| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
The High Life: High Sierra Camps, CA
Hike Yosemite's granite-rimmed loop.
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.
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.
Readers' Choice 2012: Top 3 - West Hikes
The region's best picks from our top field correspondent, who's notched more than 1,800 trail miles throughout the West and mapped 116 trips.
National Parks: Yosemite
Enjoy this legendary park (without the legendary crowds) on a four-day trip through the Clark Range.
National Park Slideshows
See scores of stunning images from the Grand Canyon, Denali, Yosemite, and more.
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: Frazil Ice
Witness a river of slush flow through Yosemite Valley.
Trip Finder: West
Your favorite western hikes—from dayhikes to weekenders to multiday trips.
Rip & Go: Lyell Canyon, Yosemite
Escape front-country crowds on a trek to the park's idyllic interior.
Readers' Choice: West
Your favorite parks, weekend getaways, peak ascents, campsites, and more in the west.
Top 25 Winter Trips: United States
Find the best skiing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and winter camping trips in the U.S.
America's Scariest Trails: What are You Afraid of?
Haunted mountains? Vanished campers? Bloodthirsty creatures? An evil wind that lures hikers over a waterfall? We dare you to hike America's scariest trails.
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.
Ranger Confidential: Secrets of the National Park Rangers
True tales from the front lines--and behind the scenes--of America's national parks.
National Parks Center
We've collected the best hikes, most amazing photos, and mind-blowing videos for the ultimate National Park planning center. Get inspired and get hiking now!
National Parks Hall of Fame: Photo Galleries
Catch the best views in the nation's marquee parks from the comfort of your computer. Prepare to drool...now.
Rip & Go: Dewey Point - Yosemite National Park, CA
Discover the rewards of winter camping on this easy snowshoe trek.
West Coast Readers' Choice Hikes
The world's prettiest shoreline, giant pines, and Yosemite's premier view.
West Coast Readers' Choice Hikes: Kalalau Trail, HI
Hike Hawaii's all-world coast to a secluded beach.
West Coast Readers' Choice Hikes: The Ruby Crest Trail, Humboldt NF, NV
Explore lonely alpine scenery in this off-the-radar wilderness.
West Coast Readers' Choice Hikes: Thru-hike the John Muir Trail, CA
Trek 211 miles through hiker heaven.
West Coast Readers' Choice Hikes: California's Giant Sequoias, Sugarbowl Loop, Kings Canyon NP
Take a lightly trafficked trail into the word's biggest grove.
West Coast Readers' Choice Hikes: Sentinel Dome, Yosemite NP
Bag a granite peak with big views and small crowds.
West Coast Readers' Choice Hikes: Lakes Trail to Pear Lake, Sequoia NP
Get a highlights tour of the High Sierra backcountry.
Reader Essays: Hold Your Fire
Robert DeNike demonstrates how NOT to greet a bear.
Top 3 Ansel Adams Hikes and Reader Photos
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.
National Parks Hall of Fame
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.
National Parks Hall of Fame: Best Dayhike
Beat the crowds by tackling this classic dayhike by moonlight.
Watch It, Hike It: An Episode-by-Episode Guide to The National Parks: America's Best Idea by Ken Burns
Catch these highlights from The National Parks: America's Best Idea, then download maps to hike to them yourself.
America's Scariest Trails: Yosemite's Supernatural Wind
Go ahead and hike to this park's famous lakes and waterfalls. Just watch your step–and your back.
National Parks Confidential: Q & A with Filmmaker Ken Burns
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.
Alone in a Crowd: Hiking Yosemite's North Rim
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.
Perfect Substitutes: Crowd-Free Destinations
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.
National Parks Hall of Fame: Park Finder
Zero in on your perfect hike, from thrilling slots to soak-awhile hot springs.
National Parks Hall of Fame: Ranger Rated
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.
Yosemite's North Rim: Exclusive Google Flyover Video & Photo Slideshow
Kelly Bastone hiked a long-forgotten trail through Yosemite's North Rim and documented the trek on video, in photographs, and using GPS.
Insider's Guide: Yosemite National Park
With these top day, weekend, and week-long hikes, you'll see more than your fair share of Yosemite's wonders.
Readers' Choice Awards 2009
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.
Phenomenon: Glacial Relics
The Ice Age left its mark from Acadia to Yosemite. Here's scenic evidence.
America's 10 Most Dangerous Hikes - Mist Trail, Half Dome, CA
Swallowed by Sierra scenery
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.
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.
How to Light a Campfire in the Smokies
Trees, trees are everywhere, but sometimes there isn't a dry twig in sight.
Is Inadequate Funding the Main Problem Facing the National Park System?
This question fuels the debate regarding how to help the aging national park system improve.
National Park Vacation Planners: 3D Videos and Downloadable Beta
3-D hike videos, complete trip planner pdfs, our interactive ParkFinder tool, and more.
Rock Star: Brett Dennen
Once a guide and counselor near Yosemite, up-and-coming musician Brett Dennen is now taking his backcountry jams to the masses.
How to Score Denali's Choicest Permits
The system was rigged, says a former ranger. Here's how to beat it.
May Close-to-Home Hikes
Our map team has been hard at work plotting the coolest hikes. Check out May's selections here.
Trip Doctor: Best National Park Bus System
Tired of commuting in a car around our national parks? Catch the best backcountry bus.
Find the Tallest Waterfall in the U.S.
Head to Hawaii for three of the tallest
The World's Smartest Bears
Welcome to Yosemite, iconic American landscape, hikers' paradise, and all-you-can-eat home of the wiliest bruins on earth.
National Parks Report Card
We surveyed more than 40 scientists, conservationists, and professional adventurers, then ranked the 15 parks that are most in peril from climate change.
The Pacific Crest Trail's High Sierra
Some things are so inevitable there's no sense disputing them: death, taxes, and the unrivaled beauty of the Sierra.
Essential National Park Skills: The Ultimate Park Pass
Write your own ticket to new adventures with these 10 territory-expanding skills.
Trip Doctor: National Park Weddings
Can I get married in a national park?
Yosemite @ $7.38 An Hour: Seasonal Work in the National Parks
Our scribe-turned-pizzaman labors in the land of granite and pulls back the curtain on the seasonal-employment fantasy.
The Works: Trans-Yosemite Ski Tour
Start packing now for a once-in-a-lifetime ski tour through silent, snow-draped Yosemite.
Summer Hiking on the John Muir Trail
A backpacker's go light heaven: thru-hiking California's High Sierra
Luxury Gone Wild At Ahwahnee
A night in Yosemite's most famous hotel
Secrets of Yosemite National Park
Sneak in the side door for a private viewing of the finest in California's High Sierra real estate.
Balloon Dome, Ansel Adams Wilderness
Don't let well-known Sierra neighbors like Yosemite overshadow this stunning wilderness.
Wild Weddings
Want a ceremony that reflects your passion for the outdoors? Here's everything you need to know to pull off a wilderness wedding.
Best Waterfall Hikes
Learn the weird science behind our addiction to waterfalls, and the location of the best trails in North America.
Climbing Yosemite: Mount Conness
Tuolomne Meadows monarch Mount Conness has been a classic Yosemite climb for years -- and for good reason.
Climbing Yosemite: Matthes Crest
Matthes Crest features superb climbing deep in Yosemite's backcountry.
Best Backpacking In California
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in California.
Splendor Hiking The High Sierra
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.
National Parks: Best Scenery
The greatest backpacking parks in the United States, chosen for their scenery.
Yosemite: Treasure Of The Sierra
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.
Yosemite On A Bad Day Is Still Good
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.
