BACKPACKERMagazine

Explore a secret wonderland in the West Needle Mountains.

Wildlife, wildflowers, and views await on this short but sweet Colorado hike.

The short and steep trip to Lake Agnes delivers with craggy peaks, scree fields (home to pika), and fish-filled alpine waters.

The 33.2-mile round-trip Hoh River Trail winds through a rainforest wonderland fueled by over 12 feet of rain per year.

Paddle 7 miles up the Wailua River to secret waterfalls, hidden swimming holes, and one of Kauai's best rope swings.

By Marissa Gawel

Check out BACKPACKERMagazine's author page.

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Experience thru-hiking fever (and New England hardwoods) on this section of the historic Long Trail across Glastonbury Mountain. BY RYAN WICHELNS

Wend beneath sugar pines, Pacific yews, mountain hemlocks, and Shasta firs on this remote section of the Bigfoot Trail in Northern California. BY LAURA LANCASTER

Sample the 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail on this overnight past Oberg Mountain and Lake Agnes. Fall bonus: Northern Lights. BY KATHLEEN FERRARO

Paddle through a blackwater swamp and see A-list wildlife in Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. BY KATHY KYLE

See Missouri's tallest waterfall and stand on its tallest peak on this overnight on the Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail. BY MARK HINCH

Hike to backcountry Rainbow Hot Springs in the Weminuche. BY KIRSTEN DOBROTH

Sample the recently restored Wild Rogue Loop on this circuit through canyons and woods in Oregon. BY LAURA LANCASTER

Walk along Paint Creek in Yellow River State Forest on this overnight backpacking trip and you'll know it's true: Iowa is rugged. BY KOREY PETERSON

Kayak where land, sea, and river converge, then camp on a beach and take to a wildlife refuge on foot on this multiway paddling trip to Capers and Bulls Islands. BY DAVID KUCZKIR

Go where paddlers can't on this overnight loop through Boundary Waters. BY JASON DRURY

Amble past amber maples on Kittatinny Ridge as golden eagles and hawks soar overhead on this overnight loop. BY KATRINA ROSSOS

Camp on the tip of this peninsula on a quick overnight in the Charles C. Deam Wilderness. BY STUART PECK

While Great Smoky Mountains might be the most visited park in the system, Cataloochee is far from the crowds—with a bit of luck, you can see as many elk as people. BY GRAHAM AVERILL

Swimming holes, waterfalls, petroglyphs, and an idyllic campsite—all just a few miles deep in Dinosaur National Monument. BY ROSE CONRY

Notch the prettiest section of the Ozark Trail on this overnight along the Eleven Point River. BY SAVANNAH WASZCZUK

Explore the Pacific Northwest’s high desert steppe on this trip through the foothills of the Cascades. BY PAUL CHISHOLM

Get the closest to the Alps without leaving the States—by traversing the Presidentials, including Mt. Washington, in winter. BY RYAN WICHELNS

Snowshoe through the Northwoods on this winter overnight to a shelter along the St. Croix River. BY KOREY PETERSON

Scramble across the trailless desert in Joshua Tree's wild northeast corner to inner Basin Pass. BY EMELIE FROJEN

Loop through Savage Gulf and you'll be rewarded with 50-foot cascades, swimming holes, see-forever views, and an amazing campsite. BY ERIC HARRISON

Elsewhere in the country, hikers are putting away their boots and packs for the winter, but here in Lost Maples, I’m about to set up a picture-perfect campsite on an outcrop 400 feet above the fall scenery. BY JUDY PAUL

Get the best of summer (waterfalls, swimming, beaching) with the best of fall (mild temps and colorful foliage) on this overnight through DeSoto State Park. BY VICTORIA STOPP

Explore the Superstition Mountains on this overnight across Red Tanks Divide. BY QUINN HARPER

Wind past a half-dozen jade pools on this loop in fall-perfect Huron-Manistee National Forest in Central Michigan. BY STUART PECK

Get the Wallowas to yourself on this loop through prime bear habitat in the rugged Joseph Canyon. BY PATRICE LA VIGNE

The reward for portaging so many times? The best fall foliage show the Northeast has to offer. Get it all on the Seven Carries route in the St. Regis Canoe Area. BY RYAN WICHELNS

Hike through quiet forest and old farmland on the remotest section of Rhode Island’s end-to-end North-South Trail. BY RYAN WICHELNS

By Rachel Sayers

By Joseph Friedrichs

By Drew Allred

The Tetons are showy enough to make roadside views almost as good as the backcountry ones. Almost. This wilderness lake is a haul to reach, but the journey is just as good as the destination.

By Melissa Avery

By Matt Mills

Most people look at Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains and see a line of peaks. Our scout saw an opportunity: pioneering the range’s first traverse.

By Shelby Carpenter

By Stuart Peck

Cross the northeast’s wildest moose country beneath fall’s fiery canopy.

Tag Mount Whitney, the Lower 48's highest peak, during this 42-mile trek into Sequoia National Park where there's more acreage of wilderness than you'll know what to do with.

