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Stay warm, stay hydrated, and explore the season’s top national parks

After decades of disrepair, the path reopened to adventurous trekkers.

After finding her love for the trail, Welcome used hiking to process some of the most challenging moments of her life.

The market is flooded with various styles of filter. Here’s how to pick.

We all use the trails—but very few hikers take the time to help keep them clean, safe, and maintained. Here's how you can join them.

These easy breakfast ideas let you fuel up and break camp without firing up the stove.

From a minimalist pair of trail runners to a two-in-one water filter, this gear is ready to help you turn your next family reunion or business trip into a memorable hiking adventure.

Bear attacks are rare, even in areas with high grizzly concentration. These teammates say it's a "miracle" that they made it out alive.

This trailblazing fire ecologist is making a difference in the world of hiking and land regeneration.

When Svati Narula agreed to spend a season as part of a communications team at Mt. Everest basecamp she thought there would be a buffer between hers and the perils of Everest’s high slopes. But she would find there was no safe distance from the worst disaster in Mt. Everest’s history.

These boots are the only ones you’ll need all winter long

Galadriel—we’ve got notes

Can the East's small but rugged mountains unseat the Rockies' biggest peaks?

Rebecca Clark broke down the incident and emergency response in an update on the social network.

Whether because of poorly-fitting shoes, moisture, or just bad luck, every hiker’s tangled with those raw, fluid-filled bumps. Science can tell you how they form—but can it stop you from getting them?

Timed entry may be over for the year, but so many people have visited this week that the park has been reaching capacity by 8:30 or earlier.

Yes, you might have to get up early. But put in the effort to fit some trail time into your vacay, and you'll have a chance to sample hikes you might otherwise never do.

These two titans of active insulation are more different than they might seem.

Jon Anderson overcame temporary snowblindness to complete the 2,650-mile journey from Mexico to Canada

As winter approaches, the air gets harsher and harsher for our delicate lip skin. Protect it with these tips.

The hiker had broken her leg and been stuck in the wilderness overnight when she crawled to a spot in view of the train.

USFS will take public comment on its comprehensive plan for one of the least-travelled National Scenic Trails through October 30.

Peter Agricola was mountain biking near his home in Norfolk, Massachusetts when went over the handlebars on a downhill and landed chest-first on a downed log.  

The King of Brooks Falls prevailed for his second title at Fat Bear Week.

The next level in lightweight backpacking requires making some tough choices. Here’s how to navigate them.

Don’t go peeping without it.

A pounding skull can ruin a hike, unless treated properly.

Why is the world so taken with Katmai National Park and Preserve’s pre-hibernation faceoff?

Dial in your setup for cold-weather adventures with advice from polar explorers

The Sierra Designs Crescent 2 is beginner-friendly two-person shelter, and right now it's more than 50% off.

Our editors sound off on the bears dominating our brackets.

When a rafter was stung by a scorpion, she assumed she’d be fine. Then she lost her ability to see or speak clearly.

In June 2021, Andrew Devers disappeared after setting out for a dayhike in Washington’s Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

Hikers can now visit the Sunshine State's national parks and preserves, but some are still reeling from the storm.

Featuring dual-compatibility for power and 50:50 burn time, these two headlamps are ready for any adventure

Check out Backpacker Editors's author page.

Will now be known as "high pile," company announces.

We combed through vintage magazines and catalogs to find out how low you could go back in the day.

A basin of beauty resides in the middle of Kings Canyon National Park.

Philip Carcia trekked nearly 2,000 miles over 90 days—all in his backyard mountain range.

After 2,194.3 miles, this is the equipment that they loved the most.

This portable solar panel offers an endless supply of renewable energy so you can unplug without powering down on your next adventure

Outfitters step up to provide career and financial stability for guides—from health insurance to 401ks to paid time off—as demand for outdoor experiences skyrocket.

Load up this Spotify playlist and get going.

Feeling achy and serotonin-depleted after a couple months on the trail? This gym workout will help you out.

If hikers five decades ago could make their own gear, so can you.

Because nothing is worse than finding out you’ve got a dud after a hard-charging day in the backcountry.

While snow climbing, William Toor and Mariella Colvin fell nearly 1,000 feet down a couloir in Rocky Mountain National Park.

March Madness < Fall Fatness. Voting for the biggest bear at Katmai National Park starts this week.

Authorities tracked down and killed the cougar following an encounter that left one woman with minor injuries.

Can our scout coax his feline friend into becoming a true trail companion?

Explore the natural side of New England with year-round dayhikes, waterfall treks, and backpacking trips in the scenic Berkshires.

Full of rock scrambles, cactus clusters, and desert views for days, Joshua Tree National Park is the southwest at its finest.

Our testers weathered alpine gusts, freak downpours, and rough granite slabs to find the very best softshells. Eight jackets rose to the top.

One of the most popular spots on the Appalachian Trail, Max Patch, is better off now than it has been in years.

A first-hand account of an alligator attack in Florida.

Do these exercises regularly to widen your range of motion to feel your best on the trail and avoid injuries.

Our soft-drink warriors both believe this sugary, caffeine-packed soda is the perfect refreshment after exercise or adventure. (Hmm. OK.) They disagree about flavors, and be warned: it might get loud.

With the summer high season wrapping up, a variety of national parks are lifting reservation requirements for a while.

As hikers, we spend a lot of time in nature. Impress your hiking partners with these answers to commonly asked questions.

The body does weird stuff on the trail. We rounded up the experts to answer our burning questions about hiker physiology.

Are women's sleeping bags really warmer than men's? How long can I keep a down sleeping bag stuffed before it's ruined?

You can't dry out alcohol (yet), but you can cut weight without cutting flavor by sticking all the other ingredients for this backcountry old-fashioned in a dehydrator.

A home dehydrator might be the handiest kitchen tool you never knew you needed. Upgrade your backcountry cooking with these drying (and rehydrating) tips.

Everyone has a Why. Our motivations are as varied as our backgrounds, and these passions are what powers adventures big and small.

The results, however hilarious, remind us how hikers destigmatize the body

You've learned the basics and know enough to keep yourself safe. Want to take the next step toward honing your backcountry skills? Maggie Slepian explains why hitting the trail alone is the way to do it.

Backcountry tech is more abundant than ever, but it can add up quickly in an ultralight kit.

For his 3-day, fastest known time-setting hike of the JMT, Jeff Garmire had one rule: bring as little as he could carry and still make it to the finish.

The company's founder has given away the business, placing ownership in a trust and vowing to spend an estimated $100 million a year to fight climate change

A firsthand account of a free-solo accident in the Sierra Nevada.

The next time you find yourself camping by a wild body of water, catch your own dinner with this packable fly fishing kit

Check out Christopher Tedeschi's author page.

Joe “Kanga” Harvey appears to have drowned in the Connecticut River on the border of Vermont and New Hampshire.

Is a hiking resume complete without a long-distance thru-hike?

Three days: That's how long it took endurance athlete Jeff Garmire to finish the John Muir Trail. But from health scares to falling asleep while hiking, it was anything but a casual stroll.

Each year, Big City Mountaineers changes thousands of kids’ lives by bringing them on their first outdoor adventures. You can make it happen for another.

On the "easy" climbs up Mexico's volcanoes, ignorance and arrogance can be deadly. A classic story from the Backpacker archives.