| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Trail Mix - West - March 2013
Your region's go-now spring guide: Scramble to Salado Indian cliff dwellings in Arizona, spot bighorn sheep in Wyoming, and more.
Local Hikes in the West — March 2013
Soak in a New Mexico hot spring, spot wintering bighorn sheep in the Winds, hike to a lost California oasis, and more.
From the Field: West
Our trail scouts' top local hikes
Best Weekend: Death Canyon Loop
Sleep in a lake-dotted basin and scale an 11,000-foot peak.
Best Week: Granite Canyon to Paintbrush Canyon
Take a grand tour of the Tetons on a six-day trek past pinnacled peaks, wildflower meadows, and secluded lakes.
The Other Way In
Hike to life-list hot spots without waiting in life-list lines. These under-the-radar trails deliver everything but the crowds.
Grand Teton Adventure Guide (2012 National Parks Series: Part 3 of 6)
Our map scouts scaled 13,000-foot peaks, trekked to hidden lakes, and explored glacier-carved canyons to bring you our 21 favorite routes in America's most vertiginous range.
Best Day: Jenny Lake and Hanging Canyon Loop
Circle a glacial lake, see a waterfall, and explore a forgotten trail.
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.
America's Best Campsites
Park your tent in one of these 10 spots, and you'll be happy in the morning. Guaranteed.
Readers' Choice 2012: Shoal Creek Loop, Gros Ventre Wilderness, WY
Backpack to a local ranger's favorite mountain getaway.
Readers' Choice 2012: Your Neck of the Woods - Mountain West Hikes
Scramble on red rock, camp at alpine lakes, cross a high pass, explore a trailless moonscape, and bushwhack to a peak.
Readers' Choice 2012: Reader Leader Contest Winners
More than 150 of you entered our contest to become a BACKPACKER field scout. Meet the winners.
Perfect 10: North America's 10 Most Memorable Hikes
Ten trails. Ten unmatched miles each. Get maximum bang for each boot step on hikes that our most-traveled contributors call their all-time favorites.
Perfect 10: Free PDF Trip Planning Guides
We've picked the top 10 miles of North America's 10 most memorable hikes. Find your way to wilderness nirvana with these map and planning guides.
Rip & Go: Horse Heaven Loop - Wyoming Range, WY
Discover a pocket of wildlife beyond Yellowstone's borders.
National Parks: Grand Teton
Wade through wildflowers, listen to wolves, and escape the crowded trade routes in this secluded corner of the park.
National Parks: View Finder
Go ahead, look again. And again. These images are worth a third, fourth, and then a tenth gaze.
National Parks: Yellowstone
A forgotten explorer's route leads to off-trail, high-peak adventure and bona fide solitude.
Going to Extremes
Can you ever really have too much of a good thing? Once you've seen the biggest tree, largest glacier, and deepest canyon, nothing else compares.
Local Hikes: Mountain West
Hike these long trails in Montana, Idaho, Arizona, and Colorado, and raft an eight-mile section of the Arkansas River.
America's Best-Kept Secrets: Wind River Range, WY
Readers' Choice 2011: America's Best Hikes
The undisputed local experts—you—chose the top parks, trails, campsites, and weekend getaways from Alaska to Alabama.
Readers' Choice: Rockies
Your favorite parks, weekend getaways, peak ascents, campsites, and more in the Rockies.
Trip Finder: Rockies
Your favorite Rockies hikes—from dayhikes to weekenders to multiday trips.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide: Best Winter Trips
We traveled to Fjordland and discovered that nothing compares to skiing glacier-clad mountains above deep-water fjords. Plus: 20 winter adventures, from California to New York.
Wyoming Hikes
Go high and wide in Wyoming's untamed range.
Best Hikes Ever: Bucking Mule Falls Trail, WY
Watch a waterfall cascade from the sky.
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.
Best Hikes Ever: Teton Crest Trail, WY
Traverse the nation's most photogenic range on the Teton Crest Trail.
Local Hikes: Laramie, WY
The best hikes near Laramie, WY.
Local Hikes: Mountain West
The best local hikes in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana.
Natural Wonders: Giant Aspens, Devil's Tower, and Hawk Heaven
Visit the world's largest aspen colony, the Plains' highest skyscraper, and a raptor super-flyaway.
Print & Go: Heart Lake and Mt. Sheridan, Yellowstone NP
Experience the rugged side of Yellowstone on this two-day, 23.1-mile backpack. You'll track past steaming creeks and old-growth lodgepole on the way to a campsite near Heart Lake's rocky shoreline. On day two, rise early for the 2,800-foot climb to Mt. Sheridan's 10,308-foot crown.
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.
