| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Thru-Hiking the Recession
The upside to being downsized? Having time to hit the nation's long trails.
Rip & Go: Pennsylvania's Appalachian Trail - From Wind Gap to Delaware Water Gap
Trek to the New Jersey border along PA's finest section of the AT.
Climb This Peak: Katahdin
This iconic summit shouldn't be rushed. Save the experience on this 33-mile trek.
Best Damn Weekend Ever: Vermont's Bourn Pond-Stratton Pond Loop
Hike this burly wonder to find out what inspired the Appalachian and Long Trail's founders.
A 2,175-Mile Dayhike: Trekking the Appalachian Trail in One Day
The Dartmouth Outing Club targets an Appalachian Trail hiking record.
American Classic: Hiking the Appalachian Trail
In this ultimate guide to the country's favorite footpath, you'll find our picks for the best hiking and camping, and a complete plan for thru-hikers. Plus, meet a man who has made it his job to help AT hikers.
Pack Man: The Appalachian Trail Guru
Thirty miles up the trail from Springer Mountain, Winton Porter shelters and feeds thru-hikers–and works tirelessly to slash their pack weight.
The Long Trail to Jail
Is he a pilgrim, a victim, or a thief? The Appalachian Trail provides a path and refuge to all sorts of seekers. Few are as baffling as the man they called Saved.
Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Gear List
We've got your Appalachian Trail packing list dialed. Here, take stock of what you'll need to thru-hike the trail. Just print it out and get packing.
Top 3 Trail-Building Trips
Want to boost your backcountry karma? Here are three places to hike–and give back.
Backpacker's Readers' Choice Awards 2008
America's 100 Best Hikes–chosen by you.
The Appalachian Trail's Kittatinny Ridge
Hike this trail to find peace, stress relief and a tonic to cure your daily routine.
The Appalachian Trail's George Washington National Forest
Find spectacular views and deep solitude on this weekend hike.
Epicenter: The Scene In Monson, Maine
Jump off into the North Woods' best wilderness
High Points: Clingmans Dome, Tennessee
A downright goofy dome marks this highpoint.
High Points: High Point, New Jersey
You'll find numerous surprises as you explore the lakes, rivers and forests of this highpoint.
High Points: Mt. Rogers, Virginia
Allow the plants to color the landscape as you make your way along the trail.
Body Of A Backpacker
It's lean, it's mean, and it can last forever.
Hiking The Mahoosuc Range
The short but stunning Mahoosuc Range has major-league attractions, like the toughest mile on the Appalachian Trail and conditions that discourage the faint of heart.
Hiking The Eastern Continental Trail
Say hello to North America's newest long trail.
Best Backpacking In Virginia
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Virginia.
Reader Tip: In The Wick Of Time
Follow this BACKPACKER reader's tip to get the most out of your candles on the trail.
Best Backpacking In Tennessee
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Tennessee.
Best Backpacking In Vermont
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Vermont.
Best Backpacking In Maine
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Maine.
Best Backpacking In Maryland
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Maryland.
Best Backpacking In Pennsylvania
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Pennsylvania.
Best Backpacking In New Hampshire
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in New Hampshire.
Best Backpacking In New Jersey
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in New Jersey.
Best Backpacking In Massachussetts
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Massachusetts.
Make The Big Jump
Are you a dayhiker who's ready for an all-nighter? A weekender longing to try a 5-day trek? Or are you ready for a thru-hike? Regardless of your skill level, here's the information you'll need to go that extra mile.
Vermont's Many-Faced Long Trail
If land has a personality, then Vermont's 270-mile Long Trail is one moody, unpredictable way to hike through New England.
Hiking The Appalachian Trail
The famed peaks of the Appalachian chain entice some 2,500 people to attempt the thru-hike each year.
Bill Foot 1946-2000
The Appalachian Trail community lost a prominent supporter, volunteer, hiker, and maintainer.
Robert Taylor: A True Trailblazer
Robert Taylor wants African-Americans to know "there's something great out there."
Trail Advocate Leaves Legacy Behind
Appalachian Trail (AT) advocate Edward Garvey, 84, recently died of congestive heart failure at Arlington Hospital in Virginia.
Muddy Love In Shenandoah
All along the 23-mile Shenandoah Mountain trail and in the forested areas throughout the Appalachian Mountains, vernal pools are rich aquatic breeding grounds.
Hiking At A Berry Slow Pace
Figure on 9 days to do the entire 100-mile hike—unless you're slowed drastically by all the blueberries.
New York's Shower Of Color
Have your camera ready near dusk, when sunlight warms the landscape with intense color.
White Mountains, New Hampshire
Sometimes walking "backward" is the only way to go in New Hampshire's White Mountains.
Do A Thru-Hike, Sans Pack
All it takes is $7,000 and a man named "Pittsburgh" to become a weightless thru-hiker.
Duncan Ridge Trail, Georgia
Get lost on Georgia's Duncan Ridge Trail.
Pennsylvania's Michaux State Forest
With all of the trail options in Pennsylvania's Michaux State Forest, it's hard to pick just one.
Virginia's Three Ridges
Hike this gorgeous, mountainous section of Virginia's Appalachian Trail.
Riga Plateau, Appalachian Trail
Get spectacular Appalachian Trail mountain views without much effort on the Riga Plateau.
Katahdin In One Day
For some, reaching Maine's Mt. Katahdin is the end of a life-altering 2,100-mile pilgrimage. For others it's a lark. We captured the extremes, and a little bit of everything in between, one day atop Maine's "greatest mountain."
Canada's Appalachian Trail
Who says the Appalachian Trail has to stop in Maine? Certainly not some plucky Canadians, who're extending the long-trail concept 600 more miles into their homeland.
