Stay up to date on the latest outdoor news, events, and trail and conservation updates, thoroughly researched for you by the experts at Backpacker Magazine.
Stay up to date on the latest outdoor news, events, and trail and conservation updates, thoroughly researched for you by the experts at Backpacker Magazine.
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.
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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 father of three is dead shortly after attempting the 29,032-foot "Everesting" challenge in Wyoming.
Because her injuries prevented her from getting off-trail herself, officials used a high-tech drone to help track her down.
The child was hiking on a popular trail with their family when the mountain lion attacked.
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.
National park officials euthanized the adult sow after weeks of concerning behavior.
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.
A pair of hikers were on the phone with SAR when lightning struck them on the summit of Torreys Peak, critically injuring one and kicked off what rescuers believe may be the highest helicopter evacuation in Colorado history.
Rangers located the bodies of the two hikers in a remote backcountry campsite over the weekend. The cause of death is currently unknown.
The National Park Service says reopenings of closed campgrounds this summer will add around 500 additional sites for visitors.
While the Trump administration has largely been mum on which monuments it would revoke, a government memo suggests Sáttítla Highlands and Chuckwalla could lose their protections.
Couldn't make Outside Fest? Check out our recap here.
Search and rescue teams recently conducted 13 helicopter rescues over a seven-day span. A SAR leader blames the uptick on a detour to a vital hiking route.
Police had shut down parts of the Pacific Crest Trail during the search for Travis Decker, who they suspected of killing his 3 young daughters.
Conservation corps members are increasingly important to fixing America’s trails. Thanks to federal funding cuts, their jobs are now in jeopardy.
For the first time since floods closed it five years ago, the full length of the Chilkoot Trail, which crosses 33 miles from Alaska to British Columbia, is open to hikers. But a closure at the border could stop backpackers from doing the whole thing.
Falling on the first Saturday in June, National Trails Day is a holiday for hikers of all stripes to get out on their local trails while volunteering to make them better. This year, we're celebrating it all month by sharing our favorite trips for the season and tips to help you and your loved ones get outside.
After finding two dozen unattended campfires and three human-caused wildfires in the Pike-San Isabel National Forest and Comanche and Cimarron National Grasslands, Forest Service officials are urging campers to extinguish their fires thoroughly.
Kelli Morris was hiking on an unmaintained trail in Alaska when a boulder the weight of a Harley-Davidson pinned him facedown in a creek for three hours.
New York state authorities received a report that a hiker had died in the Adirondacks’ High Peaks. When a ranger showed up, he found one very alive hiker—and his two friends, who were allegedly tripping on psilocybin and having an extremely bad time.
Authorities are investigating after several people came down with symptoms of norovirus, the highly-contagious, sanitizer-resistant stomach bug that's sickened hikers on the Triple Crown in recent years.
Outdoor advocates celebrated the removal of a budgetary measure that would have sold off federal land across Utah and Nevada, even as they expressed concern about other elements that expanded drilling and mining near national parks.
Staffing cuts at federal agencies and slashed budgets are slowing down maintenance efforts on the long-distance trail.
The decision, which allows “wild camping” to continue in Dartmoor National Park, puts an end to three years of legal wrangling that pitted hikers against a pair of wealthy landowners.
Trailfunds aims to get hikers more involved with the nonprofits that stweard the trails they love.
With the Madison Gulf Trail footbridge in New Hampshire's White Mountains unsafe to use, hikers now face a detour that eliminates 4.3 grueling but beloved miles of the AT—and officials will need to decide whether to make an exception to wilderness rules to allow for it to be replaced.
The grizzly—the first since 2017 to be trapped and killed for safety reasons—repeatedly broke into bear-proof dumpsters to gain access to human food.
Officials in Aspen recorded nearly twice as many bear encounters as usual this spring. Could it be an early indicator of a busy bear season in the high country?
Plus more takeaways about this year's NOBO hikers from data gathered at AT Basecamp.
Rescuers in Arizona braved a storm to save a hiker who became stranded after cairns led him astray.
The White House released its budget request for 2026, and the plan calls for the Park Service to hand over control of some federal parklands to states
Cinnamon, the black bear, is a known presence around Kings Beach, but had never before broken into Tahoe Time Ice Cream & Coffee Shoppe.
Visitors will need reservations beginning on Memorial Day weekend, with bookings opening up on May 6.
Park officials had written that the campground would close "indefinitely" for unspecified reasons.
A $2.4 million grant will go towards maintenance, reconstruction, and stewardship across the state.
This year, National Park Week runs from April 19 to 27.
A PCT hiker spent an hour "death-gripping" an unstable cliff in southern California before rescue personnel managed to pluck her off.
National Park Service officials temporarily closed two trails at Lake Mead over the weekend after two high-profile rescues there.
Weeks after closing the Fiery Furnace due to staffing issues, Arches National Park officials announced that the popular red-rock hiking destination would reopen starting April 15.
After five rescues in winter conditions in less than a month, Mount Rainier officials are reminding hikers and skiers that it's still winter up high.
Dozens of hikers were forced to stay the night along the Kalalau Trail after rain caused flooding in the region.
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.