How to Thru-Hike L.A. County
Thru-hike L.A. County? It can be done with Southern California's Backbone Trail.
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Preserving Ancient Artifacts
Looking to get more than scenic views out of your hikes? The U.S. Forest Service's Passport in Time program turns trekkers into weekend archaeologists.
Life List: Climb New York's Highest Peak
Add Adirondack State Park's Mt. Marcy to your life list.
Find the Tallest Waterfall in the U.S.
Head to Hawaii for three of the tallest
Explore the Grand Canyon In Under 10 Hours
The Grand Canyon is steep and deep, but besides rock you can take in lush springs and junipers.
Trip Finder: 2-4 Day Warm-Weather Hikes
Track the sun on these 2-4 day trips in the Southeast, Southwest, and Hawaii
365 Days of Adventure
Traverse the Yukon Territory's Tombstone Range, sea kayak Baja, trek Torres del Paine, Patagnoia–all in 2008. Plus, monthly adventures closer to home.
How to Avoid Sudden Thaws
Warming temps can wreak havoc on snow-packed adventures. Learn the conditions and warning signs that can cause a dangerous, sudden thaw.
The Backpacker Interview: From Jail to Trail
Inspired by a mountain view, Don Moseman walked out of prison and hiked his way to a better life.
How to Protect Your Heart While Hiking
Cardiac arrest is the number three killer in the outdoors. Learn how to prevent, recognize, and treat trail-side heart issues.
How to Prevent Blisters
Sweaty feet, thick socks, and sturdy boots are a blister cauldron. Learn four easy ways to keep your feel clean, dry, and blister free.
How to Survive Getting Lost In a Whiteout
Don't forge ahead when faced with whiteout conditions.
How to Keep Your Food Warm In Camp
3 simple heat shields to keep your meals toasty in the backcountry
Find a Hiking Partner
Keen on birds, peak bagging, or wildflowers? Here's how to join hikers who share your passions.
Survive a Mangled Ankle
Help yourself hike out after an ankle injury
Backpacker Interview: The Trail Bandit
Rangers despise him. The law is after him. Yet in chopping down trees in an overgrown national park, Bob Garrison has become a hero to some hikers.
Motivate With a Fitness Challenge
Whether it's a "Birthday Challenge" or a peak that needs climbing, choosing a specific fitness challenge will help you stay motivated to get out more.
Learn Backcountry First Aid
Use this quick guide to determine what type of backcountry first aid training you need.
How to Survive Winter Storms
New Hampshire's Mt. Washington is know for its evil weather. Learn how to survive a winter storm from one of the peak's experts.
The Wolf Watchers: Researching Wolves In Idaho
Inside Idaho's Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, humans and wolves learn to co-exist.
Post-Hike Beverages: Hot Trail Toddies
4 steamy drinks to spice up your after-dinner stargazing
The Essential Weekend Backpacking Menu
Banish blah food with this 3-day guide to quick, delicious meals.
Three Southwestern Hikes to Test Your Senses
Joshua Tree, Zion, and the Guadalupe Mountains are three hike-worthy desert destinations.
Powerful Plants and Animals In Your Backyard
The wooly bear caterpillar, wild leek, and yew have "magical" qualities, but live in your backyard.
Phenomenon: Battle Quicksand With Quick Thinking
Quicksand isn't just in old Westerns, it's also a real backcountry hazard. Learn how to save your life when faced with the slippery stuff.
Where to See More Desert Wildlife
Spot lizards, wrens, and javelinas in the desert Southwest with these tips.
Flavor In a Flash: Ultralight Spice Kit
Enhance bland backpacking food with an ultralight spice kit including everything from curry to soy sauce.
Where Can I Find the Warmest Winter Campsite?
Florida's Everglades National Park has a December high of almost 78°.
Perfect Day: Gila Wilderness, New Mexico
Take a winter hike to the steaming pools of Melanie Hot Springs in Gila Wilderness, New Mexico.
60-Minute Fixes: Pittsburgh
Hike, paddle, or ride in America's favorite steel town.
Life List: Backpack Olympic National Park
Add Olympic National Park to your to-do list.
Holistic First Aid
A naturopath's top 5 remedies for common backpacking injuries.
Survive This: Meeting a Menacing Stranger On the Trail
Learn how to avoid shady characters on the trail.
