Ask a Thru-Hiker: Should I Flip-Flop?
Travelling a long trail end to end isn't the only way to thru-hike.
Latest
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Is So Big, Even the Grizzlies Seem Small
On a rafting trip down the Kongakut River, a photographer experiences a landscape that's as spectacular as it is endangered.
Try These Four Drills This Winter For Complete Spring Trail Fitness
Want to ensure a fun, productive, and injury-free spring? Try these drills, which you may already know from your high-school sports days.
Sponsored Content
How to Stay Warm—and Stay Out Longer—This Winter
Get ready for your best winter ever with tips from these cold-weather experts
Joshua Tree National Park and a Local Tribe Will Collaborate Under a New Stewardship Agreement
Twenty Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians is the first Native group to ink an agreement with the park.
Backcountry Skating Is Your New Favorite Winter Sport
'Tis the season for a wintry multisport adventure. Here’s how to take to the ice safely.
Sponsored Content
10 Must-Do Winter Activities in Québec
Experience unique winter adventures in every region of the province
A Stranded Hiker Reportedly Survived for Two Weeks on Half a Jar of Salsa
An injured hiker got a lucky break when two campers heard him screaming for help. As it turned out, he had been waiting for a while.
Backpacking is the Sport of the Average (or Below-Average) Athlete
The trail is for everyone, even—especially—those of us who always got picked last in gym class.
Going to the Smokies? We Made You a Playlist.
Want a national park to visit this winter? Great Smoky Mountains is your place. Download this playlist for maximum vibes.
The Cocaine Bear Trailer Is Wild. The Real Story Is Weirder and Sadder.
Cocaine Bear's first trailer shows a bloodthirsty, intoxicated bruin rampaging through the forest. But how much of the based-on-a-true-story movie is real?
Member Exclusives
Stories, gear reviews, hiking guides, and more just for Outside+ members.
Join Outside+ See AllBest Gear of the Winter
Fitness
The Best Hiking Workouts for Every Fitness Level
Reality check: Hitting the gym is the quickest way to hike farther, easier, faster, and pain-free. Get into a routine—or take yours to the next level—with these smart workouts for three different levels.
The Best Hikes
The Best Hikes in Colorado
Lace up your boots for a hiking destination that includes Rocky Mountain vistas, alpine lakes, wind-swept sand dunes, and memorable urban parks.
Backpacking Skills
Learn How to Use a Compass and Never Get Lost Again
Make sure you never get lost again by mastering the underappreciated art of navigating with a compass and map.
Gear Round-Ups
The Best Backpacking Kitchen Gear of 2022
Feast-making cookware that won’t slow you down
Trail Guides
The Ultimate Guide to Hiking the Zion Narrows
The Narrows at Zion National Park offers an incredible adventure in America's most amazing slot canyons. Here's how to safely explore them.
Survival Skills
How to Remove and Treat Thorns, Splinters, and Other Prick Wounds
Nature can be brutal. Learn how to to deal with wounds from all kinds of thorns, spines, splinters, shards, quills, needles, and anything else that might get under your skin when you’re on the trail.
Classic Destinations
Experience Deep Backcountry on the Appalachian Trail’s 100-Mile Wilderness
Hike some of the East Coast's wildest wilderness on the AT.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Tents of 2022
Find shelter from the storm with these excellent backpacking tents.
Long Trails
100 Years Ago, the Appalachian Trail Was One Man’s Dream. Now, It’s Everyone’s.
Benton MacKaye's original proposal for the Appalachian Trail came out 100 years ago. While the trail may have changed, the appeal hasn't.
Listen
Out Alive
Real people who survived the unsurvivable
Listen
Impossible Odds
Two friends, 8,000 trail miles, one year
Featured Story
A.T. Phone Home: Backpacker Wants Your Appalachian Trail Stories
Have a tale from the AT? We want you to give us a call—literally.
From Grandma Gatewood‘s walk to Bill Bryson‘s misadventures to the Instagram hiking heroes of today, some of backpacking’s most compelling stories have originated on the Appalachian Trail. Whether it’s for 3 months or a weekend, everyone who sets foot on this path has their own tale: a bear encounter, a spectacular sunrise, or an unforgettable night with a shelter full of new friends. Now, Backpacker wants to help you tell yours. All you need to do is leave us a message.
This season, we’re highlighting ordinary AT hikers’ extraordinary stories. Here’s how it works: give us a call at 303-253-6424 and leave us a message with your name and a story from your section hike or thru-hike. Anything is fair game: we’re looking for your best moments, your worst moments, a story about your tramily, your favorite summit, an experience that got your pulse pounding, a tale about the friendly space alien you met along the way, or just how the trail has changed your perspective. We’ll pick our favorites and feature them on our Instagram and Facebook accounts for everyone to enjoy. Our only requirement: that it’s out of this world.
Tell us your Appalachian Trail story at 303-253-6424
FAQ
Where will you share these stories?
We’ll share our favorite stories from A.T. Phone Home on Instagram and Facebook, and may also feature them on our site, podcasts, and other social media platforms.
Latest Issue
