A Closure on the Last Stretch of the PCT Finally Reopens to Thru-Hikers
The Easy Fire closed the section of trail leading to Hart’s Pass in late July, threatening to block hikers' route to the finish.
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.
The Easy Fire closed the section of trail leading to Hart’s Pass in late July, threatening to block hikers' route to the finish.
A corporate retreat went bad this week after a 15-person hiking group left one of their own behind on Colorado’s 14,231-foot Mt. Shavano.
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Hundreds of PCT hikers face last-minute reroutes as wildfires close in on the critical resupply town, which is only accessible by boat, foot, or plane.
The evacuation call came late at night, causing chaos and confusion as locals and tourists tried to leave the park en masse
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Officials beg hikers to extinguish coals after finding dozens of still-smoldering campfires across the state.
California's Shelly Fire is just 8 percent contained and closing in on the town of Etna—but that's not the town's only problem.
All visitors are required to pack out used toilet paper; burying it is no longer an option.
On Sunday, a hiker collapsed just 100 feet from the end of the trail. It was the third death in the park in three weeks.
Kyle Curtin only slept about 12 hours total over the course of his Colorado Trail thru-hike. When he finished, he could barely walk.
The 22-year-old hiker was reported missing after his friends left him behind in Monadnock State Park.
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On Tuesday, a horse slid off the side of a popular backcountry trail, falling 30 feet into a ravine.
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Seven of the kids were hospitalized.
The fall triggered an hours-long technical rope rescue.
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When temperatures climbed to 103°F and his girlfriend collapsed in the desert, this hiker called for rescue.
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The Interlaken Fire likely resulted from a campfire that was abandoned days before the embers caught flame.
Local pack-maker Mystery Ranch is offering free repairs for any brand pack all weekend long.
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Starting in 2026, oversized vehicles will be barred from the park's popular east entrance.
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Bear Mountain State Park re-opened over the weekend after a 10-month closure caused by catastrophic rain damage.
Authorities believe Lucas Macaj, 23, took a "significant fall."
A hiker decided to leap the 5-foot gap from a clifftop to a hoodoo near Moab, Utah. It didn’t end well.
The bills would have instructed the state to seek reimbursement when hikers needed rescue from a closed trail, but faced opposition from emergency personnel.
The method, popular for relocating problem polar bears, could be used to airdrop grizzlies into wilderness areas across the Pacific Northwest.
Starting this fall, backpackers will have to pay a new fee to hike California's popular Lost Coast Trail. For some, it will triple the cost.
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San Gabriel Mountains and Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monuments in California will now include land sacred to local Indigenous people, increase equitable outdoor access in Los Angeles, and protect habitat for endangered species
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While the JMT still isn’t open for the season, it now faces potential delays as trail maintainers and geologists work to clear it and assess its safety.
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After a bobcat attack in January this year, Saguaro National Park warned visitors to be on the lookout for infected animals.
The brands say the three offerings—which include hiking in Shenandoah and camping in the New River Gorge—will “celebrate Black joy in nature.”
John Passidomo, 72, died in a fall in the Utah park.
Federal land managers and trail clubs are monitoring the spread of a gastrointestinal illness among thru-hikers on the southern portion of the AT.
A cougar fatally mauled one person and injured another in the encounter near Georgetown.
San Carpoforo Creek Beach will be closed to camping for at least the next two years, with officials citing garbage and human waste as the motivation.
With the recent completion of the Capital to Tahoe Trail, Carson City is looking for two hikers to go from its core all the way to Canada for good money.
Cinamen, an 8-year-old cat from New York, went viral for leading guests at his owner's AirBnb on Appalachian Trail hikes. It's a role he was born to play.
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Lack of employee housing is a critical issue in national parks across the United States, and a super-size gift from an unidentified donor may help Yellowstone tackle it.
In a normal year, Hot Springs’s Appalachian TrailFest is the second-largest gathering on the AT. But with just weeks to go, organizers have canceled it for unclear reasons.
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State legislators in Hawaii are fast-tracking a bill that would authorize the state to seek reimbursement from hikers who need rescue after venturing onto closed trails. But not everyone agrees it’s the right move.
Last year was the National Park Service’s busiest season since 2017, with visitors hitting smaller parks and traveling during the off-season.
A recent SAR communique reams out an incautious adventurer who climbed up the peak amid dangerous conditions and then called for emergency lifesaving
Last August, a "1,000-year" rain event wiped out roads, stranded hikers, and created a brand-new lake in Death Valley National Park. Less than six months later, the park is reeling from another storm.
The inaugural gathering is headlined by Fleet Foxes, Thundercat, Lettuce, Andrew Bird, Say She She, and The Heavy Heavy, with more performances to be announced soon.
For now, Mystery Ranch will continue to operate from its headquarters in Bozeman, Montana.
The Conservation Fund will turn over 3,654-acre Richmond Ranch to local government and plans to add miles of hiking trails to the parcel.
Two years after putting a pilot ticketing program in place for the popular hike up Old Rag, Shenandoah National Park announced it would permanently require hikers to have permits.
Christopher "Rafiki" Roma, a Triple Crown thru-hiker, guiding company owner, and prominent member of the New Hampshire hiking community, encountered harsh weather while hiking a long route in the mountains.
Rainier will join other popular national parks like Glacier, Rocky Mountain, and Arches in implementing a new timed-entry system for the park's most popular entrances.
A rescue crew who found the deceased hiker got benighted after dangerous conditions kept them on the mountain after dark.
Four college students from Kentucky scaled a rocky pinnacle in search of a perfect campsite. When the weather turned bad and they called for help, it sparked what one SAR member called "one of the most dangerous rescues ever attempted" in the region.
Donner Pass was the site of one of the worst backcountry disasters in American history—but a traveler who got lost there over the weekend fared better.
The retailer launched its “Politics Escape Pack” for hikers who just need a break from the news cycle.
Maine game wardens had to carry two hypothermic hikers out of the forest after a companion alerted authorities to their predicament.
A pre-holiday adventure didn’t go as planned for two hikers near Tampa, who ended up lost in a flooded forest after dark.
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