Some are dark. Some are thought-provoking. Some are just bizarre. These are the most-read hiking news stories Backpacker published this year.

When Phoenix firefighters realized they wouldn't be able to reach a trapped hiker until the morning, they used a drone to drop supplies on the mountaintop where he was stuck—a first for the department.

Although authorities haven't formally identified the deceased, the Inyo County Sheriff's Office said that the clothing on the body appears to match what they believe 21-year-old hiker Joseph Brambila was wearing when he disappeared.

In a court filing, the Center for Biological Diversity says the government broke the law when it put the pictures of the president and George Washington on the 2026 park passes.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy's annual survey found hikers' tally of bear encounters rose by 75 percent, while the eastern seaboard remained the biggest source of AT thru-hikers.

Austin Dirks was on a 20-mile section hike of the Hayduke Trail when he stepped in what looked like normal desert sand. A few minutes later, he says, he was stuck up to his knees and struggling to get out.

The incident is the fourth confirmed case of rabies in the state's southwest this year.

In the two decades, since her murder, police have never identified a suspect in the death of Louise Chaput. Now, they're hoping members of the New Hampshire hiking community could help to change that.

Texas Parks and Wildlife officials are opening the new Palo Pinto Mountains State Park on New Years day to a select few guests.

The 32-year-old man told his children that the 9-mile trek was the ‘trip of a lifetime’ before ascending into foul weather.

International visitors will pay significantly more to visit some popular national parks next year, while annual passes rise to $250 for non-US residents.

Authorities said conservation officers were still looking for the animal and urged local residents to avoid the area where the attack occurred.

Amidst an active search for missing hiker and law professor Charles Hosch, law enforcement is requesting that hikers steer clear of Blood Mountain.

Madison "Peg Leg" Blagden battled injury and weather to become the first woman to complete a border-to-border Calendar Year Triple Crown.

U.S. attorney says people caught with cannabis in national parks and other federal lands will once again face "rigorous" prosecution after DOJ rescinds policy of ignoring low-level offenses.

We break down the federal government's closure of Monument 102, the official southern end of the Arizona Trail.

When firefighters reached the victim, they found he had been punctured by a 4-inch-wide, 15-foot-long tree branch.

Just weeks after a hiker slipped and fell to their death on Mount Whitney, a pair of incidents led to three rescues on the peak this month.

Two weeks after a hiker reported an abandoned tent with supplies and car keys inside on the northwest side of Mount Madison, authorities are still trying to determine what happened to the gear's owner.

The Arizona Trail Association says it expects the terminus's closure, which its executive director called "nothing less than desecration," to be permanent.

Between layoffs, funding cuts, and a government shutdown, it's harder than ever to be a national park ranger. Outside Articles Editor Fred Dreier talked to us about what he learned from investigating the national parks' current crisis.

The man told rescuers that he had been on the trail since the previous day.

A least 13 people have been killed and more than 100 people have been attacked by bears in Japan since April.

After ascending the 14,505-foot peak, one hiker slipped and fell down the 99 Switchbacks.

Many hikers overpack water, a bad habit that translates to pounds of unnecessary weight. Experts explain how much you really need.

After walking for 293 days, Troy “Punisher” Croxdale touched the southern border of the Continental Divide Trail—his third long trail since the year began.

A report from the Adirondacks is leading some researchers to surmise that hikers’ gear is likely a leading cause of microplastic contamination in at least some wild water sources.

New restrictions in the New Mexico National Defense Area require hikers to get a permit to access the southern terminus of the Continental Divide Trail—and seems to ban most non-U.S. citizens from it entirely. Here's what we know.

The Washington State Animal Response Team dispatched to the Goat Rocks Wilderness after another crew had to airlift a dog’s owner out without her.

Fred Ramsdell was in the Wyoming backcountry when the Nobel Prize committee made its announcement.

A black bear attacked and killed a camper in the state's second fatal bear attack since early September.

A hiker was just rescued from a Colorado peak after blowing a simple rescue whistle. The lesson? Satellite messengers are great, but low-tech tools have their place in a safety kit, too.

The first 1.1 miles of the CDT are now only available to US citizens who apply for permission to enter the National Defense Area.

The Conservation Fund announced this week that it had purchased 480 acres of formerly private land on Mount Bross—including a key portion of one of Colorado's most popular high-alpine trails.

Garmire finished the trail in just over 45 days, raising $29,000 for the Trevor Project in the process.

The giant salamanders make their homes and lay their eggs under rocks.

Pennsylvania's 501 and Eckville shelters have amenities like solar showers and on-site caretakers and provide a crucial stopping point for hikers on the AT—but they're scheduled for demolition next year.

A 29-year-old solo hiker suffered "significant but non-life-threatening" wounds after the attack on the Turbid Lake Trail.

Self-rescuing can be a good idea—just make sure the SAR team looking for you knows you're doing it.

