| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Top 3: Better in Winter
What off season? Bundle up and reap the benefits of colder weather in these snowy playgrounds.
Local Hikes in the Central U.S. — March 2013
Snag a dozen great winter trips, including a texas Hill Country overnight, a Lake Superior snowshoe, and a hike to Apostle islands ice caves.
Trail Mix: Great November Hikes in the Central U.S.
Your region's go-now guide: Perfect days in Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Tulsa.
From the Field: Central
Our trail scouts' top local hikes
Trail Mix: Central
Your region's go-now guide
Burn After Reading
Empty White Mountain summits. Tourist-free Yellowstone geysers. Rarely hiked Yosemite ridges. Rangers, guidebook writers, outfitters, and ultra-hikers dish their favorite routes for the first time.
Local Hikes
Jump-start your hiking season on these spring-ready trips from around the country.
A Piece of Quiet
America’s leading advocate of wilderness silence shows the way to Mt. Rainier National Park’s quietest corner. Plus: 9 more campsites with life-list listening.
Rip & Go: Rocky Point to Round Lake - Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, MN
Glide through back-to-back lakes on a classic North Country canoe trip.
Local Hikes: Midwest
Hike these long trails in Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and head south to Texas to see Horned Lizards.
Right Place, Perfect Time
See Yosemite's river of ice, witness there-and-gone meteor showers in Hawaii, and mark your calendar for eight more fleeting natural wonders.
Right Place, Perfect Time: Aurora Borealis
Notch the best northern lights show in the Lower 48.
Local Hikes: Midwest
Discover east Texas's longleaf pine forest; see the Boundary Waters on foot.
Trip Finder: Great Lakes
Your favorite Great Lakes hikes—from dayhikes to weekenders to multiday trips.
Top 25 Winter Trips: United States
Find the best skiing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and winter camping trips in the U.S.
Less is More: 50-Mile Thru-Hikes
Ten point-to-point treks with the payoffs of a thru-hike, but hikeable in a week.
Best Hikes Ever: Boundary Waters, MN
Immerse yourself in Minnesota's liquid wilderness.
Best. Hikes. Ever.
We've covered 245,591 miles of trails in our 37-year history. Here are our 20 all-time favorite trips, plus—shocking!—20 routes we never covered.
America's Scariest Trails: Bloodthirsty Creatures
Bigfoot? He's a softy compared to the other menacing monsters lurking in the woods near you.
50-Mile Thru-Hikes: Greenstone Ridge, MN
Traverse a seldom-hiked national park.
Local Hikes: Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
The best hikes near Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Local Hikes: Midwest
The best hikes in the Midwest, as recommended by the region's best hiking clubs.
Disappearing Act: Paddling the Boundary Waters
Want to vanish into the quietest, wildest corners of the Boundary Waters? Say these magic words: Primitive Management Area.
Secret Hikes: Isle Royale National Park
Trek to shoreline campsites through woodlands rife with moose, birds, and wolves.
Secret Hikes of the National Parks
The perfect dozen: Embark on one of these 12 treks, and turn America's most iconic preserves into your own private paradise.
Zones: 6 Topographies, 18 Amazing Trips
Whether you're looking for Coastal, Canyon, Peak, Forest, or Urban hikes, we have those. Plus some paddling (Water) trips for good measure.
Local Hikes: New Hikes Near You
Our army of reader-reader scouts mapped 59 local hikes from South Carolina to Northern California. See their favorites, then learn how to download tracklogs and waypoints.
Local Hikes: Midwest
See moose, bag a high-desert peak, and sample a quiet long trail. (Click linked trips for GPS waypoints, photos, and more.)
Zones: Water
Hit the water, and see plenty of wildlife and scenic views, on these paddling trips in Alaska, Florida, and Minnesota.
Water: Boundary Waters, MN
Looking for animals? This Minnesota paddle is a sure bet.
Print & Go Weekend Trip Planners
Free Print & Go PDFs give you turn-by-turn trail instructions and photos embedded on a usable topo map. Also: gear checklists, driving directions, and geo-references for finding the nearest campground, restaurant, gas station, and grocery store.
Undiscovered Hikes: 19 New Trails
Hike these paths before the masses find them.
Free Maps! Our Contributors Favorite Local Hikes
Online or via your cellphone these trips are ready to be downloaded and explored.
Where Solitude Rules
Sharing is for kindergarten. Take one of these 30 hikes and you can have the wilderness all to yourself.
Where Solitude Rules - Wilderness Hideaways
Lose yourself in a private paradise the crowds have overlooked.
Trip Finder: Waterfall Hikes
Nine ways to get your cascade fix from Tennessee to Montana.
Hikes and Trips in US Cities
Use our comprehensive city-specific pages to find hikes near your hometown or in a city you're planning to visit.
Where Can I Find the Quietest Campsite in America?
Shhh! Find silent shores in this isolated Boundary Waters hideaway
Paddle and Hike Voyageurs National Park
With a thousand islands and countless passages, this little-visited treasure is a watery maze. Here's the way in–and out.
Trip Finder: Stay-Dry Spring Hikes
Stay dry on spring treks in Minnesota, New Mexico, and more.
Minnesota's Boundary Waters Face Extermination By Climate Change
As temperatures rise, Minnesota's North Woods will likely go up in smoke.
Time To Go: Winter Tracking
Hit the wilderness in search of beasts big and small.
America's Best Campsites
Whether you are after fishing holes or skinny-dipping, Backpacker tracked down the best campsites in the country
Dogsledding in Minnesota: Born to Run
Head out with six hard-charging huskies, and winter will never feel more alive.
Paddling's Greatest Getaways
16 wild ways to find backcountry solitude and big-time scenery. All this, and you can bring the ice chest, too.
Hike, Bike, and Paddle in Minneapolis
Big currents flowing down the Mississippi, recently-blazed trails, and howling coyotes make up only a few of the many attractions that draw crowds to this city's outskirts.
60 Minute Fixes: Minneapolis
Three ways to hike, bike, and paddle your way to freedom in the Twin Cities.
Backpack, Paddle, and Camp the Great Lakes
Backpack Lake Huron's shores, kayak the St. Lawrence Islands, and camp along Lake Superior
High Points: Eagle Mountain, Minnesota
Find this high point in the largest national forest outside of Alaska.
Fall Hiking on Minnesota's Superior Trail
Blazing foliage and broad Lake Superior views
Guide's Choice: Hiking, Biking, Paddling, and Sledding Adventures
From paddling Lake Superior to glacier-hopping in Alaska: 6 hair-raising, lung-busting adventures from America's top outfitters
Boundary Waters
Get lost in the land o' lakes with 3 quiet, crowd-free trails
Ply A Backwoods Water Trail In The Boundary Waters
In Minnesota's Boundary Waters, thousands of blue routes await those willing to dip a paddle.
Best Backpacking In Minnesota
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Minnesota.
Hiking Minnesota's Jay Cooke State Park
Can't wait for the snow to melt? Get warmed up at Minnesota's Jay Cooke State Park.
Hiking Minnesota's Superior Hiking Trail
A whale of a Minnesota trail beside a Great Lake.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
A watery paradise, a hiker's secret.
Minnesota's Superior Hiking Trail
Great lake views in Minnesota's land of moose and wolves.
Minnesota's Wild River State Park
Stomp and glide at Wild River State Park, where no snow monsters are allowed.
Northern Lights: The Sky Will Dance
Like shimmering rainbows in the night, the northern lights electrify the sky with color.
