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Montezuma Valley Market was a beloved stop for PCT hikers until a blaze—and a dreadful diagnosis—threw it into limbo.

From painfully beautiful to just plain painful, these outdoor movies are worth a watch.

Ramp up your speed for hiking, trail running, and reaching the views faster with this all-in-one cardio and stabilizing workout.

Don't let a poorly-loaded backpack put a damper on your next adventure in the backcountry. Learn how to pack it the right way—with efficiency, convenience and comfort in mind.

Bask in the spray of these cascades at the end of a long day's hike.

Social media is full of ridiculous “camping hacks” that won’t help you do anything but create a bunch of extra garbage. Embrace these editor-tested tricks for staying comfy in the backcountry instead.

Once again, food-seeking bears have forced the closure of part of the AT to overnight stays.

Roughly 84% of visitors at one popular national park are in favor of its new reservation system—and it could be a sign of things to come.

A heat signature in a dense forest led to the discovery of Matthew Read, who went missing in the park over the weekend.

Lost in the Pecos Wilderness with her aid dog, Shannon Baruth faced extreme weather conditions for four nights. Together, they fought to make their way back to safety.

Two humongous male grizzly bears square off in one of the craziest, most mesmerizing battles caught on video

National Park Service officials said they’re still investigating what caused the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge to burn to the ground just weeks before its planned grand reopening.

From dense, moss-draped rainforest to misty, cliff-guarded beaches, the Oregon Coast Trail is 425 miles of pure Pacific beauty with a complicated story behind it.

In an industry dominated by a single body-type, the Virga 3 is making waves.

Marta Renee Bowen had disappeared from her campsite in Connecticut, leaving behind her gear and cell phone.

You only have a few weeks left until summer arrives. Better make them count.

Don’t want to run out of cash midway through your dream thru-hike? You need to spend some time figuring out your finances up front.

The last time the state recorded a temperature this high in April was in 1943.

Reap all the physical and mental advantages of mindfulness without ever setting foot inside a class.

Developed and tested on the Pacific Crest Trail—the new adidas TERREX Free Hiker 2.0 is your next long-distance shoe

You can hike one trail for the rest of your life. Which would you choose?

Gear companies are constantly upgrading their products and pulling old ones off the market. But there are some advantages to being a few seasons behind.

Used correctly, frameless packs can be a great tool for ultralighters. Used incorrectly? Welcome to Shoulder Pain City, baby.

So you want to help thru-hikers? There are a lot of great ways to do it. Veteran hiker Liz "Snorkel" Thomas talks you through them.

With heavy snow making mountain travel more difficult and hazardous than usual, a growing number of hikers are taking a less traditional approach to the PCT.

Wildlife officers have been unable to locate the mountain lion so far, and are urging hikers in the area to use caution.

Swapping out your tent for a shelter that sets up with trekking poles is a quick way to cut weight. But is it the right choice for you?

Watch footage of a heroic rescue with commentary from a fast-acting bystander.

Overflowing rivers will close most of Yosemite Valley through at least Wednesday—and the park says more floods could be on the way as California's historic snowpack melts.

A reliable lightweight sleeping bag and a jacket ready for spring windstorms are among our favorite gear of the month.

Rushing rivers pose one of the backcountry’s biggest threats. Do you know how to cross safely—or when it’s best to not cross at all?

In this episode of Out Alive Survival Shorts, we discuss the crucial role of signal fires in emergency situations, using a real case story to highlight important dos and don'ts. Former Air Force SERE instructor Jessie Krebs offers expert analysis and practical tips on site selection, fuel choice, smoke color, and other factors critical for survival

Club Med’s first four-season resort in Canada just might be the summer vacation your family needs

Dreaming of a long, long walk up the spine of the West Coast with a few good friends? Here's what you need to know.

Some hikers cowboy camp or dehydrate their toothpaste to save weight. But for Luna Soley, a book is always worth a few extra ounces.

Two individuals are facing criminal charges after sheriff’s deputies say they caught the duo traveling the AT with more than 14 pounds of marijuana, magic mushrooms, and LSD.

Think carrot sticks are just for school lunches? Then you clearly haven't enjoyed the crunch of fresh veggies on the trail—a luxurious, healthy backwoods snack.

