Yosemite
The all-time best. That's what every hiker wants on a national park trek, and that's what you'll get if you tackle one of these 25 trips.
Zero in on your perfect hike, from thrilling slots to soak-awhile hot springs.
Beat the crowds by tackling this classic dayhike by moonlight.
No one knows the national parks better than the rangers who patrol them. We polled a bunch of insiders on their favorite national park sights, sounds, and tastes.
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.
Haunted mountains? Vanished campers? Bloodthirsty creatures? An evil wind that lures hikers over a waterfall? We dare you to hike America's scariest trails.
Go ahead and hike to this park's famous lakes and waterfalls. Just watch your step–and your back.
Catch these highlights from
The National Parks: America's Best Idea, then download maps to hike to them yourself.
On the eve of his much-anticipated documentary, Ken Burns discusses the heroes and history of America's most precious wildlands–and the new challenges they face now.
With these top day, weekend, and week-long hikes, you'll see more than your fair share of Yosemite's wonders.
Yosemite Valley may be popular–rightfully so–but it still holds secrets. Hike this long-forgotten trail on the North Rim, and you'll have the granite icons to yourself.
You know that the big-name parks draw big-time crowds. But each of those outdoor icons has a lesser-known replacement that offers some of the same classic features and epic scenery–and you get it all to yourself.
Kelly Bastone hiked a long-forgotten trail through Yosemite's North Rim and documented the trek on video, in photographs, and using GPS.
Discover the best hike in every state, as voted by BACKPACKER readers. Plus: your essential gear, most desirable tentmate, worst-ever adventure movie, and our picks for the best reader-submitted photos.
Swallowed by Sierra scenery
The system was rigged, says a former ranger. Here's how to beat it.
Hike with grizzlies in this remote northern corner of Alaska's greatest park.
America's first national park is a playground for grizzlies, wolves, moose, and hikers (not in that order).
Explore two ecosystems in this hinterland of moss-draped forests, ancient trees, and snowcapped peaks.
Trees, trees are everywhere, but sometimes there isn't a dry twig in sight.
Graze blueberry patches, explore swimming holes, and tag the South's high points on this sultry hike.
Send him out on a work trip. Let wilderness do the rest.
Drop into America's belly on a little-known hike that dips in and out of four different canyons, each blessed with gurgling spring water.
Climb classic Sierra passes, ogle granite monoliths, and camp above treeline in John Muir's second home.
Scramble up class III peaks and cross late summer snowfields on this strenuous but straightforward trip through Montana's big-mountain country.
The ultimate vacation in one of America's iconic parks requires the ultimate hiking plan: classic scenery, no crowds, and secret campsites. Here's how to spend a perfect week in Glacier, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Olympic, Denali, and the Great Smoky Mountains.
This question fuels the debate regarding how to help the aging national park system improve.
The Ice Age left its mark from Acadia to Yosemite. Here's scenic evidence.
3-D hike videos, complete trip planner pdfs, our interactive ParkFinder tool, and more.
Tired of commuting in a car around our national parks? Catch the best backcountry bus.
Once a guide and counselor near Yosemite, up-and-coming musician Brett Dennen is now taking his backcountry jams to the masses.
Can I get married in a national park?
Our map team has been hard at work plotting the coolest hikes. Check out May's selections here.
We surveyed more than 40 scientists, conservationists, and professional adventurers, then ranked the 15 parks that are most in peril from climate change.
Welcome to Yosemite, iconic American landscape, hikers' paradise, and all-you-can-eat home of the wiliest bruins on earth.
Head to Hawaii for three of the tallest
Some things are so inevitable there's no sense disputing them: death, taxes, and the unrivaled beauty of the Sierra.
Write your own ticket to new adventures with these 10 territory-expanding skills.
Start packing now for a once-in-a-lifetime ski tour through silent, snow-draped Yosemite.
Our scribe-turned-pizzaman labors in the land of granite and pulls back the curtain on the seasonal-employment fantasy.
A backpacker's go light heaven: thru-hiking California's High Sierra
Sneak in the side door for a private viewing of the finest in California's High Sierra real estate.
A night in Yosemite's most famous hotel
Don't let well-known Sierra neighbors like Yosemite overshadow this stunning wilderness.
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.
Tuolomne Meadows monarch Mount Conness has been a classic Yosemite climb for years -- and for good reason.
Matthes Crest features superb climbing deep in Yosemite's backcountry.
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in California.
Take the finest mountains in the world, add high-country meadows, glacial valleys, alpine lakes, pine-and-hemlock forests, and what do you have? A recipe for backcountry bliss.
The greatest backpacking parks in the United States, chosen for their scenery.
Forget what CNN and Your Daily News say about Yosemite's crowds and crime and traffic. the "treasure of the Sierra" is still a golden place for backpackers to escape.
Sometimes a place is so magnificent that it burns itself into your soul and overrides all sensation-even the urge to heave up your guts.