Rip & Go: Snowy Range Loop, Medicine Bow National Forest, WY
See snaggly summits and hook trout galore on a high-alpine trek.
Secret Hikes: Grand Teton National Park
Rise above the crowds and earn solo views of elk, wildflowers, and summit sunsets.
Secret Hikes: Yellowstone National Park
What crowds? Lose yourself in the Lamar Valley on this weeklong hike.
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.
Natural Wonders: World's Tallest Geyser, North America's Smallest Bird and Best Shade Tree
Discover the world's tallest geyser, North America's smallest bird, and the country's best shade tree on these three treks.
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: Mountain West
Spot a grizzly, basecamp amid Fourteeners, and relax in secluded hot springs. (Click linked trips for GPS waypoints, photos, and more.)
Ultimate Rocky Mountain Destinations
Disappear into Yellowstone's forgotten peaks. Bag Colorado's most exciting Fourteener. Hike Utah's unknown long trail Our field editors pick 24 epics for your Rockies life list.
Central Rockies: Green River Lakes, WY
Hike to the heart of the Winds.
Northern Rockies: Moose Creek, Grand Teton National Park
Find solitude with this surf-and-turf trip.
National Parks Hall of Fame: Best Wildlife
Who ever said out of sight, out of mind was certainly not referring to the wealth of wildlife that are making some big noise in Thorofare Valley.
Vanishing Act: Explore Yellowstone's Northern Fringe
Disappear into Yellowstone's secret northern fringe, where you'll find a rejuvenated landscape and total solitude (except for the bison and grizzlies).
Insider's Guide: Yellowstone
From camping with wolves to fly-fishing smarts this insider's guide has you covered.
Top 3 Family Dayhikes
Pack up your brood for a day in the outdoors with these kid-friendly trails.
HIking the Tetons Photo Gallery
Backpacker.com assistant editor Ted Alvarez hits the west side of the Tetons in this photo gallery report.
Where Solitude Rules - Lonely Summits
You won't find bottlenecks on these untrammeled peaks.
America's Best Dayhikes
From dawn-to-dusk epics in Utah canyons to lazy-picnic blueberry strolls in Maine–plus hikes to peaks, redwoods, hot springs, beaches, and more–here are 100 ways to spend a perfect day on the trail.
Trip Finder: Waterfall Hikes
Nine ways to get your cascade fix from Tennessee to Montana.
A Perfect Week in the Grand Tetons
You won't waste a minute with our only-the-highlights hiking and climbing guide to the West's archetypal range. From the loftiest summits to the loneliest cross-country routes, this seven-day sampler visits every type of Tetons treasure-and then some.
Master the Steeps: High-Angle Hiking Trails
First, check out our tips for healthy hiking on steep terrain in the May 2009 issue then, put them to the test on one of our favorite high-angle trails from California to North Carolina.
Wilderness Wonders: Hottest Geysers
Superheated water sprays from Yellowstone ground.
Weekend Snow Climbs in the Pacific Northwest, Rockies, and Northeast
Pack snowshoes for these nine epic treks to snowy solitude in the Pacific Northwest, Rockies, and Northeast.
Party Peaks
Ten perfect summits for your next group hike
Man Versus Rock
A staged photo op in the Tetons results in a near-crushing.
Wyoming's Red Desert: Story, Video, and Photo Special
Head to one of the last truly wild places in the Lower 48: Wyoming's Red Desert. Read the story, follow our author on the trail in our video report, see more photos of the journey in a gallery of outtakes, and download the GPS Track.
Destination Nowhere
The most remote spot in the Lower 48 is inside Yellowstone National Park. It's also the goal of our correspondent. What he encounters–and what it says about the solitude backpackers treasure–will surprise you. PLUS: See more of his photos and read a Q&A.
The Red Zone: Wyoming's Red Desert
As conservationists and energy developers fight over Wyoming's Red Desert, one thing is certain: There's no time like the present to hike through its unreal geography.
National Parks Lifelist
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.
Backpack Wyoming's Medicine Bow Mountains
Explore big skies and pristine lakes in the Medicine Bows.
Denali National Park
Hike with grizzlies in this remote northern corner of Alaska's greatest park.
Yellowstone National Park
America's first national park is a playground for grizzlies, wolves, moose, and hikers (not in that order).
Olympic National Park
Explore two ecosystems in this hinterland of moss-draped forests, ancient trees, and snowcapped peaks.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Graze blueberry patches, explore swimming holes, and tag the South's high points on this sultry hike.
Grand Canyon National Park
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.
Yosemite National Park
Climb classic Sierra passes, ogle granite monoliths, and camp above treeline in John Muir's second home.
Glacier National Park
Scramble up class III peaks and cross late summer snowfields on this strenuous but straightforward trip through Montana's big-mountain country.
