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The Chicago Park District received a $900,000 grant to restore wetlands in 278-acre Big Marsh Park.

The Cook County Forest Preserves comprise 69,000-plus acres. WBEZ asks: Whose foresight was it?

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Officials say the blaze started on a cliff in Kinsman Ridge on Tuesday morning and spread overnight.

Clare Mendelsohn, deputy forest supervisor since July 2015, is the new head of the Whites.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Getting soaked in cold weather isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s dangerous. Use these tips to stay out and stay safe.

Eighty-two bald eagles were born in 2017, officials report—up from last year's record of 79.

Maricopa County Parks is considering a fee increase, but you still have time to weigh in.

A few days ago, U.S. Representative Martha McSally kicked off her 800-mile Arizona Trail hike.

Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed a bill that would speed up a sale of 6,500 acres, which includes 1,100 acres of redwoods.

Authorities determine that a family fell 200 feet down one of Zoar Valley's steepest cliffs.

Three of the most popular trailheads in the Adirondacks will be closed over Columbus Day and Canadian Thanksgiving.

The re-route of the gateway connector trail between Superior and the Arizona Trail Picket Post Trailhead will go through Arnett Canyon.

The Tahoe Weekly gives the low-down on a local favorite.

A housing development is planning to take down Leadville's big white wall—and the iconic sign on it.

SUV carrying seven people collided with a bear in the westbound lanes near Rifle.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Destinations Editor Maren Horjus shares four spooky, Halloween-ready tales from her new book, Haunted Hikes.

Too little time and too much to see? Go faster.

Hiking where bears are present (that's more than 40 states) always requires precautions, like hanging food. But these three signals demand extra vigilance.

A roundup of places to stay for the "adventurous indoorsman."

The annual festival at the Hardigree Wildlife Sanctuary brings together outdoorspeople of all stripes.

You can never step in the same river twice. Stepping into the same forest, though? That's a different story.

Thanks to Tropical Storm Irma, all camping reservations for Cumberland are null and void until mid October.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

The population of mountain goats has gone from 20 to the thousands to 300 to 623 at last count. The NPS wants to airlift them out.

In 1990, the city tallied up some 75,000 palms. But as they die off, they're being replaced by native trees.

Want to get in on a popular guided hike of the Backbone Trail? You still have a few days to sign up for the lottery.

Of the island's 1 million annual visitors, only 20,000 venture into the backcountry. A new project wants to change that.

Almost 50 projects will get funding from the state to improve signage, drainage, equipment, and more.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Check out BACKPACKER Contributors and Editors's author page.

Though certain places are more famous for fall foliage, you can find fiery color all over the Lower 48. Use this map to see when each region typically peaks and what leaves you can expect.

The Interior Department purchased a plot of private land that will be open to hikers and hunters.

Could you beat a bruin in the 100-yard dash? Here's what your odds look like.

A fight is brewing over the country's most endangered bruin.

Learn how to stay safe in bear country from myth-busting scientist Tom Smith.

Kartchner Caverns is the second Arizona park honored with the designation.

This series of essays and reflections, in Bay Nature magazine, chronicles the history and color of Mount Tamalpais.

A $2 million plan would move the Cholla Trailhead further from multimillion-dollar homes.

A new $2.6 million project seeks to uncover the genetic code of nature's tallest trees—to better learn how to protect them.

Breakneck Ridge, the parking lot, and the area around the train stop will be off-limits starting January 1.

New York State DOT and The Nature Conservancy are installing a walkway for wildlife to safely cross under the road.

Troy Cooper, a Naperville native, is growing his business to include river trips.

Rescuers recovered the body of a 32-year-old who fell near the middle falls.

The International Dark-Sky Association has a basic requirement: people should be able to see the natural sky.

Our southwest hiking expert dishes on his favorite dayhikes, overnights, and more.

Save your eyes, your electronics, and your life—as if you needed more reasons to start every trip with a breakfast burrito.

Sorry, pasta and rice: Potatoes are the best comfort food. How, you ask? Let us count the ways. They’re packable, versatile, and nutritious. You can cook them in actual fire and use them for any meal. Going light? Bring instant flakes. Basecamping? Treat yourself to the real thing. No matter your style, the potato is right for you.

One thing unites and inspires us – a pure, untamed love of the mountains.

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Justin Simoni recently finished a self-supported, human-powered epic, climbing 247,810 feet by foot and 136,374 by bike.

Chloe, a 14-year-old dog, was lost on Mt. Bross.

More than two dozen small earthquakes shook Rainier this past week, but there's no need to worry, say seismologists.

In late May 2017, Marcus Mazzaferri, 25, lost his pack and glasses fording a river in Yosemite National Park, leaving him lost and gearless for 24 hours in late-season snow and freezing temperatures.

Can a rare breed of highly trained, Russian-bred dogs help keep hikers—and bears—safer? Land managers around the country are betting on it.

Debbi Preston tracked down 57 day trips for you and your pup.

Has the AT’s party culture gone too far? Bill Donahue joins the trail’s biggest blowout to find out.

Every year, scores of hikers go missing in the wilderness. What happens when one of them is someone you love? Robert Woodie joins the hunt for his father in the Sierra Nevada.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our 'Ask A Bear' column.

Is hiking with a total stranger a smart way to find a partner—or a train wreck unfolding one step at a time?

Rain, shine, warm, cold, willing or not. Could you?

A proposed 43-home subdivision may go up on the southeastern tip of the Tiburon Peninsula.

Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska

Boise National Forest, Idaho

Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

Adirondacks Park, New York