Washington's Wonderland Trail
Mind-bending views, close-up wildlife encounters.
Mind-bending views, close-up wildlife encounters.
If any long trail is likely to induce a headache, it's the Colorado Trail.
Can you tackle our readers' favorite long trail? Test your hiking mettle against the Continental Divide Trail.
The famed peaks of the Appalachian chain entice some 2,500 people to attempt the thru-hike each year.
This magnificent trail travels through three California parks while showcasing the natural wonders Muir worked to preserve.
Carved limestone cliffs add even more to love on Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail.
Follow these tips before you embark on your next winter snowshoeing journey.
David Brower led environmentalists in shaping the America we see and hike.
Quick Tips to Prevent, Recognize, and Treat Hypothermia.
A good pile of animal scat speaks volumes about your backwoods neighbors, if you know what to look for.
Compared with the rough-and-tumble Chilkoot Trail, the Senate is a walk in the park for Ione Christensen.
Take BACKPACKER's quiz to quickly determine where your natural ability directs you.
Need someplace to go shoe with your snowshoes? Whet your whistle with one of these great places.
The size and type you'll need depends on your weight (with pack) and the snow type you expect to encounter.
Get up close and personal with all those snowshoe parts.
Use ziplock baggies with your water purifiers for extra safety.
In the 1800s, cowboys didn't think much of the Grand Canyon's Parashant National Monument. Luckily, times and attitudes have changed.
Your 3 million sweat glands can make for a sweaty, smelly hike.
Body odor can get pretty bad on the trail. Here's how to make sure you never again hear the words, "What's That Smell?"
Tuck a folded square of aluminum foil in your pack and it may come in handy as a...
How to improve your tolerance for cold and enhance your outdoor performance.
In the 20 years since the passage of the Alaska Lands Act, nothing has changed in many of the state's wild places. And that's reason to celebrate.
The best trips are littered with mistakes, frustration, and, if a river called the "Little Misery" runs through it, boot-sucking mud.
For Deep South scenery, try Alabama's Conecuh Trail, where the gopher frogs and armadillos outnumber the people.
With a few precautions, expecting hikers can hit the trail.
The best way to honor a wilderness-minded senator is to hike the Jackson Wilderness.
Hikes with a lot of elevation gain and loss are prime for getting tendinitis in the Achilles tendon.
When you have park visitors asking such questions as, "The animals aren't really wild, are they?" you have a recipe for disaster.
Where the words "wild" and "life" take on new meaning
Some well-meaning, leave-no-trace horsepackers are trying to rein in their environmentally uncouth brethren. The question is: can they change practices and attitudes that date back to the wild west days?
Here's our guide to environmental etiquette while horsepacking.
What's good for elk is good for backpackers on Michigan's High Country Pathway.
New research suggests that bear bells don't work, and colorful tents and clothing may attract bruins.
The greatest backpacking parks in the United States, chosen for their scenery.
Glacier National Park possesses scenery that'll suck the breath out of your lungs, quiet so intense you'll wonder if your ears still work, and enough wildlife to make a zookeeper drool with envy.
When leaves turn the colors on a painter's palette, head to the Adirondack's High Peaks Wilderness.
When summer ends, crowd-free hiking begins in Colorado's Indian Peaks.
If land has a personality, then Vermont's 270-mile Long Trail is one moody, unpredictable way to hike through New England.
Unless you're partial to polluted water, don't fill your bottle during or just after a major storm.
New trail-tested advice for shading your face from the sun.
We're not saying you need a pedicure, but a toenail trim doesn't hurt on the trail.
Follow this cover-up advice before you head into the desert.
Your finger got crushed between a rock and a hard place. Here's what to do.
A candid interview with duct tape guru Angelo Ritson.
A brief and shining history of the most useful backpacking tape.
An emergency kit doesn't amount to a hill of beans unless a few feet of duct tape are included. Here's everything you ever wanted to know about the sticky, miraculous fix-all.
Make the proper buying decision by first learning the language of jackets.
Two ways to keep your external frame on your pack in tip-top shape.
Getting the right shell has as much to do with personal needs and hiking habits as it does with the quality of a garment.
What to do if your filter head does not have an adapter for your water bottle.
How to fill a water bottle without getting all wet.
Before you cinch up your gaiters, consider the best way to keep the wicked weather and bits of terrain at bay.
Sewing a key pouch inside your pack is the best guarantee of a quick ride home.
Robert Taylor wants African-Americans to know "there's something great out there."
The Appalachian Trail community lost a prominent supporter, volunteer, hiker, and maintainer.
Sure, you can summit Mt. Rainier, but the real treasure isn't on top. It's the Wonderland Trail down below.
The French-Canadian trappers are long gone, but the grizzlies and waterfalls remain in this alpine nirvana.
If you think the last truly wild, unexplored land is in Canada or Alaska, you haven't been to Wyoming's Absaroka range.
Out of mistakes, miscues, and unexpected turns in the trail, we find the perfect trip.
Washington's gentle "forgotten mountains" -- The Kettle River Range -- are ignored by those in a hurry to reach the Cascades.
Should we pave the wilderness and install escalators for the disabled? No, says a former backpacker.
Its bite is more than painful -- it could be deadly.
Follow Jesse James's footprints to a land of shady valleys and cool, clear lakes.
Wind chill can nip noses or lead to frostbite. Here's what you should know.
Tired of freeze-dried? Try hardtack and corn dodgers for a tasty change of pace.
History is carved in stone in this wild and scenic southern river corridor in North Carolina and Georgia.
Is the legendary jackalope the most endangered species in the Lower 48 or just an old cowboy tale that refuses to die?
Startling research reveals the backcountry melts tension.
This vegetarian burger recipe will suit your palate and clean-up the environment.
Some people head to Wyoming to summit the Tetons. But outdoor legend Paul Petzoldt had a better idea: Create a route for foot travelers along the spine of the great range.
Rare stands of virgin hardwood and creekside camping beckon sunburned hikers.
Five troubled teens and three well-meaning volunteers head into the Colorado mountains, hoping the wilds will help heal the youngsters. But in the end, it's hard to tell whose lives were forever shaped by the experience, the youths or the adults.
Use streams, snow, rivers, and ponds as chilling grounds for enticing backcountry desserts.
Telling time without a watch is just a few digits away.
Here's what to do if you're caught near a wilderness wildfire.
Chambers Lakes are too cold for swimming, but a great place to watch 'bergs drift by.
Are you antsy? Need to get away? Try New York's Tongue Range.
Wyoming's Medicine Bow National Forest is just what the hiker ordered.
Even when you're trapped in the nation's most crowded metropolis, backwoods relief is only a short hike down a Long Path.
Why huff and puff to get to an isolated campsite? Simply grab a paddle, then let the current carry you to a secluded riverside trailhead.