National Parks Lifelist: Intro
How Your Kid Can Save a Park
Send him out on a work trip. Let wilderness do the rest.
Trip Finder: Ridgewalks
From the West Coast to the Rocky Mountains to New England, we've got nine epic ridgewalks just for you.
How to Light a Campfire in the Smokies
Trees, trees are everywhere, but sometimes there isn't a dry twig in sight.
Trip Finder: Wildflowers
Trek the best spring blooms from the Ozarks to the Olympics with these two, three, and four day treks.
How to Score Denali's Choicest Permits
The system was rigged, says a former ranger. Here's how to beat it.
The Continental Divide Trail Project
We sent 209 readers out to GPS the Continental Divide Trail, the biggest, baddest, long-distance path of them all. They brought back the makings of the first authoritative map of this American classic. Here, read the Backpacker Blog on the project, and view three exclusive on-the-trail video.
Time To Go: Winter Tracking
Hit the wilderness in search of beasts big and small.
Searching for Solitude: Mark Jenkins Photos and Interview
In "Destination Nowhere" (September 2008), Mark Jenkins explores the most remote wilderness location in the continental United States–a top-secret spot in Yellowstone. See his trip photos and read an interview with Jenkins where he discusses the assignment.
Time 2 Go See Wild Horses
From Florida to Wyoming, track wild horses for four hours or 10 days.
America's Best Campsites
Whether you are after fishing holes or skinny-dipping, Backpacker tracked down the best campsites in the country
Grizzly Details: Surviving a Bear Attack
Hiker Gerald Holzer recounts a 2005 grizzly attack in Yellowstone.
3 Ways To See: Yellowstone
Pick your poison with three epic adventures in Yellowstone: camping, canoeing, and ski touring
3 Ways To See Yellowstone
Want to hike visit Yellowstone in winter? Follow our guide to get all the winter highlights.
Top 3: Fishing-Hole Hikes
Classic hike-in spots in Wyoming, South Carolina, and Oregon let you ditch the trail mix for pan-fried fish.
The Lost Trail: Chasing Yellowstone's Nez Perce Path
Hike a historic long path through Yellowstone--if you're lucky enough to find it.
America's Hardest Dayhikes
Push yourself on any of these challenging hikes
High Points: Gannett Peak, Wyoming
The longest and wildest approach in the bunch
Explore Wyoming's Cirque of the Towers
Delve into the Shoshone National Forest on the North Fork Trail
A Hiker's Guide To Surfing and Snorkeling
Use your backpacking skills at the best surfing, climbing, trail running, and even paragliding spots
Table Mountain, Teton Range
This summit offers the finest view anywhere of the Grand and surrouding peaks.
Trapped! The Mike Turner Story
Deep in Wyoming's Wind River Range, an accident with a sliding boulder makes a hiker confront his life, his fate, and his faith in God.
Climbing The Wind River Range: Haystack Mountain
Haystack Mountain offers a sweet climb in Wyoming's remote Wind River Range.
Climbing Wyoming's Wind River Range: Pingora
This spire deep in Wyoming's Wind River Range serves as the climbing pinnacle of the Cirque of the Towers.
Best Backpacking In Wyoming
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Wyoming.
Prairie Hiking: Wide-Open Spaces
It's the easiest hiking on Earth, and you get to sleep with buffalo, listen to coyotes sing, and bask in quiet so deep you can hear the grasslands growing. Welcome to the prairie.
Wyoming's Absaroka: Wild At Heart
If you think the last truly wild, unexplored land is in Canada or Alaska, you haven't been to Wyoming's Absaroka range.
Absaroka's Wildlife Needs Your Help
Montana and Wyoming's incredibly wild and beautiful Absaroka needs your help.
Elksong
At a campsite along the Snake River, the bugling goes on night and day.
Wyoming's Medicine Bow: A Cure For Hikers
Wyoming's Medicine Bow National Forest is just what the hiker ordered.
Grand Teton's High Adventure Trail
Some people head to Wyoming to summit the Tetons. But outdoor legend Paul Petzoldt had a better idea: Create a route for foot travelers along the spine of the great range.
River Floating: A Current Affair
Why huff and puff to get to an isolated campsite? Simply grab a paddle, then let the current carry you to a secluded riverside trailhead.
Wyoming: Best Of The Bighorns
Here's how to find the best of Wyoming's expansive Bighorn range.
The Faces Of Fall
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.
Wind Rivers Reunion
In the Wind Rivers range, you can hike for days without seeing another soul, which is why it brings a pair of brothers back again and again.
Twelve Toughest Trails
Twelve trails that'll chew you up, spit you out, and have you begging for more.
