Phoenix, AZ: Mount Baldy Loop
Hike rolling terrain on one of Arizona's highest mountains.
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Arizona
Hiking and Backpacking Trips
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Phoenix: Shaw Butte-North Mountain LoopYou'll climb nearly 1,300 feet and bag two neighboring peaks by the end of this 7.4-mile lasso loop in Phoenix Mountains Preserve. Phoenix: Boulder CanyonNavigate rocky canyon bottoms amid colorful cactus-studded hills on a 6.8-mile off-trail excursion in the Superstition Wilderness. Phoenix, AZ: Dogie TrailThis remote, partly unmarked 10.4-mile route leads to a beautifully carved canyon with high desert views in Sycamore Canyon Wilderness.
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Tucson, AZ: Sweetwater PreserveTake a sweet ride in Sweetwater, Tucson’s newest saguaro-packed trail system. This 7.6-mile sampler offers beginner-friendly singletrack and options for more technical trails, too.
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Ultimate Adventure Handbook: Ride a Whitewater Roller CoasterInflatable kayaks make big-water action accessible to all. 
Ultimate Adventure HandbookTired of the same old weekend loops? Looking to create memories your grandkids will talk about? In this how-and-where guide, we serve up 15 extraordinary escapes that will shatter your expectations of "normal." From adventure moviemaking to canyoneering, we'll take you places you've never been—but will long to visit again soon. 
Readers' Choice 2012: Your Neck of the Woods - Mountain West HikesScramble on red rock, camp at alpine lakes, cross a high pass, explore a trailless moonscape, and bushwhack to a peak. |
Readers' Choice 2012: Top 3 - Mountain West HikesThis region's top contestant in our Be a Mapper contest reveals his favorite off-the-beaten-path routes through canyon country and mountain refuges. Rip & Go: West Clear Creek Canyon, Coconino National Forest, AZRock-hop and wade your way down a wild sandstone corridor. Online Exclusive: Readers' Choice 2012: Travis Lesicka's Wildlife Sighting TipsThis region's top contestant in our Be a Mapper contest reveals his wildlife sighting tips. |
Tanner-Escalante Loop, Grand Canyon National Park, AZBACKPACKER editor Jon Dorn and his wife have a tradition: They've been celebrating New Year's Eve in the backcountry for almost a decade. In 2009 they did a 40-mile, 5-day hike beneath the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. (Photos by Jonathan Dorn) 
Gunsight Canyon, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, AZIn spring 2006, BACKPACKER editors Jon Dorn, Peter Flax, and Kris Wagner joined a group of readers for a weekend of hiking and mapping in a remote slot canyon. (Photos by Jonathan Dorn) |
Hiking to Grand Canyon's Royal ArchJoin photographer Elias Butler on this trek to one of the Grand Canyon's hidden gems. 
November 2008 Reader PhotosThis month our readers found sun in Sedona, Arizona and snow and ice on Rainier–plus everything in between. |
Grand Canyon Challenge: Rim-to-Rim-to-RimDon't try this at home: See BACKPACKER's editor-in-chief's gonzo 21-hour hike with a friend into the Grand Canyon, rim-to-rim-to-rim. 
3D Flyover: Grand Canyon's South RimDive off the Grand Canyon's South Rim and explore a waterfall-rich grotto and the canyon's largest natural rock bridge on this classic, 34-mile trek captured in vivid 3-D detail. 
3D Flyover: Grand CanyonEnjoy yawning panoramas and no campsite competition along the Big Ditch's middle balcony–the Tonto Plateau–on a 5-day trek locals call "the jewels" for its perfectly placed (and lifesaving) springs. |
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Photos + Videos
Packing for a Backcountry Ski DayKristin Hostetter shows you the essential gear, and how to pack it, for a day of backcountry skiing. |
Adjust Your Pack Straps on the TrailMaximize your pack's comfort with a few easy, on-trail strap adjustments. |
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Life's Short, Hike More!
What makes a backpacker a backpacker? It's not the garage full of gear or piles of guidebooks--it's the experiences, from thru-hiking a long trail to pushing your personal envelope to inspiring a child's love of wilderness. Here we present BACKPACKER's new Life List: 10 experiences to add to your tick-listnow--and the key skills you need to nail them.
Secret Hikes: Appalachian Trail
The last lonely stretch of the AT beckons from the mountains of western Maine.
Secret Hikes: Glacier National Park
Score wildlife sightings daily, choice views hourly--and at least one juicy burger--on this weeklong circuit.
Secret Hikes: Grand Canyon National Park
Surprise: This park's busy corridor trails offer a fast track to a private slice of heaven.
Secret Hikes: Grand Teton National Park
Rise above the crowds and earn solo views of elk, wildflowers, and summit sunsets.
International Travel
From Nepal to New Zealand, we have stories and tips to help you plan the perfect 'life list' trek abroad.
Navigation Center
Learn how to orient a map, navigate any terrain, and the ins-and-outs of GPS devices.
BACKPACKER's Free Smartphone GPS App
Record and share you adventures with our new, free navigation app. Plus, discover thousands of GPS-enabled hikes in national parks and major cities.
Green Guide
A backpacker's guide to environmental issues and "green" gear.
