News and Events

Backpacker Digicam Showdown: Point & Shoots vs. dSLR

With the frenzy over this strain of influenza growing, should outdoor adventurers be worried?

Sizzlin' steaks and hot dogs shorten lives, according to an extensive study of Americans

The best way to unearth dinosaur bones? Blow 'em up.

Editor Shannon Davis lets you inside the mind of a gear tester. Hint: It's not all glamorous, folks.

High fashion meets backcountry grunge in designer's "outdoor" clothing line

Climber Dave Hahn reflects on the team's performance so far

The invasive New Zealand mud snail threatens local fish populations in national parks

While "resting" at Advanced Base Camp, Seth Waterfall and company discover artifacts from ancient expeditions

Designer proposes replacing New Hampshire's Old Man of the Mountain with glass replica

How to haul your camera so you'll actually come back with pictures

World's first low carbon car regulation is a boon for some environmental groups but may upset ethanol producers

Climate change has come to Alaska, forcing an entire population of indigenous peoples to abandon the town they call home.

BACKPACKER map contributors log Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico, the first section of the Benton MacKaye in Georgia, and Fall Creek to Lime Kilns in California

Asian flair on the trail, comin' right up

Sound extreme? It is. Just watch this modern-day, Russian Superman

Extreme temperatures and altitude work our climbers at Camp 2, but creature comforts (a Coke!) await at basecamp.

Yellowstone National Park's new cell and wifi plan blocks coverage in sensitive areas

Why I'm paying $25 to go to a crowded Fruita, CO mountain biking festival, when I could save the cash and play on the same trails for free.

Keep up the good work, and the world will be a better place.

For Earth Day, Obama, Biden, and former President Clinton join Student Conservation Association tree-planting project

Band-e-Amir and its crystal blue lakes given national park title today

Obama’s Secretary of Energy is just a regular guy who rides his bike to work like us. Oh, and he might change the world.

A Maine family chronicles their daily energy use on Twitter

We sure hope you care about the environment but even if you don't, Earth Day is the day to fake it

Female BACKPACKER editors discover fashion trumps function in hiking dresses

Look out, gearheads—your source for this year's best packs, tents, boots, bags, and more is here

The national marker identifying the the intersection of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona is in the wrong place

Real climbing gets delayed by a ice crashing in the Khumbu icefall.

Tell your boss it's a national holiday and you're free to hit the trail

The carbon cost of spam may be suspect, but power down your PC and you'll save money and reduce CO2

It's all about falls from snow and rock

Dave HAhn and the First Ascents crew plan for an assault on Camp I

180 miles of new sections discovered—new hiking opportunity?

Hunters, climate change blamed for an uptick in bear fatalities in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem

Will Ferrell joins Bear Grylls on 'Man vs. Wild'—and lives to tell about it

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

One editor wears this softshell like a second skin in the office—but how does it perform in the wild?

Map Editor Kris Wagner shows you how to share your epic journey with friends, family, and the world

This May, Army Lt. Colonel Marc Hoffmeister and three other soldiers wounded in Iraq won't let their injuries stop them from tackling Mt. McKinley. We caught up with Hoffmeister just before the big climb to get the lowdown on Operation Denali.

Pack 'em fresh or pack 'em powdered, then pick one of our favorite egg recipes for this weekend

BACKPACKER mappers log New York's Big Slide Mountain, Washington's Klickitat Trail and New Mexico's Spence Hot Springs

Post-Easter reflections on age and technology

You won't find shrimp on the barbie in Capitol Reef or Dixie National Forest

Large avalanche breaks off Nuptse in between Camp 1 and Camp 2

A woman entered the polar bear enclosure in the Berlin Zoo during feeding time. Guess what happened next?

Dave Hahn and the First Ascents team greet the onslaught of climbing-season regulars, and indulge in a brand-new basecamp extravagance--a shower

A Chinese student invents new way to pop a squat. Could this be the end of blue bags and cat holes?

State official nearly ruins cricket game scheduled for Everest

Be a cop for the EPA by keeping an eye out for environmental fugitives

How to minimize the environmental impact of your (great looking) lawn

Feds & P.I. on case, as cash reward amount grows

Want to experience the avian wonders of the wild but it's too cold to leave your couch? Satisfy your inner voyeur with Xcel Energy's Bird Cams.

NPS teams with EPA to reduce carbon at National Parks

Australian cattle dog survives on remote island for four months

Grand Canyon 3D-Flyover headlines three new BACKPACKER classics. Download and go now!

Feeling guilty about pollution but can't part with your SUV? Now you can proudly display your autophobia over your exhaust pipe.

Try this nutty, protein-packed meal: Reader submitted, editor approved!

The team finally stops trekking and prepares to make an assault on the world's highest mountain.

New evidence contradicts classic advice to stand still and not run away during a mountain-lion encounter.

Three Sherpa brothers plan to hang out, pray, and break record on world's highest peak

It's not just waves, eddies, and rodeo rolls for pro kayaker Brad Ludden. The 27-year-old has parlayed his success into helping others with his cancer foundation, First Descents. We caught up with Ludden for the lowdown on the foundation and what's next on his extreme life list.

A quick survey of the missing, the found, and the lucky

On your next trek, forget the compass—there's an app for that

As a filmmaker, the best rock climbers, kayakers, mountaineers and cavers can be your mentors. Pay attention. You'll make better movies.

No, were not talking about those colorful rubber shoes—we’re talking 11-foot reptiles

The team fights off altitude sickness and infection on their last day before arriving at Everest Base Camp

Six-mile stretch of Appalachian Trail closed due to clever and hungry bear

Les Stroud's 'Survive This' takes kids into the wilderness and tasks them with finding their inner 'Survivorman'

Viruses may be the next source of juice in your AA, AAA and laptop batteries

Under fresh snow at 16,200 feet, Peter Whittaker and the First Ascents team scramble to arrange for their gear arrival

A look at backpacking history through the archived issues of our magazine

Jamaican-size ice sheet breaks off; Clinton calls for greater polar protection

Everest team begins to train lke mountaineers and face upcoming dangers by paying tribute to fallen climbers

Web links to help with your Easter weekend jailbreak

Jon Dorn's homemade milk dud recipe is exactly that—a dud

Ed Viesturs and Melissa Arnot hold forth on the dangers of altitude sickness, from 14,200 feet and up.

Record-holding Sherpa begins trek today for yet another summit—this time with an eco-friendly twist

It's a down day for Viesturs, Hahn, and team—which means a visit to an ancient Nepalese monastery.

Huge, already-endangered migratory sea turtles may become extinct in a few decades, scientists say