Trip Doctor: How Can I Get My Spouse to Go Hiking With Me?
Pretty pictures and promises of a trade might get unenthusiastic spouses out the door.
Plan the Perfect Trip
Smart ways to foolproof your next hike.
Backpack Rocky Mountain National Park
Try this 30-mile lollipop loop that is almost entirely above 9,000 feet.
Danger Signs: How to Detect a Winter Storm
Learning to determine winter weather signs depends on where you are.
Backpacker's Readers' Choice Awards 2008
America's 100 Best Hikes–chosen by you.
Top 3 Easy Canyoneering Hikes
If you've always dreamed of descending into the center of the earth, try one of these creekbed hikes.
Magnifique: Discover France's Maritime Alps
Where classic Euro trekking meets the Mediterranean coast.
Backpacker Adventure Guide: Weminuche Wilderness
Try a stunning new hike–or two thrilling classics–in the Colorado Rockies' top spot for big backpacking adventures.
Backpacker.com Forums Terms of Service
Check out Katie Herrel's author page.
Half The Weight, Twice The Fun: Hike The John Muir Trail
Find out what happens when four people hike the 221-mile John Muir Trail in just a week. Then learn how to bag the classic in more sensible lightweight fashion.
Top 3 Literary Hikes
Thoreau, Hemingway, and Kerouac all went into the backcountry to find the right words.
The Menu: Be an Ultralight Gourmet
No, it's not an oxymoron. You, too, can say buh-bye to endless energy bars and instant rice glop--and eat like royalty for less than two pounds a day.
The Skills: Ultralight Backpacking or Bust
A 10-step ultralight backpacking plan that keeps pack weight under 15 pounds
The Plan: Doing Ultralight Right
In 10 days, carrying just 25 pounds, you can pound through the John Muir Trail...happily. Get the plan.
Quiz: Would You Survive?
The wilderness can be deadly if you don't know what you're doing. Take our test to rate your survival IQ—and learn a few skills that might save your hide.
4 Top Daypacks
Load haulers for light and fast adventures
Top 3 Winter Hut Treks
Trek into the wilderness but sleep in comfort with these hut treks
Backcountry Survival: How to Survive in the Backcountry
There's a backcountry killer on the loose, and it's not hypothermia, grizzly bears, or rockfall. The thing mostly likely to maim you on your next hiking trip is living inside your head.
The Source of All Things
What if your favorite place in the world was ground zero for your greatest strengths and your deepest fears? The author and her father trek into Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains to grapple with a tragedy that has haunted them for decades.
The First 30 Seconds
What you can do to thwart a panic attack in two common crisis situations
The Gear: Cut the Fluff
Shave pounds from your whole packing list.
Etowah Outfitters/Etowah Gear Intrepid Bug Bivy
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
Etowah Outfitters/Etowah Gear epic dry bivy
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
SNUGPAK USA ELITE BIVVI
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
SNUGPAK USA SNUGPAK ORIGINAL BIVVI
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
SNUGPAK USA STRATOSPERE BIVVI
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
SNUGPAK USA HALF-ZIP BIVVI BAG
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
Eagle Creek Explorer Women's Fit LT
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.
Eagle Creek Explorer LT
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.
Eagle Creek Grand Voyage 90L
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.
Eagle Creek Maiden Voyage
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.
Holiday Gift Guide 2012: MyTopo BACKPACKER Pro Maps
Check out Katie Herrel's author page.
Maritime Alps: Plan it
If the February '08 Backpacker article "Magnifique" inspired you to take a hut trip to France's Maritime Alps, here are ten lodging options.
Osprey Stratos 18
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.
Black Diamond Tripod Bivy
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
Black Diamond Bipod Bivy
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
Black Diamond Big Wall Hooped
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
Black Diamond Hooped Bivy
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
Black Diamond Winter Bivy
thanks to a durable, polyurethane-coated nylon ground layer and more, this balanced bivy has all the right elements.
Lowe Alpine Boulder Bag
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.
Backcountry Access, Inc. Stash Alp40
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.
Backcountry Access, Inc. Squall
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.
Backcountry Access, Inc. Stash bc
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.
Backcountry Access, Inc. Stash
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.
Backcountry Access, Inc. Stash Alp55
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.
Millet Solar Cover
For the price, the Lafuma Manang 65+20 packs a hard punch with superb padding and durability.