No, You Don’t Need a Giant Knife to Go Backpacking
Yes, a knife is one of the Ten Essentials. But when it comes to picking a blade, you need far less than many hikers think.
Don't miss new adventures
Get all the latest delivered to your feed.
Latest
The Most Important Piece of Snake Safety Advice You’ll Ever Get
In the wake of a fatal snakebite on a Tennessee trail, Editor-in-Chief Adam Roy dives into one of their most common causes.
Do Hikers Need More Calories in Winter? Here’s What the Experts Say.
Yes, you need to eat differently on winter hikes than on summer ones—but the best foods might not always be what you think.
Thru-Hiking One of These 7 Trails? This Is What Alumni Want You to Know.
Whether you're headed to the Pacific Crest or the Florida Trail, long trail alumni have something to teach you. Here, backpacker writers share their best thru-hiking wisdom from a collective 11,000 miles of walking.
Deal of the Week: 15 Perfect Hiking Gifts on Sale for Less Than $50
From holiday treats to a full-featured headlamp to an earth-friendly sleeping pad, these last-minute gifts have big impact and only cost a little cash.
10 Gifts for Your Favorite Dirtbag That You Can Find in Your Trash
From sauce packets to empty gelato containers, there are plenty of useful gifts for the crusty hikers in your life that cost exactly nothing.
Save Your Hiking Fitness This Winter With These 62 Smart Exercises
Don’t fall victim to the holiday hibernation: With these simple, outdoor-specific exercises, you can keep or improve your trail fitness for spring.
The Best Satellite Communicators to Keep You Safe and Connected
We trekked deep into canyons, forests, and mountain valleys to test these life-saving devices.
The NPS Put Trump’s Face on Its Annual Pass. Now, an Environmental Group Is Suing to Stop it.
In a court filing, the Center for Biological Diversity says the government broke the law when it put the pictures of the president and George Washington on the 2026 park passes.
Bear Reports Nearly Doubled on the Appalachian Trail in 2025
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy's annual survey found hikers' tally of bear encounters rose by 75 percent, while the eastern seaboard remained the biggest source of AT thru-hikers.
Want to Sleep Better in the Wilderness? These 10 Backpacking Pads Are The Ticket.
We lost sleep over narrow, scratchy, crinkly pads so that you don’t have to.
Wildlife
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?
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 Joshua Tree National Park
Full of rock scrambles, cactus clusters, and desert views for days, Joshua Tree National Park is the southwest at its finest.
Backpacking Skills
Why You Should Use Trekking Poles
Ending too many hikes with sore, wobbly legs? Trekking poles can help you make it that extra mile.
Gear Round-Ups
The Best Hiking and Backpacking Gear of Winter 2026
From blizzard-ready tents to sleeping bags that can handle the coldest nights, this is the gear you can count on this season.
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
Hike Mauna Kea: The Expert Guide to Hiking Hawaii’s Highest Point
Ready to hike to the highest point in Hawaii? Ascend Mauna Kea's volcanic slopes to a summit high above the clouds. This challenging day hike is among the most spectacular on the planet.
Backpacking Gear
10 Backpacking Gear Tips We Learned the Hard Way
Get the most out of your backpacking equipment with this sage advice.
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
She Became the First Woman to Complete This 3,600-Mile Thru-Hike—and Brought Thousands Along for the Journey
This September, Jessica "Stitches" Guo finished thru-hiking the Continental Divide and Great Divide Trails in one five-month push, a deep-backcountry journey that saw her spend weeks without seeing a single other person. But with tens of thousands of people following her daily videos, it was a shared experience.
Jessica “Stitches” Guo began her 30th birthday alone, in the woods, walking north towards the Canadian border.
It was the same way she had spent the last few months of her 20s, during which she hiked from the Mexican border through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana along the Continental Divide Trail. This day, however, was different.
At 1:51 p.m. on August 12, Guo reached a clearing in the trees, where stone monuments marked the U.S.-Canada border and the northern terminus of the CDT. She collapsed into tears alongside some concerned tourists. When they learned what she had just done, they applauded and helped her record a video, which would be viewed by more than half a million people on TikTok and Instagram.
For a few minutes, Guo sat, welcoming in her 30s with birthday cake Oreos and taking it all in. Then, she stood and continued into Canada. Her journey was not over. In many ways, she felt as if it were just beginning.
“Up until that point, I was like, ‘There’s a chance that I might not do this.’ I might get there and be too late or I might be too tired, or I might be too bored,” Guo says. “So for me to get there and still be feeling great, I was like, ‘All right, yeah, we can actually start the real hike now.’”
Latest Issue
