Kenai Fjords National Park: Harding Icefield Trail

Submitted by: Backpacker Magazine
Get a front row seat of retreating glaciers on this challenging 8-mile out-and-back to the Harding Icefield. No crampons or ice axes are needed during the summer hiking months.

San Luis Obispo, CA: Bob Jones Trail

Submitted by: Backpacker Magazine
Cruise along the San Luis Obispo Creek on this 4.1-mile out-and-back that starts in Avila Beach and passes blue herons, butterflies, and two seaside resorts.

Santa Barbara, CA: Gibraltar Road 48

Submitted by: RaphaContinental
Climb from downtown Santa Barbara into the rugged Santa Ynez Mountains on this gnarly 48-mile loop serving up quad-killing efforts up Rattlesnake Canyon and breathtaking Pacific vistas.

Algonquin Peak(from Heart lake trailhead )

Submitted by: ADKBckpckr
This is a challenging 4.2 mile out-and-back dayhike that progresses from easy grades to very steep and rises nearly 3000 ft to the summit of the 2nd highest peak in New York State. There are several steep sections of flat rock(pictured)where you have to haul yourself up by trees at the trails edge

Blood, Sweat, & Beers

BACKPACKER Review
Join editor-in-chief Dennis Lewon for a hike--and cancer-fighting concert--in the Rockies.

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Portraits

BACKPACKER Review
These men and women were photographed as they thru-hiked the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail, from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. They each walked more than 2,000 miles—enduring the Smokies, the Shenandoahs, and the White Mountains—to get to the point where they posed for their portraits. Only the vast and lonely wilderness of Maine's north woods stood between them and their goal: Mt. Katahdin, a behemoth of a mountain that stands like a beacon to every thru-hiker. For some the journey couldn't end soon enough; others enjoyed every step along the way.

Grand Teton NP: Death Canyon Shelf and Alaska Basin

BACKPACKER Slideshow
See the highlights of a classic, six-day trek in Grand Teton National Park.

Reader Photos: Reflections

BACKPACKER Slideshow

Grand Canyon Challenge: Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim

BACKPACKER Video
Don't try this at home: See BACKPACKER's editor-in-chief's gonzo 21-hour hike with a friend into the Grand Canyon, rim-to-rim-to-rim.

Lost: A Survival Video Diary, Pt. 3

BACKPACKER Video
On his third day lost in Idaho's Frank Church--River of No Return Wilderness, BACKPACKER contributor Jim Thornton finally finds a potential way home. But fear, exhaustion, and an incoming winter snowstorm threaten to derail his progress.