In a survey measuring employee satisfaction across government workers, NPS staff ranked in the bottom 15%.

A half-hour ramble to a local campsite may not be your idea of an epic backpacking adventure. But it might just give you a new perspective on what’s important in a hike.

Comparing two titans of featherweight design

In one week, a Colorado search and rescue team had to perform three rescues on the same fourteener. The cause? The spring snowpack pulled off hikers' shoes, leaving them barefoot above treeline.

Thru-hiker Carl "Professor" Stanfield had a big goal: Break the record for most miles ever walked in a single year. Here's what he packed.

For outdoor excursions big and small, here’s everything you need to be more than ready

A rainy trip doesn’t need to be a miserable trip.

With ZOLEO, you can be off-grid without being out of touch

A group of hikers in England got so ill from taking mushrooms that a search and rescue team had to retrieve them. And they're not the first psychedelic enthusiasts to have a trip go wrong on the trail.

Mental toughness is more than just pushing through pain to reach the summit. It’s also about learning to walk the tightrope between confidence and humility.

There’s no faster way to ruin your first big trip than by wearing shoes or boot that aren't up to the task. We break down what beginners need to know about buying their first pair of trail shoes.

In this episode, you'll hear an incredible story of survival from the Editor-in-Chief of Backpacker magazine. While backcountry skiing on a glacier in British Columbia, he developed a rare brain virus that left him struggling with double vision and other neurological symptoms.

How to use this stretchy, therapeutic tape to effectively reduce pain and support muscles, tendons, and ligaments (almost) anywhere on your body

In Fiji and 99 other countries, the same Sawyer water filtration technology used by outdoor adventurers is helping to solve the global water crisis

How to best care for your body to keep doing the outdoor activities you love

You already know packing more stuff isn’t always better. These tasty, three-ingredient, simple backpacking recipes apply that same philosophy to your menu.

It weighs nothing, saves you time and fuel, and lets you enjoy a piping hot meal instead of a lukewarm one.

It’s not just fashion that has changed since the 1970s.

Heavy snow and trail damage have delayed the opening of the Grand Canyon's North Rim until June 2, effectively canceling the spring rim-to-rim season and blocking Arizona Trail thru-hikers from reaching their destination.

Hike farther, faster, and pain-free with these training tips and exercise.

Food trends and tastes have changed over the last 50 years—and backpacking fare is no exception.

It's been 50 years since we published the first issue of Backpacker. What will the backcountry look like in another half-century? Our editor speculates.

Backpacker’s 50 year history is rich with riveting storytelling. We tasked our editors with picking their all-time favorite stories.

Personal air conditioning, new trails, a dozen new Leave No Trace principles: For Backpacker's 50th anniversary, we asked Triple Crowner and columnist Liz "Snorkel" Thomas to speculate about what thru-hiking could look like a half-century from now.

Ultra-super-megalight gear and universal sat phones might be standard in 50 years—if the backpackers of the future even want them, that is.

All trails have changed quite a bit in the past 5 decades. Here are the trails that changed the most.

Want to improve your next trek, guaranteed? Master these key skills for hiking, climbing, and camping in comfort.

The USFS is deciding on a new management plan for the 1,200-mile Pacific Northwest Trail, and it wants your input.

We narrowed down the best of the best of America’s favorite trail snack.

Your big adventures are right around the corner. Is your cardiovascular strength up to snuff?

Think you could outswim a bear? Think again.

Weed may be legal across large swaths of the U.S., but bears know no law except bear.

In 1972, Michael Ober was a ranger in Glacier National Park when he came across a backpacker who had been mauled by a black bear. What he saw carries lessons for today's hikers.

For years, backpackers hung their food to keep hungry bruins at bay. But with trails getting more crowded—and bears wising up to our tricks—many experts say it's time to ditch the bear hang once and for all.

Our readers have a personal question for our bear columnist: What's that hump on your back for?

Every winter, bears tuck into their dens for their annual beauty sleep. But what happens if they wake up early?

An ultralight kettle, backcountry ski tech, and one very versatile pair of trail runners: This is the gear that Backpacker's editors used to ring in the spring season.

Versatility meets inclusive sizing meets next-level support in this new pack series

Completing a winter journey on the Appalachian Trail convinced the fun-loving thru-hiker that he can accomplish whatever he dreams up