and wildlife.
Cool your feet and warm your brow in this Arizona desert wilderness.
In Big Cypress' land of exotic plants and lurking alligators, swamps aren't such bad places after all.
Take a lazy cruise through exotic scenery, where monkeys swing and eagles soar.
Follow these tips to make the most out of the northern night skies.
Where does the aurora borealis come from?
Forthwith, interesting tidbits about Great Smoky's largest forest dwellers.
Even if you don't see a moose, you'll hear the bulls' low grunts echoing off the hillside.
Encountering a rattlesnake is a splendid moment in time, a cherished wilderness event--at least that's the view of Arizona researchers trying to change public perception of all things fanged.
The best bird window coincides with the best hiking season in the Chihuahuan Desert.
North Dakota: America's own Serengeti.
Observe the uncanny resemblance between the good doctor's famous Truffula Trees and a field of fuzz-topped flowers 5 miles up Long Canyon.
No color in nature comes close to matching the heart-stirring golden aspen found in the Rockies in autumn.
As autumn closes in on the larches, the green bleeds out of their needles, leaving a towering spire of gold.
Life in the high desert in autumn is sweeter and more irresistible than any place on Earth.
At a campsite along the Snake River, the bugling goes on night and day.
You'll emerge from a forested hallway into a wilderness playroom, and there before you will be skidmarks in the snow.
"October is the month for painted leaves," Thoreau mused. He could have been talking about Kentucky's Red River Gorge.
The Purple Trail through Chase Prairie or the Green or Red Trails through Floyd's Prairie are good routes for viewing Sandhill cranes.
The typical Delaware River float trip offers the opportunity to spy more bald eagles than people.
Arizona: Every year millions of ladybugs head to Arizona and coat trees, rocks, and brush like a layer of living paint.
The majestic San Juan Mountain range is often called America's Switzerland. -- and the wildflowers match.
Vast meadows of wildflowers sprawl across the ridgetops and valley bottoms of the Three Sisters.
The blaze of fall color in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is unequaled.
The lunarlike landscape and dark skies of this preserve make White Sands one of the best places for star watching.
Eyeball to beak with impressively taloned hawks in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest.
You can spend days exploring the Dry River Valley forest without seeing another soul, even if it sounds like you're being chased by a well-armed militia.
hen it comes to sheer ability to alter a landscape and shock the human senses, you can't beat the May blooms of a mountain laurel thicket.
California: Journey through a desert to bear witness to some of the loveliest wildflowers you'll ever see.
A chaotic chorus of loon calls penetrate the darkness, the warbling sounds echoing off the wooded hills around the New Hampshire lake.
Consider trying to spot a red-cockaded wood-pecker in Florida's Big Cypress Preserve a form of treasure hunting.
The ungodly wailing that sometimes drifts through the dark woods is only an animal.
Figure on 9 days to do the entire 100-mile hike—unless you're slowed drastically by all the blueberries.
Maine's seal pups are usually born in May, making early summer an ideal time to witness the youngsters learning to swim and fish.
Have your camera ready near dusk, when sunlight warms the landscape with intense color.
Enjoy Vermont's autumn colors while you can -- they disappear all too quickly, and the Green Mountains recover their namesake hue in the spring.
The wind can save you from bugs or drive you mad. Here's how to enjoy the benefits and avoid the downside of a good stiff breeze.
Steens looks like your average mountain, but hike up high and you'll find a hidden paradise.
Learn what the white stuff means.
Protester celebrates victory in a two-year battle to save a giant redwood by coming back to earth.
Like shimmering rainbows in the night, the northern lights electrify the sky with color.
Know what to look for and you can simply pick one up off the ground.
If you think autumn is simply a time to rake leaves, then you need to read our guide to the best of the fall season.
Leave the book in the tent and make a date to chat with some owls and sing with the frogs.
What have you done lately for the trails and backcountry you use? Join a Volunteer Vacation and save the trails you love.
Walk among giants in Redwood National Park.
While the wolf reintroduction debate rages across the country, in Wisconsin the animals are simply reclaiming their rightful place.
Great Smoky's Gregory Bald features an amazing crown of wild azaleas.
To understand what goes on beneath the sea, find a rocky shoreline and explore away
They paw, prance, bang heads, and curl lips. The rut is on, and there's no better time to observe the wild kingdom.
We love watching wildlife, but follow these tips to stay safe.
Redwood Meadow's massive trees and wild countryside have changed little since Muir passed through 100 years ago.
Tune up your senses and turn off the lights for a wild walk on the dark side.
Plus 24 other round-the-campfire brain stumpers every nature buff should know.
Look on the south sides of mountains to catch animals coming out in spring.
The bison are relics from the past, and the wolves know no fear. Welcome to Wood Buffalo National Park, where time stands still and the land shrugs off man's attempts to alter its primitive spirit.
A well-intentioned handout today could mean disaster for panhandling wildlife tomorrow.
Fifteen trails that'll take you from flaming maples to towering redwoods, with plenty of shimmering aspen in between.
A trek through the blast zone of a restless volcano raises questions about a father's legacy and a child's future.
Go out at night for a whole new look into wilderness.
What makes those golf-ball-size lumps on trees? A tiny wasp with a lot of nerve.
Even though they eat boots and pack straps, there's newfound appreciation for porcupines.
The mountain lion is the only North American predator that occasionally stalks humans. Do you have anything to fear?
On their own and with help from the government, wolves are reclaiming their former range. Should you worry?
Hiking in grizzly territory requires preparation, respect, and a clear head. A little luck doesn't hurt, either.
