Backpacker Magazine: Appalachian Trail: Backpacking and Camping Trips, Hikes, Adventures, Topo Maps, Aerial Photos.

Appalachian Trail: Elm Street to Cape Moonshine Road

Submitted by: Backpacker Magazine
Pass Dartmouth College, hike over Smarts Mountain, and explore thick woodlands on this multi-day, 36-mile trip. Peakbaggers: Several side trails lead to nearby summits.

Appalachian Trail: PA 309 to Lehigh Gap

Submitted by: Backpacker Magazine
See why thru-hikers nickname this area Rocksylvania. This 13.5-mile leg runs along a knife-edge ridge, then scrambles around sedan-sized boulders, and ends at a refreshing swimming hole in the Lehigh River.

Allentown, PA: Hawk Mountain

Submitted by: Backpacker Magazine
After hiking past boulder fields, this 4.7-mile loop climbs up the spine of Hawk Mountain and stops at overlooks perfect for scoping hawk migrations.

White Mountain National Forest: Thoreau Falls

BACKPACKER Review
Gaze down the barrel of a waterfall and visit a secluded pond on this 10.2-mile section hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Appalachian Trail: Dicks Creek Gap to Winding Stair Gap

BACKPACKER Review
Perfect for a weeklong jaunt, this 38-mile section climbs mountains, winds through deep gaps and passes a short side hike to Standing Indian Mountain, where Indian lore says a bolt of lighting struck a lone Cherokee sentinel and turned him to stone.

Appalachian Trail: Bucher Hill Road to PA 850

BACKPACKER Review
The first 12 miles of this ambitious dayhike are almost pancake-flat then the homestretch climbs 800 feet to Blue Mountain.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Tricorner Loop

A peak bagger's dream, this 31-mile Smokies backpack loops across forested ridgelines, offering the opportunity to tag eight 6,000-foot summits along the way.

Apple Orchard Falls

One of the state's tallest and most spectacular waterfalls. Singing streams, dancing down cascades. Huge boulders. Thick stands of forest, ranging from hemlocks to hardwoods. Stunning vistas of the Shenandoah Valley, especially in leaf-off. Towering bluff lines.

Duncannon to Trindle Road

Two day, one night backpacking trip through Central PA on the Appalachian Trail.

Appalachian Trail: Mount Katahdin

Big climb. Big crowds. Bigger reward. This classic 9.8-mile route climbs the tallest peak in Maine, a hiking high point in every sense.

Appalachian Trail: Tesnatee Gap to Unicoi Gap

This 14.6-mile leg promises long views on Blue Mountain and ends at Unicoi Gap where hikers can find an original 1934 metal AT trail marker.

Appalachian Trail: US 7 to US 44

Some of the best views of Connecticut can be seen from Rand's View—a quiet meadow dotting this 9-mile leg that showcases unrivaled views of wooded Berkshire Hills.

Readers' Choice 2012: Reader Leader Contest Winners

BACKPACKER Review
More than 150 of you entered our contest to become a BACKPACKER field scout. Meet the winners.

Readers' Choice 2012: Appalachian Trail, 100-Mile Wilderness, ME

BACKPACKER Review
Tackle the Northeast's most remote wilds for bears, moose, and berries.

Readers' Choice 2012: Top 3 - Southeast Hikes

BACKPACKER Review
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: International Appalachian Trail, Parc National de la Gaspesie, Quebec

BACKPACKER Review
Find caribou, moose, and bald eagles on a hut-to-hut trek in an undiscovered park.

Trail Master: Q & A with record-breaking thru-hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis

BACKPACKER Review
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?

BACKPACKER Review
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.

Appalachian Trail Nature Photo Gallery

BACKPACKER Slideshow
Wildflowers, bugs, and other nature photographs shot by our map correspondent on the AT © Jeff Chow

AT Shelter Photo Gallery

BACKPACKER Slideshow
A few of the shelters and lean-tos found along the length of the Appalachian Trail © Jeff Chow

Panoramas of the Appalachian Trail

BACKPACKER Slideshow
A collection of five-star overlooks along the Appalachian Trail © Jeff Chow

AT Culture Photo Gallery

AT Interview: Correspondent Jeff Chow

BACKPACKER Video
Jeff Chow spent 10 months mapping every mile of the AT for BACKPACKER. Learn about his favorite spots and hard-earned tips here.

Share your tales of travel & adventure with our step-by-step guide. Upload trail descriptions, photos, video, and more.

Photos + Videos

Packing for a Backcountry Ski Day Kristin Hostetter shows you the essential gear, and how to pack it, for a day of backcountry skiing.	Adjust Your Pack Straps on the Trail Maximize your pack's comfort with a few easy, on-trail strap adjustments.

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.