North Carolina's Mount Mitchell State Park had been closed since Hurricane Helene wrecked part of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Baxter State Park officials are asking for the public's help identifying the person or people who defaced the sign at the Appalachian Trail's northern terminus.

In two separate incidents in Arizona and Colorado, police say that three individuals walking dogs assaulted or threatened other hikers after getting into disputes over their pets.

Visitation to the park jumped 7 percent over the same period last year, while rescues rose 40 percent.

The 501 “pizza” shelter and Eckville shelter are expected to be demolished between 2026 and 2027 due to an NPS policy that targets “nonconforming infrastructure.” Pennsylvania’s Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club is mounting a last-ditch campaign to stop it.

A group of hikers had to call for help in New York's Catskills after taking shrooms and losing both themselves and their car keys in the mountains.

Joro spiders’ large size and enormous webs have spurred public concern since the invasive species arrived in the United States in 2013. While they’re harmless to people, they may pose a threat to their new ecosystem.

A herd of cattle reportedly trampled an 85-year-old man as he hiked with his wife and dog.

The AT was rugged and sparsely traveled when Espy hiked it in 1951.

Prosecutors in Colorado claim that a state park ranger searched for information about abdominal anatomy and injury payouts online before stabbing himself and trying to pass it off as an attack.

More than half of people in the U.S. recreated outdoors in 2024 according to a new report from the Outdoor Industry Association, with Black and Hispanic participants driving the biggest gains.

The ultrarunner completed the 272-mile trail in 3 days, 18 hours, and 29 minutes, breaking the overall supported FKT by more than 2 and a half hours.

Feeding bears can lead to aggression and dangerous encounters between them and humans—and the National Park Service caught visitors in the Smokies doing in three times in one week

A canyoneer spent some 48 hours nestled in a dark, wet cave behind a raging waterfall before rescuers managed to hoist him out.

Officials believe at least 200 people may have been exposed to rabies while visiting a hotel in Grand Teton National Park.

The pups were rescued off of Mount Princeton after hiking up with their owner.

A hiker in Tennessee passed away late last week after suffering a snakebite a half-mile into a local trail.

Colorado's highest peaks saw an estimated 265,000 hiker-days in 2024, far short of the pandemic-era record, but a gain over 2023.

The province’s premier ordered restrictions on non-essential activities in wooded areas amidst Canada's second-worst fire season on record.

Hikers in the U.S. rarely have to worry about paying for the cost of their own rescue. But that isn't true everywhere—and in some cases, the bill can be very, very big.

The discovery of an abandoned camp full of garbage, food, and ditched gear led Badlands to dispatch first responders and issue a stern message.

A high tide at Point Reyes trapped two 18-year-old hikers on a beach with no way to retreat.

Italy's mountains have seen an increased number of deaths this summer as hot weather drives hikers towards higher altitudes.

28-year-old Andrew James McGann was arrested and charged with killing Cristen Amanda and Clinton David Brink while the couple was hiking with their daughters at Devil's Den State Park.

CDT hikers have reported disconcerting run-ins with “Cottonmouth” for years.

Two separate parties had to spend the night on Katahdin's Knife Edge before rescuers could reach them.

A video of a crowd of bears purportedly leaving Yellowstone went viral on social media. Now wildlife biologists and park officials are stuck debunking the influencer who posted it.

One local Grand Teton fox who's embracing its inner sneakerhead has stolen nearly three dozen shoes in a Grand Teton campground, leading park officials to worry it's becoming alarmingly habituated to humans.

Authorities dispatched multiple aircraft in an attempt to rescue a hiker from 14,379-foot Mt. Williamson in the Eastern Sierra.

The executive decision also requires all NPS sites to grant American residents preferential treatment in permit lotteries

Tex the grizzly already had multiple relocations on his record and a history of breaking into fishing boats and following hikers in British Columbia when he swam to bear-free Texada Island. Now, locals, provincial officials, and First Nations leaders are divided over what to do.

Capitol Peak is widely considered the most serious of Colorado’s highest peaks and has been the site of numerous fatal incidents over the years.

Officials have reminded the public that summer conditions can quickly become dangerously cold and windy atop the 6,288-foot peak

The plan to sell millions of acres of Forest Service and BLM land just encountered a major hurdle. The plan's author says he still wants to auction off some areas.

A 10-person crew of imprisoned trail workers and firefighters helped evacuate a person with a broken ankle from a rugged trail in Oregon. He's at least the second stricken hiker they've helped.

The latest iteration of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could make a continuous hike more difficult for PCT and CDT thru-hikers if it passes.

A new, free service from the USGS hopes to keep Grand Canyon hikers safe by sending essential safety alerts to their satellite devices.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate added a mandate to the budget bill to sell enormous swaths of public land managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management

Parts of Arizona are expecting dangerous heat conditions this week, with Phantom Ranch forecast to experience highs of 114 degrees.

Baxter State Park officials believe Esther Keiderling, one of two hikers found dead near the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail in early June, likely slipped and slid into a boulder field in snowy conditions.