News and Events

Small backpacking brands are bracing for rising costs and tough choices as tariffs hit materials and manufacturing, putting consumers on the hook.

Chosen from hundreds of applicants to the Carson City to Canada Quest, Julianne Mahoney and Audrey Payne embrace the challenge of hiking from Nevada to the Canadian border along the Pacific Crest Trail.

The only legal trail to the shoreline of Crater Lake will close after this summer and will stay shuttered for three years, the National Park Service says.

After months of uncertainty, the Trump administration has approved a new pilot reservation system for Yosemite.

With the park left severely shorthanded due to staff cuts, officials have closed the Fiery Furnace hike until further notice.

Despite pleas from park staff and congresspeople, Yosemite’s timed entry system is still in limbo after the Interior Department paused it last month.

The steep, 1.2-mile trail to Hanging Lake is a popular dayhike for Coloradans and visitors alike.

Nearly three months after the only road to Olympic National Park's Hoh Rain Forest washed out, Washington has announced it will set aside more than $600,000 from the state's Strategic Reserve to pay for repairs.

After Hurricane Helene wrecked a bridge that allowed hikers to cross the Nolichucky River in Tennessee, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and a local guiding company arranged a ferry service to help hikers cross safely.

Just weeks after the NPS axed more than 1,000 permanent employees, the White House has reportedly instructed the agency to cut 30% of its payroll.

Escape to Lake County with tips from a local, and find the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation

Without federal funding and support from agency partners, trail stewardship organizations are struggling to keep maintenance projects afloat.

When two hikers took a long tumble off the Tahquitz Mountain Trail, it was the beginning of an epic ordeal for them and their rescuers.

In a new lawsuit filed alongside three other nonprofits, the environmental group claims that DOGE violated the Constitution by directing the NPS, Forest Service, and other federal agencies to fire thousands of employees—and that America's public lands are already feeling the strain.

A nonprofit is tallying up how many NPS employees have been let go from each park. A key asset has been social media posts from terminated employees.

Multiple lawsuits accuse the brand of greenwashing and pollution.

Federal budget cuts force the PCTA to scale back trail maintenance, leaving key projects delayed and hikers facing tougher conditions.

After a Chinese-based tech company released robotic exoskeletons last month, hikers got the chance to test them on a hike up the steep Mt. Tai.

A California couple suffered injuries on Sunday while attempting to hike the Sacred Falls Trail, which has been closed for 26 years.

Taranaki is an ancestor to nearby Maori groups and a popular hiking and skiing destination for visitors. Under a law passed unanimously by New Zealand's parliament, it now owns itself.

New Hampshire Fish and Game said that the two hikers from Massachusetts were experienced and well-equipped, but encountered “unforeseen conditions.”

The Haiku Stairs have been illegal to climb since the 1980s, but that hasn't stopped thousands of hikers from venturing there.

Testers compared the Hoka One One Speedgoat to a full-suspension 29er mountain bike.

Two hikers may be stuck with the SAR bill after a winter hike went wrong in the White Mountains.

In a statement on Monday, the Canada Border Services Agency noted that the U.S. prohibits southbound PCT thru hikers from crossing into Washington from British Columbia.

Altadena Mountain Rescue is urging hikers to stay out of closed areas after the wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles—but says it's already preparing to rescue the ones who don't listen.

Nonprofit will pay $1,000 for information leading to the vandal or vandals' arrest.

Northbound thru-hikers will have to backtrack to Harts Pass after Canada stops issuing permits allowing hikers to enter at the northern terminus.

Usually, America's southernmost long trail is a safe haven from winter weather. But this week, Florida Trail hikers along the Panhandle woke up to a once-in-a-lifetime sight: several inches of snow.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s thru-hike registrations are down by nearly 30% compared to this time last year—and a look at last season reveals a potential reason why.

A leak released chlorine, used for water treatment at the park, forcing park authorities to close several trails.

A pair of hikers took separate slides down the side of Hollyburn Mountain earlier this week, resulting in an ankle injury and a suspected leg fracture.

On January 7, Kai Cranmore was on a dayhike near Pacific Palisades with a group of his friends when one of them smelled smoke. Minutes later, they were fleeing as a wildfire spread through the canyon around them.

In 2020, Colorado voters approved a measure to bring gray wolves back to the state. But as reintroduction efforts continue, opposition remains strong.

After four decades of running outdoor adventure trips and educational courses, REI is eliminating more than 400 jobs to focus on its core retail business, the company’s CEO said on Wednesday.

At 1,454 miles long, the Buckeye Trail is a grand tour of Ohio—and the government is considering adding it to the National Trails System.

The EXPLORE Act aims to address the housing crisis in gateway communities, increase outdoor access for veterans, kids, and marginalized groups, develop more long-distance bike trails, and about a dozen other issues

State officials say they're worried about bison passing on disease to cattle outside the park—but wildlife managers say it's never happened before.

Last month, two Las Vegas hikers tackled 11,916-foot Mt. Charleston via the 16-mile South Loop Trail, one of them in a pair of Crocs. It went fine—until the snow began to fall.

