When Missing Hiker Cases Go Cold, This Woman Keeps Searching
When authorities presume a missing hiker dead, they leave the family to search on their own. That's where Cathy Tarr steps in.
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Hiking Fitness
Hiking Fitness
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7 Dangerous Hiking Hazards You Need to Be Ready for This Spring
Get sunburned on your first hike of the season? Always end up postholing by accident? Use this checklist and finally stop making the same mistakes.
This Trail to a Popular 14er Is Now Public—But the Summit Is Still Off-Limits
After a multi-year initiative, the Conservation Fund transferred a parcel of land on Colorado’s Mount Bross to the federal government.
Injured Hiker Rescued After First Night on the Appalachian Trail
The hiker was near the Springer Mountain shelter when he called for help in deteriorating weather.
Tired of Rolled Ankles? These 13 Expert-Approved Exercises Could Save Your Hike.
Strengthen your joints, build up your calves, and work on your balance, and you too can kiss rolled ankles goodbye.
8 Pieces of Discontinued Backpacking Gear Our Editors Still Miss
From a super-versatile, super-light trail shoe to a 5-ounce camp chair that you could stuff in your pocket, these are 8 pieces of gear we wish we could still find in stores.
The 10 Best National Parks for Hikers in 2026
Everyone has a favorite national park. But when it comes to hiking, some just do it better than others. We polled Backpacker editors past and present on their top parks.
North America’s Largest Human-Made Forest Is Burning
One of the largest wildfires in state history is ripping through Nebraska National Forest's Bessey Ranger District—and it's not clear what recovery looks like in a forest that was originally planted by hand.
The 8 Best Deals for Backpackers at REI’s Member Days
From shoes to water purifiers to ultralight tents, this Backpacker-tested gear is ready for the trail.
The Best Backpacking Gear You Can’t Buy Anymore in 2024
We’re still carrying a torch for these 12 off-the-market shelters, packs, snacks, and more.
Deal of the Week: Get the Coziest Sleeping Bag You’ll Ever Use for 50% Off
A wearable bag that's as cozy as a hotel bed but light enough to carry on the trail? The Mountain Hardwear Yawn Patrol 30 has the best of all worlds.
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.
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Out Alive
Real people who survived the unsurvivable
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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.’”
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