| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Heroes: Bob Peoples, 68
This tireless trail angel is firing up a new generation of backcountry stewards.
International Appalachian Trail, Quebec - Readers Choice 2012
Find caribou, moose, and bald eagles on a hut-to-hut trek in an undiscovered park.
Readers' Choice 2012: Appalachian Trail, 100-Mile Wilderness, ME
Tackle the Northeast's most remote wilds for bears, moose, and berries.
Readers' Choice 2012: Top 3 - Southeast Hikes
Our prolific map contributor has thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and notched more than 90 bag nights while scouting routes for BACKPACKER.
Readers' Choice 2012: Reader Leader Contest Winners
More than 150 of you entered our contest to become a BACKPACKER field scout. Meet the winners.
Trail Master: Q & A with record-breaking thru-hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis
Having just broken the speed record for thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Jennifer Pharr Davis sits down to discuss gear, preparation, and the joy of a stellar hike.
Madman Walking?
Warren Doyle has hiked the Appalachian Trail 16 times, and he has a no-fee plan guaranteed to help others complete the 2,180-mile trek. The hardest part? Hiking with Warren Doyle.
Local Hikes: Southeast
Hike these long trails in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida, and paddle three days in the Everglades backcountry.
The High Life: Hiking Utah's Highline Trail
Watch your step on Utah' Highline Trail. The nonstop views and rampant wildlife are distractingly spectacular. Plus: Gaze away on 9 more elevated hikes.
Local Hikes: Southeast
Ascend Rocky Top in Tennessee; spot herons and Pelicans in a Florida bayou.
Rip & Go: Approach Trail Loop, Chattahoochee National Forest, GA
Relax in a hiker-friendly lodge at the Appalachian Trail's southern tip.
Local Hikes: Roanoke, VA
The best hikes near Roanoke, VA.
Local Hikes: Asheville, NC
The best hikes near Asheville, NC.
Secret Hikes: Appalachian Trail
The last lonely stretch of the AT beckons from the mountains of western Maine.
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.
Hike America's Long Trails
We know. You've always wanted to hike a long trail. Lucky for you, we've got the comprehensive guides to make your dreams a reality. Check out the best sections and dayhikes along the AT, PCT and CDT. PLUS: See how four hikers beat the recession...by hiking through it.
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.
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.
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 George Washington National Forest
Find spectacular views and deep solitude on this weekend hike.
The Appalachian Trail's Kittatinny Ridge
Hike this trail to find peace, stress relief and a tonic to cure your daily routine.
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: Mt. Rogers, Virginia
Allow the plants to color the landscape as you make your way along the trail.
High Points: High Point, New Jersey
You'll find numerous surprises as you explore the lakes, rivers and forests of this highpoint.
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 Pennsylvania
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Pennsylvania.
Best Backpacking In Maine
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Maine.
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.
Best Backpacking In New Hampshire
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in New Hampshire.
Best Backpacking In Maryland
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Maryland.
Best Backpacking In Vermont
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Vermont.
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.
New York's Shower Of Color
Have your camera ready near dusk, when sunlight warms the landscape with intense color.
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.
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.
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.