Massive celebration of outdoor culture returns to Denver with an all-star musical lineup, a bigger footprint, and an energetic mix of speakers, gear, films, food and fun

Trail conditions on Mount Charleston’s South Loop Trail have led to a number of falls and serious injuries from hikers who Las Vegas police described as unprepared.

Eight years after the White House slashed its size by more than 85%, the recently-restored Bears Ears National Monument may be back on the chopping block—and legal experts say the entire national monument system could be in jeopardy alongside it.

A solo hiker was wandering around Summersville Lake when he became trapped in thick mud.

AT thru-hikers today are more likely to finish the trail and less likely to get their food stolen by a bear—and more than ever before are coming from outside of the United States.

After two near-misses in the mountains north of Vancouver, a search and rescue team is urging hikers to research routes they find online more carefully.

Two months after Hurricane Helene, miles of storm-impacted trail, including a stretch of the Appalachian Trail, have begun welcoming hikers back. Others remain closed until further notice.

A pair of Massachusetts hikers were prepared for winter conditions in the Whites until they fell into Lincoln Brook, while a local took a fatal fall despite wearing microspikes.

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy just purchased a parcel of land to permanently protect a small region south of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. 

More than 80 firefighters and emergency personnel are currently working on the Butternut Fire in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

In a park where black bear sightings were rare, Zion visitors saw more bears in 2024, specifically between May and June.

The North Dakota governor has promoted outdoor recreation in his state. Opponents worry about his connection to the oil and gas industry.

An outdoors podcast reports that the celebrated backpack brand will sunset its consumer line next year—but a source with knowledge of the company’s plans says that at least some products will be available longer.

Joro spiders, a much-maligned species of arachnid with a leg span that can top 3 inches, have officially been spotted in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Scientists say they’re harmless to humans—but their effect on the environment is still up in the air.

The park won't enforce the timed-entry system between July 7 and August 27, 2025. 

After SAR rescued two heavily laden, inexperienced hikers from the Lower 48's highest peak, they had some strong advice to share with anyone thinking of following in their footsteps.

A "very small subset" of REI members flagged for misusing the outdoor retail giant's return policy will no longer be able to bring back or exchange their purchases.

Made out of the same fabric many tents use, the AirPot is designed to make going number two in the woods more comfortable—and solve hiking’s burgeoning poop problem.

The most stressful day of any aspiring PCT thru-hiker's life is just around the corner.

After Hurricane Helene, large swathes of North Carolina and Tennessee’s Appalachian Trail were left devastated. Some hikers are looking to these southern routes as alternatives—and their volunteers and managers say they can handle the new visitors.

In response to a shrinking budget, the land management agency is suspending seasonal hiring next year. Public lands will bear the cost.

Appalachian Trail Days will continue as planned in 2025. This is the largest event hosted each year in Damascus, Virginia, which is currently recovering from significant Hurricane Helene damage.

After the storm wiped out buildings and canceled fall hiking season, some hostels and guides are searching for a way forward.

For decades, Dartmoor National Park was the only place in England where backpackers could dispersed camp without landowner permission. Now, a multimillionaire hedge fund manager who bought one of the park's largest estates is arguing it should be banned there, too.

Sharing your adventures with other hikers is easier than ever with the newest feature to hit Backpacker and the rest of the Outside network.

On Sunday morning, a park ranger responding to a distress call on Namakan Lake fell into the water and vanished.

Our hiking columnist phoned up experts along the iconic pathway to get a sense of the destruction left by Hurricane Helene

A fight between two of Katmai's famed brown bears turned fatal on Monday, and livestream viewers watched it in real time.

Some of the AT’s most famous towns and their residents bore the worst of Helene’s damage. Hikers who were on trail discuss the moment that the storm struck—and locals contemplate the long recovery ahead.

Parks and trail towns along the southern reaches of the AT are devastated. Here's how hikers can help.

Some southbound thru-hikers are facing tough choices on the AT after Helene left trails across the region damaged, flooded, or closed.

Katmai's famous Fat Bear Week contest is about to celebrate its tenth anniversary—but for the first time, its biggest star is nowhere to be found. We pay tribute to a true champion.

Ultrarunner Tara “Candy Mama” Dower shaved 13 hours off Karel Sabbe’s previous record for hiking the iconic route

Park officials are warning hikers to be wary of bears during their fall "feeding frenzy" after a grizzly injured a man on the Highline Trail

National Park Service says that it was "proud" to support effort to change name of Clingmans Dome back to Kuwohi.

Kirk S. Thomas Olsen went missing during a solo backpacking trip in the park late last month.

A suspected Norovirus outbreak is the likely culprit of the incidents that closed the Kalalau Trail.

Authorities are considering whether to file charges against a man whose suspected harassment of the bear led to the fatal encounter.

Colorado Fourteeners Initiative points to closures, population growth patterns, and aging baby boomers as possible reasons behind trend.

From flash flooding to excessive heat, some experts say climate-fed weather patterns may be contributing to deaths in one of America’s most popular national parks.

Hike, bike, paddle, swim, fish, snorkel, camp—do it all in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach