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Traverse craggy cliffs flanking America's first national river.

Your region's go now guide: Explore the Pacific coastline in California, hike in isolation near Lake Tahoe, and more.

Hike through wildflower-laden alpine meadows in Washington's volcanic high country, see a meteor shower in dark-sky New Mexico, escape the crowds above Lake Tahoe, and more.

Explore an alpine oasis amid volcanic terrain along the crest of the Cascades.

Of all the reasons to be jealous of Denverites (craft beer, deep powder, Peyton Manning), the Front Range's backyard peaks might top the list. These glacier-carved mountains straddle the Continental Divide and offer 133 miles of maintained trails, plus endless serrated ridges to explore. Local or visitor, venture into this land of massive crags with these routes that promise views from every vantage point—if you don't live here yet, you'll wish you did.

You're in mid-season shape; reap the rewards on some of the country's steepest hikes.

An after-hours trek on one of the Northeast's best hikes yields unexpected sights.

Watch your step. Trips and tumbles are the number one cause of backcountry deaths.

Help us decide the winner of the next photo contest

We're taking four readers to the biggest outdoor show of the year so they can seek out the coolest gear.

Adventure is Just Around the Corner: Shey Kiester gets mentally prepared for the Summer Market's madness.

Evan Pederson prepares for the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2013 and heads home to the first wilderness he knew.

Hoosier Jon Bausman will be sharing the hottest gear, the coolest stories, and the inside scoop at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2013.

Backpacker Reader Reporter Whit Vogel is gearing up for the jammed packed Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2013.

You're back from the trail with a bunch of beta--now show it off.

Pick the right case to shield your device, never lose touch, boost your juice, and conserve battery power with these tips and tricks.

These apps help you navigate through weather, identify plants, and navigate.

In the past, route-planning involved browsing guidebooks, consulting rangers, and convincing locals to give up their secret places. Today, that information lives on the internet; you just have to know how to find it.

Snake through swamplands in Congaree NP, see fireworks atop Vermont's highpoint, catch a firefly light show in the Smokies, and grab nine more early summer trips.

Hike the border country in Big Bend NP, bring your kite on an Illinois hike, see bison duel in Wind Cave NP, and go on nine more adventures.

Trek past eight lakes in Lassen Volcanic NP's high country, check out the newest national park. hike the Wonderland Trail in Rainier NP like a pro, and more.

Meet a Texas reader who chose Big Bend National Park for her inaugural backpacking trip.

Starting August 1, 2013 we're challenging our readers to hike 1,000,000 collective trail miles! Find out how you can participate.

No reservations? No problem. You can still have an epic national park adventure this summer.

Maps, waypoints, and turn-by-turn directions for the eight hikes featured in Hidden Montana (July/August 2013).

Learn to field-fix a leaky reservoir.

Is hiking and yoga the ultimate path to rejuvenation? Our man takes his bad back and troubled soul to Yosemite to find out.

Your region's go now guide: See synchronous fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, hike through a Civil War battlefield, witness a July 4th celebration on a Vermont peak, and more.

Get magnificent coastal views in Maine, snag a few fish in West Virginia's Otter Creek Wilderness, spot sunning alligators in the Florida panhandle, and more.

Salts and other electrolytes help regulate cell function and nerve impulses, so when you sweat them out, you need to replace them. From Grand Gulch to the Grand Canyon, we tested 27 different gels, powders, and chews - and found the best ways to stay charged this summer.

Spy diverse swamp wildlife in one of the newest national parks.

Hike the border country in Big Bend NP, bring your kite on an Illinois hike, see bison duel in Wind Cave NP, and go on nine more adventures.

Hear various bird songs during Ohio's bird breading season, cool off in clear swimming home in a hidden Oklahoman gem, and more.

Trek through wide-open desert and ascend big-view mountains in the still-wild West.

Your region's go now guide: Trek past eight lakes in Lassen Volcanic NP's high country, check out the newest national park, hike the Wonderland Trail in Rainier NP like a pro, and more.

Experience the varying habitat in California's Lobo Canyon Trail, get a high-vantage view of the Colorado River in Arizona, hike former mining roads, and more!

Pass sparkling alpine lakes on this easy weekend through volcanic high country.

With 1,584 square miles of soaring peaks, alpine tundra, and yes, glaciers, this mountain mecca belongs on every hiker's life list. We rounded up five of our scouts' top treks in the Many Glacier region—so when you get there, you'll shoot straight to the park's best terrain.

Sample the best of our crown-jewel lands on these superlative trips.

Travel rugged, red-rock backcountry in Canyonlands National Park the easy way—by boat.

Snag a last-minute permit for a popular national park trail, ease the itch from a poison ivy/oak encounter, navigate successfully in a canoe, and pack the right amount of food for your big groups backcountry trip.

Apply mountaineering basics to adapt to thing air, avoid high-altitude hazards, and make smart decisions.

This alt-rock star helps fight cancer by combining music and hiking.

Wet, cold, lost, hungry: In desperate times, nothing improves your changes of survival more than a roaring blaze. We tested every fuel source under the sun to show you how to start a fire every time.

Bag eight peaks on the way to New York's high point.

Enjoy panoramic views on an exposed, granite ridgewalk.

Tackle 40 miles of an island ridge above Lake Superior.

Take this park's best tour.

Hike the length of an ancient fossilized reef.

Catch an eye-full of the volcanic Superstition Mountains just 45 minutes from Phoenix.

Bag six of the state's loftiest peaks in a single, stout day on the Long Trail.

Breathe in the views and grandness of the Sierras without the crowds of the John Muir Trail.

A bear canister with a built-in cooking pan and bowl -- for you, not the bear.

A versatile stove that works great in windy conditions.

Cross the top of Glacier National Park.

Soak up the alpine solitude in the "Swiss Alps of Nevada".

Tick of Washington's alpine gems the fast-and-light way.

Gorge on views that don't quit on a high stretch of the Appalachian Trail.

Choose your own adventure on this rocky mountain routefinding test piece.

Ever wished the view never stopped? It doesn't on these mountain-straddling routes. Here's how to conquer the skyline.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Join Backpacker magazine photo editor, Genny Fullerton, and Backpacker contributing photographer, Steve Howe, on a four-day, three-night backpacking photo safari where you'll learn what it takes to shoot images worthy of publication.

Here are the ten finalists from the latest photo contest. Vote for your favorite to help us choose the winner. The winning photo will be published in Backpacker's September's issue and the winner will receive a Tamron zoom lens*.

A team of BACKPACKER and CLIMBING staffers head to the GoPro Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado June 6-9, 2013.

In which our pilgrims are redeemed by wise men. Part II of a serialized E-novella.

A quick photo spraydown from the Sierra Nevada's king mountain

I'm allergic to down, but I like its compressibility. But do you know anyone who makes a hypoallergenic down sleeping bag or am I stuck with synthetics?