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The discovery, found near the Ring the Peak Trail, is being treated as a homicide.

City planners use these detailed maps to conserve open space, waterways, and animal habitats.

Climate change is affecting everything from winter recreation visits to the state's sugar maples.

Check out Backpacker Contributors's author page.

Obi Kaufmann's dreamy, nature-inspired maps are selling faster than the printer can produce them.

The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool is one of few landscapes to earn National Historic Landmark status.

The 387-acre preserve is home to rare wildflowers and petroglyphs.

Marmot adventure athlete Ari Delashmutt shares his passion for the outdoors, rain or shine

What is the BACKPACKER Editors' Choice Awards? It's the best gear in the world, full stop. For a quarter century, our editors and contributors have taken the most promising products hiking and camping around the world in search of the cream of the crop. On the awards' 25th anniversary, we collect their favorites.

A lightweight backpack, custom-molded boots, and the best lip balm we've ever tried: meet our favorite gear of the season.

The best new gear. That’s what earns our seal of approval, and only after months of hardcore testing. This year, we subjected dozens of products to heinous trail conditions from Alaska to Wales. In the end, 18 survived to take our top honor.

The year’s best packs, boots, tents, jackets, and sleeping bags. Period. Plus, a never-die headlamp, a life-saving beacon, a back-saving ultralight chair, and more innovative, trail-tested gear.

From the perfect backpacking pack to the coolest stargazing tool we’ve ever seen, here’s this year’s most innovative and trailworthy new hiking gear.

Cutting-edge technology, category-defining comfort, and exceptional value earn these 12 new products the BACKPACKER seal of approval.

Find a satellite communicator, a fastpacking shoe, and more in our round-up of the year's best gear.

Innovation, value, unbeatable quality— here’s the best stuff we’ve tested this year.

Ten years into BACKPACKER's Editors' Choice awards, the gear has changed, but the goal hasn't.

After a gnarly hike down California's Lost Coast, these pieces shone.

Lightweight cookware and a revolutionary headlamp are among the highlights of this look back at 2001's best equipment.

A handy lantern and large, lightweight shelters make our list of the year's best gear.

Nine innovative new products to improve life on the trail, plus a few classics worth their weight in gold.

Socks with frying pan technology, a pack built like a taco, boots that would make Darth Vadar smile. Innovation abounds in this year's "Best New Gear" Awards.

10 new and noteworthy products that should be on every backpacker’s wish list.

After 18 days near the Arctic Circle, these boots, socks, packs, canoes, and more came out on top.

Clean out your gear closet! Here's our rundown of new, gotta-have products.

From burly leather boots to a useful multitool, these are our favorite pieces of gear this season.

To find out where marketing hype ends and true excellence begins, we trolled the aisles at trade shows last fall (where new gear debuts) and drew up a list of likely candidates. Then we took samples into the woods and beat the heck out of them. When the dust settled, the survivors made it onto this year's best-of-the-breed list.

Explore some of the world's most dazzling terrain in this interactive video from BACKPACKER.

The Bay Area peak is on pace to get 150,000 visitors this year--five times more than expected.

"It's Jurassic Park," says one local of the California preserve's animal problem.

More than 160,000 people applied for the 7,300 spots to hike the iconic sandstone canyon last year.

How to guarantee that you'll always sleep warm and dry at the end of a stormy day.

Learn the stories behind Victoria Bryant and Laura S. Walker State Parks.

A recently released autopsy couldn't explain the circumstances around the deaths of two young hikers in the park last year.

The slide occurred in the backcountry near Setting Sun Mountain.

The slide partially buried several lift employees, but no one was seriously injured.

Vinod Khosla's suit strikes at the core of the California Coastal Act.

Day use permits are now required from April 1 through September 30.

The flying machine ignited a blaze that burned 335 acres in the Coconino National Forest.

Advocates estimate the measure would raise $20 million per year.

Check out Backpacker Contributors's author page.

Check out Backpacker Contributors's author page.

Check out Backpacker Contributors's author page.

Check out Backpacker Contributors's author page.

Check out Backpacker Contributors's author page.

Attendance at Colorado's marquee park has been climbing.

The small area outside of Durango relies on natural snow--which has been in short supply this winter.

The 2023 event will feature skiing, hockey, figure skating, and snowboarding.

The state grants will fund 21 organizations dedicated to public lands and education.

The new system is an attempt to alleviate crowding at the popular Columbia River Gorge trail.

The volunteer organization does everything from trail work to political advocacy to tree-planting in public school lots.

How do you separate good gear from great gear? Six months of backpacking around the globe will do it. Our testers hiked, camped, climbed, and paddled in heat, cold, rain, snow, and wind to winnow hundreds of promising products down to a few dozen finalists.

The 21-year-old broke through ice on the West Branch of the Little River near Bingham Falls.

Ski mountains have been adding new amenities as a hedge against wildly fluctuating snow conditions like the ones this season.

After months and miles of testing, we found 12 products that set new benchmarks for performance, innovation, and value. From tents with wide-open views to the comfiest sleeping pad we've ever used, here's the best gear you'll find this year.

A 2-mile stretch of the East Shore Trail will allow cycling after 18 years of efforts by bike advocates.

Low humidity and high winds contributed to the early-season blazes.

Some neighborhood groups oppose construction plans for the South Side complex.

This duo melds their passion for music and the outdoors by bringing their instruments into the backcountry.

The 16-year-old slipped on the icy trail and fell several hundred feet.

The two men were from Bonney Lake; one was a police officer.

The Pacific Crest Trail Association's pilot program aims to promote hiking in the area and boost the local economy.

Last year the park hosted a record-breaking number of Appalachian Trail hikers.

Zion, Grand Canyon, and others recorded highest-ever visitor counts.

The New Jersey island has been closed since 2012 and faces a proposal to dump dredge spoils.

With map and compass in hand, world-class navigators take to the Estonian forest to compete at the World Orienteering Championships. Who has what it takes to complete this race?

Marmot went to extraordinary lengths to prove its new EVODry jackets wouldn't wet out, even in the worst conditions. Join us in the rain room to see the results.

Key features and fabrics can make the difference between all-day comfort and the ruin of a perfectly good wet-weather hike.

Marmot mountaineering athlete Pete Takeda's take on making the best of big storms

In these backcountry paradises, rain is part of the adventure.

This week's snowfall means danger will rise on Thursday.

The environment all too often pays the price for high-performing gear. But these 10 products save waste from landfills, ditch harmful chemicals, and allow you to adventure guilt-free.

Not every campsite is create equal. Learn where to pitch your shelter for maximum weather protection.

Learning to control the climate inside your jacket plays a giant role in how dry and comfortable you'll be when hiking in rain.

The rain caught you unaware. Now you're getting cold. Learn how to get dry again, and fast.

The future is now. These 10 gear picks set new standards in their respective categories.

Marmot's EVODry jackets set a new standard for reducing impact while improving performance

Learn how wet-weather veterans load a pack to keep their most important gear from getting soaked.

How an Oakland man made it through six days stranded in the snowy wilderness.

James Hetfield has opened conservation easements on his land in several installments since 2005.