In this 86-mile section, hike through Kings Canyon National Park into a series of JMT favorites.

Climb through a rejuvenating burn zone and a cinder cone-strewn hillside at the front end of this 32-mile stretch on the JMT

Get a front row seat of retreating glaciers on this challenging 8-mile out-and-back to the Harding Icefield. No crampons or ice axes are needed during the summer hiking months.

Squeeze this 4.3-mile dayhike in before the ferry departs for the mainland. Highlights: super rare pine trees and breezy views of the mighty Pacific.

Trek along a series of High Sierra lakes nestled in sculpted granite basins below towering alpine peaks on this 11.6-mile out-and-back.

Stunning images from the ice caves off the coast of Wisconsin's Apostle Islands.

This beautiful 4.3-mile loop adjacent to the Illinois River adds welcome relief--waterfalls, sculpted sandstone canyons, and impressive overlooks--to the usually pancake-flat landscape.

This short hike threads through a hoodoo-filled climbing mecca with outrageous scenery and countless sidetrip options.

Thanks to only a little elevation gain, this 7-mile loop offers flatlanders great rewards (big views, wildlife, solitude) without much suffering. Pack plenty of water and sunscreen.

This 12.2-mile loop rambles through some of the wildest hardwood forest in the northeast and climbs three rugged peaks taller than 3,500 feet in Catskill Forest Preserve.

Hike along a renowned Salmon River on this 5-mile trip through a moss-covered virgin forest to salmon spawning pools, whitewater drops, and hollowed out Douglas firs large enough to resemble caves.

Retreat into the thick, quiet woods of Washington Park for superb views of Mt. Hood and the Portland skyline on this easy 3-mile hike. Don't miss the Japanese garden.

This 8.4-mile, out-and-back climbs steady through giant Douglas fir stands and rhododendron fields to a treeless summit yielding drop-dead gorgeous views of five distinct volcanic peaks.

Explore 4.4 miles through old growth timber to a glacier-carved lake on this family-friendly hike in the Cascade Mountains.

Only minutes from downtown, this easy 4-mile hike into the Issaquah Alps passes near a charming waterfall en route to a memorable view of greater Seattle and the Olympics.

This 6.6-mile loop features a coastal bluff with dazzling wildflower displays and a wild beach with exceptional views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Trace the abandoned Great Northern Railroad to remarkable stone tunnels, collapsed avalanche sheds, and super views of the Cascades on this 12.2-mile, out-and-back historical hike.

Climb up a steep canyon draped in a mix of fir and aspen forest to a craggy overlook of the Salt Lake Valley on this moderate 5.2-mile loop in the Mt. Olympus Wilderness.

This remote valley in Mark Twain National Forest is often overlooked, but it's a great escape for hikers willing to bushwhack along and through its streams to huge granite walls.

Cut through the towering pines of Holson Valley to the rocky shelf of Winding Stair Mountain on this 12.8-mile dayhike or overnight in the Ouachitas. Primitive camping allowed.

This 5.3-mile out-and-back threads through a pristine alpine landscape with abundant streams, lakes, and wildlife on its way to a 10,650-foot peak in Wasatch National Forest.

This 4.2-mile out-and-back hike is a local's favorite, climbing gently from the flood-torn banks of the Moormans River to one of the most impressive waterfalls in the park.

Take this 8.8-mile out-and-back dayhike or overnight to escape high-season crowds; it stitches together a lesser-known route leading to a photo-worthy waterfall.

Stroll along the shores of Salem Lake on this 7-mile loop over rolling hills and under tall pine and poplar trees.

This easy 6.2-mile loop links lush marshland with ancient mountains--now small weathered hills--that were once islands before river sediment filled in the channel.

This hilly 6.8-mile circuit visits the best vistas in southern Harriman State Park, including views of the NYC skyline, after a fine start along one of the area's prettiest streams.

This 14-mile shuttle hike winds tranquil wooded slopes to five peaks over 3,400 feet in a remote section of the Catskills. Off-trail experience and navigation skills required.

Passing through a mature hardwood forest, this 6.2-mile out-and-back contours gradually up Mt. Moosalamoo for fine views of the Green Mountains, Adirondacks, and Lake Dunmore.

Enjoy a quiet escape, plus fine lake and forest views, when you travel along the scenic Winnebago River on this 6.3-mile loop to an old brewery site and rock quarry.

Escape the crowds on the Catskill High Peaks with this 5.6-mile bushwhack to the range's highest trail-less summit. Compass skills required; hiking poles recommended.

Most of this easy 7-mile hike passes under a tree-shaded ridgeline that insulates dayhikers from the outside world.

This 4.4-mile hike leads to splendid red rock formations, a beautiful mesa overlooking the Colorado River, and a dose of gold-mining history.

Escape the glitter and gridlock of the Strip on this 11.7-mile loop, which cuts across open desert to explore contorted rock figures and massive red-rock cliffs.

Hoof it up more than 2,000 feet over 2.3 miles on this leg-burner up Bear Mountain for huge, arcing vistas over Sedona's redrock wonderland and the lush Verde Valley.