Jeff Rennicke

Get lost in the land o' lakes with 3 quiet, crowd-free trails

Can anyone really know what lurks in the heart of a grizzly? In the wilds of Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, Charlie Russell believes he is beginning to find out.

River rats wait years to ride the wild Selway River. Hikers can taste its raw beauty right now.

It's as big as California, boasts more volcanoes than Alaska, and counts nearly as many geysers as Yellowstone.

Deep in Wyoming's Wind River Range, an accident with a sliding boulder makes a hiker confront his life, his fate, and his faith in God.

Let rivers and ridgelines be your compass as you hike in the shadow of Alaska's Mt. McKinley.

In Minnesota's Boundary Waters, thousands of blue routes await those willing to dip a paddle.

Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Illinois.

Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Arkansas.

Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Iowa.

Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Missouri.

Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Michigan.

Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Minnesota.

Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Wisconsin.

Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Ohio.

Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Kansas.

Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Indiana.

How many miles of trail or acres of wilderness will we sacrifice for a tank of gas? Here's a look at eight threatened wildernesses and what you can do to stop the drilling.

Our guide to spotting wolves on Michigan's Isle Royale.

It's the easiest hiking on Earth, and you get to sleep with buffalo, listen to coyotes sing, and bask in quiet so deep you can hear the grasslands growing. Welcome to the prairie.

If you have a problem with snoring (that is, if you have a tentmate who snores), try this remedy on your next night in camp.

In the 20 years since the passage of the Alaska Lands Act, nothing has changed in many of the state's wild places. And that's reason to celebrate.

Here's what to do if you're caught near a wilderness wildfire.

On the hoof, antlers and horns are a regal sight. Once discarded, they speak volumes about the former owner.

Alaska's premier area for fish and wildlife.

Hike up and down oak- and hickory-covered ridgetops, or explore underground.

Where does the aurora borealis come from?

Check out Jeff Rennicke's author page.

Follow these tips to make the most out of the northern night skies.

With the click of a shutter, Ansel Adams captured the beauty and soul of wild places and showed us that in nature, there is magic.

Wisconsin: Explore 21 islands and 12 miles of mainland shoreline where strings of cliffs and caves are bejeweled in ice.

Like shimmering rainbows in the night, the northern lights electrify the sky with color.

For almost half a century, California's rugged Ishi Wilderness hid "the last wild Indian." Even today, it is a place that can keep a secret.

While the wolf reintroduction debate rages across the country, in Wisconsin the animals are simply reclaiming their rightful place.

Lake Superior's best coast lies on Wisconsin's Apostle Islands.

Journey to Alaska's far northern edge, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where the midnight sun shines like candlelight on the mountains.

Theodore Roosevelt ventured into the North Dakota Badlands an East Coast city Boy. After the land got through with him, he had the fortitude to run a nation and the insight to preserve more wildlands than anyone in history.

Nine hikes as big as the hearts of their namesake wilderness visionaries.

Great lake views in Minnesota's land of moose and wolves.

We travel to New Mexico's Aldo Leopold Wilderness to understand the roots of the preservation movement and see just how far we've come.

Hiking Wisconsin's glacier-carved trail will set you back 12,000 years.

Your odds of surviving, much less enjoying, a -30°F night in the woods rate right up there with a snowball's chance in you-know-where. That is, unless you make friends with a guy they call The Iceman.

The mountain lion is the only North American predator that occasionally stalks humans. Do you have anything to fear?

On their own and with help from the government, wolves are reclaiming their former range. Should you worry?

Hiking in grizzly territory requires preparation, respect, and a clear head. A little luck doesn't hurt, either.

Keep your food away from hungry bears.