Adam Roy

This week, we're paying homage to our favorite backcountry fauna with bear science, safety, and advice. Dive in and get to know the original masters of staying at home.

Some love affairs aren't meant to last. But that just makes them sweeter.

Turn your daily dairy into a tangy, protein-packed snack that's ready for the backcountry.

A clip from the National Park Service shows coyotes ambling down park roads and herds of deer grazing in meadows.

Grand Canyon is the largest national park in the country to remain open, but local health officials say its time for the park to shut its gates.

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, improving air quality in our wild spaces could be a vision of a better future.

Get away from it all with this live nature cam.

With resorts closed because of COVID-19, an unprecedented number of skiers are swapping their downhill gear for an alpine touring setup. And that's a problem.

A handful of major parks have shuttered, while many more have modified operations.

"It is clear that anyone traveling the PCT and resupplying in communities along the trail represents a serious risk to others on the trail and people in those communities."

In Utah, health officials and hospital executives are trying to keep visitors away from national parks even as the federal government makes it easier to go.

Citing risk of spreading coronavirus, CEO Sandra Marra urges hikers to postpone or cancel their 2020 hikes.

As COVID-19 spread across the US, the ATC is limiting group sizes on trail projects, shutting down its visitor center, and asking hikers who contract the virus to contact them.

See the peaks, parks, and hotspots of America's most storied long trail in this interactive 3D map from BACKPACKER.

She came to the US to hike the best long trails it had to offer. Now, the first known Mexican national to finish the Triple Crown wants to bring the thru-hiking experience back home.

Environmentalists and native groups attack plans to open up former monument lands for drilling and mining.

Temporary closure and hunt aims to protect bighorn sheep.

Follow along on one of our biggest trips of the year.

Follow along with BACKPACKER's 2019 Editors' Choice trip in this interactive story.

Southbound quotas and restrictions on hiking through the Sierra will both be coming to the Pacific Crest Trail next year.

Fat Bear Week may be over, but there are plenty more fat bears to catch on Explore.org's livestream.

The nation's highest judiciary will decide whether a new pipeline can cross the AT as planned.

An attempt to rescue a bobcat in Colorado is the latest instance of animal lovers doing more harm than good.

Florida wildlife officials are asking for the public's help in figuring out what's disabling wild cats in the state.

Cougar encounter is second in two weeks, third of the year for the state.

New rules allow government to share economic impacts of listing, eliminates protections for threatened species.

Yeah, going fast can be great. But this summer, slow down to savor the little things.

Belarusian hiker drowns en route to landmark near Denali National Park.

Former concessionaire Delaware North wanted $50 million for intellectual property.

Bruin shifts car into neutral, crashes it.

They don’t call it Elephant Hill for nothing. Tackle a rugged, 11-mile day hike with some of East Africa’s most iconic fauna (if you’re lucky) and support clean water projects in the Kenyan mountains.

Sample a Colorado Front Range classic on this hike across the Continental Divide.

Alleged killer played guitar, argued with victims, affidavit says.

See if you have the knowledge to ID the lower 48's bruins.

“We never thought it would be explicitly necessary to state that it is illegal to land a helicopter in the middle of the fields and begin hiking off trail. We were wrong."

Lisa Hendy will assume post at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in April.

Conditions in four of the state's ten regions are rated Extreme, a first since forecasting started in 1973, as slides run bigger than they have in years.

Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife confirmed the man's story in a tweet.

National Park Service had said it would shut out visitors while it assessed impact from off-road driving and damage to vegetation.

Cites safety, human waste as factors in decision to close paths amid shutdown.

Judges quote Lorax, slam Forest Service in ruling questioning project’s impact and safety.

Former congressman, who recommended shrinking national monuments, faced multiple ethics investigations.

Paddle a wilderness waterway with a soul.

Wyoming, Idaho would have offered up to 23 bears to hunters.

If confirmed, the death would be state's first recorded mountain lion fatality.

Faces criminal charges along with two other visitors after incident in Katmai National Park and Preserve.

Visitors can access park's most popular sector beginning at 9 a.m.

Skip Prime Day and pick up this fleet-footed trail runner instead.

The internet is in a panic over a huge invasive plant that can cause severe burns and temporary blindness. Here's what hikers should keep in mind.

Don't let a run-in with this pesky plant ruin your summer hiking plans. Learn how to treat poison ivy exposure and avoid it altogether, and brush up on the science behind the backcountry's least-loved vine.

There are many kinds of bears in the world. Which matches your personality? Take our quiz and find out.

Let these versatile lights illuminate your path.

Getting up in the morning is hard. Getting up in April is harder.

Made up 2% of GDP, more than mining, oil, and gas

Dan Bell's Lord of the Rings-inspired maps chart Yellowstone and parks around the UK.

Paul Daniel Smith was reprimanded for pressuring subordinates to let Daniel Snyder sidestep agency rules.

Sensitive and hazardous areas would likely close.

When three parks in America's biggest state were on the brink of closure, Valdez Adventure Alliance stepped in to help.

It's not too late: Fill in the gaps on your shopping list with this BACKPACKER-tested gear from $13 to $450.

Eight percent of employees reported sexual harassment in new survey.

The Navajo Nation and four other tribes are going to court to restore Bears Ears National Monument's original boundaries. If they fail, it could change American public lands forever.

President Trump has announced sweeping cuts to Bears Ears—and some of its most important lands are on the chopping block.

Will announce plans for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase, as five tribes pledge to sue.

Would more than double prime-time entrance costs, as administration seeks to cut National Park Service's budget.

Otis the bear is one glorious half-ton of fur and blubber, and for the second year in a row, he's the winner of Katmai National Park's Fat Bear Championship.