News and Events

Conservationists are ripping Wisconsin after the state blew past its target for its first wolf hunt since 2014.

Join on us March 5, at 3:30 p.m. MT for a conversation with Heather "Anish" Anderson about endurance, thru-hiking, and her new book "Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail."

The Forest Service withdrew its environmental impact statement for the controversial project on March 1—but the sacred site's reprieve could be temporary.

Our new sibling publication is essential clicking for anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes look at the outdoor industry.

With the Covid-19 pandemic closing parks and borders, U.S. national parks saw fewer visitors than they had since 1980.

REI’s ever-expanding ambitions have earned it plenty of fans—and critics—as it’s grown to dominate the outdoor industry. But many feel the retail giant has been made vulnerable by its own hubris. And now that the pandemic has rocked its fortunes, we’re faced with an uncomfortable question: What if the $3 billion co-op isn’t too big to fail?

After two days of pointed questioning, the U.S. representative from New Mexico looks all but certain to become the next Secretary of the Interior, and the first Native cabinet member in history.

Backpacker’s parent company acquires Outside magazine, Outside TV, Gaia GPS, athleteReg, and Peloton Magazine, boosting the depth and diversity of storytelling and services in our Active Pass membership.

Starting in May, you’ll need a permit to day-hike or backpack the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson, and other popular zones in the Williamette and Deschutes National Forests.

Lucky turned up three days after authorities called off the ground search for Josh Hall.

Run by the St. Louis-based organization Black People Who Hike, the #OurStory series will air three times a week through Black History Month.

A spate of avalanche deaths across the Rockies is pushing the US towards one of its worst seasons in recent memory—and it’s mostly experienced skiers getting caught. What’s behind the spike?

National parks will require masks in visitor centers, busy trails, and overlooks, agency says.

In order to limit crowds and enforce social distancing, Zion will require riders on the park’s shuttle to reserve tickets.

Starting on February 8, Yosemite will cap visitor numbers by requiring day-use permits, and reservations for this year's annual spectacle are expected to sell out.

Fallen trees and heavy snow will keep Yosemite National Park shuttered until "at least" February 1.

Proclamation could be first step to restoring national monuments to their original sizes.

With Covid cases hitting all-time highs, the nonprofit is still urging thru-hikers to stay home.

After years of demonstrations and congressional battles, the sale of oil drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge finally went ahead on January 6—and almost no one bit.

A new initiative launching this week seeks to create a program to fund outdoor recreational and educational activities for underserved youth around the United States.

Fewer than 4 percent of people who apply for a permit to hike The Wave get one. A new rule change from the Bureau of Land Management would triple that number—but environmental groups warn it could come at the expense of the scenery itself.

The Pacific Crest Trail Association and Forest Service announced this week that they will issue permits for the 2021 season, but are still asking hikers to delay their trips if possible.

The New River Gorge became the United States’ 63rd national park with the passage of the year-end omnibus spending bill.

Outdoor recreation is getting a little more representation in government.

After years of slashed environmental regulations, the United States’ public lands need a friend—and hundreds of U.S. representatives, tribal leaders, and even celebrities think Rep. Deb Haaland could be it.

Despite some progress, the boom in single-use plastic and an influx of new hikers are testing anti-littering efforts. Can making cleanliness personal help solve our garbage problem?

After four years of Trump, U.S. environmental policymakers are about to get new marching orders. Are we in for a seismic shift, or just a course correction?

California's catastrophic wildfire season left some of the state's most vaunted hiking areas charred and impassible. With the climate changing and wildfires continuing to intensify, it may be a taste of what's to come.

Hit hard by coronavirus and historic wildfires, California needs visitors to ensure its state parks recover.

With the narrow passage of Proposition 114, Colorado is set to become the first state in US history to reintroduce wolves by voter action.

William Perry Pendley made a career out of fighting against the Bureau of Land Management before becoming its acting director and greenlighting mining and drilling plans on public lands across the west. Now, a federal court's decision that he served illegally could put those plans in danger.

Sign up for a KIND® Energy Bar sample and join us on November 17th for National Take A Hike Day.

A viral video of a mountain lion has inspired headlines about the cat "stalking" the runner who recorded it. But that's not what the clip shows.

At an estimated 1,400 pounds, 747 is one of the biggest bruins in Katmai National Park and Preserve—and he just won Fat Bear Week in a landslide.

After campers left garbage strewn across one of the Appalachian Trail's most popular sites, guides, educators, and social media influencers ponder how we can do better.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon closed earlier this week.

This season, the company hid a secret message on one of its products—and the internet just noticed.

The order comes after the National Guard rescued 207 campers from the Creek Fire.

National forests in five Colorado counties are closed due to extreme fire danger.

Local firefighters and search and rescue teams rescued the man in a nine-hour operation.

Neck gaiters have become popular DIY face coverings for runners and hikers. But researchers designing equipment for testing masks found some evidence that not only do common models not work as well as other options, there's even a chance they could be "counterproductive."

Victim flown to hospital after incident at crowded lake.

Bill would provide billions for deferred maintenance backlog, fully and permanently fund Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Tribe hopes to protect vulnerable populations by blocking crowds from the park's eastern entrance.

Each week BACKPACKER Get Out More TV will be giving away a backpacking prize pack to one lucky winner.

With non-essential visits banned until at least July 21, some visitors are using a loophole to get to the country’s national parks.

Citing cost of litigation, builders call off project just three weeks after Supreme Court ruled in its favor.

Our sibling brand, The Voice, is here to give you a peek behind the curtain of the gear makers that you love.

Backpacker's Get Out More Tour is coming to a place near you!

Series A funding allows Pocket Outdoor Media to expand its active lifestyle business to over 20 new media businesses including Yoga Journal, SKI, Climbing, BACKPACKER and Warren Miller Entertainment.

Weather, an ankle injury, and hordes of ticks weren’t enough to stop pro ultrarunner from finishing his 1,147-mile feat.

A new digital event hopes to increase Black people's visibility in the outdoors—and inspire more to hit the trail.

More than 28 years after Chris McCandless took up residence there, a National Guard helicopter airlifted the abandoned vehicle out of the backcountry.

Justices allow permit to stand in 7-2 decision.

A judge ruled today that James Jordan is mentally competent to stand trial.

Search claimed at least five lives over the past decade.

A group of scientists wants your help to make the outdoors welcoming and safe for Black people.

They're fighting the good fight to create a more welcoming and racially just outdoor community.

Rocky Mountain is among the national parks requiring visitors to book an entry time in advance in order to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Ouray's "iron way" is one of just a few in North America—but it's not immune to the current pandemic.

Since its acquisition of Moosejaw in 2018, the retail giant has been working on a performance-oriented yet wallet-friendly collection for new hikers just getting into the game. But will backpackers bite?

Share your Mothers Day message with us, and be entered to win this lovely print.

Join our virtual outdoor festival of art, fitness, film, and music with headliner G. Love on May 16.

Check out The Get Out More Team's author page.

A clip from the National Park Service shows coyotes ambling down park roads and herds of deer grazing in meadows.

A trio of incidents on the PCT last month demonstrate how coronavirus is magnifying the dangers of one of America’s most popular trails.

Check out Backpacker Magazine's author page.

Check out Backpacker Magazine's author page.

Organizers pull the plug over COVID-19.

With Oregon and Washington under stay-at-home orders, the Forest Service has instituted broad closures across its management areas due to a lack of social distancing.

Grand Canyon is the largest national park in the country to remain open, but local health officials say its time for the park to shut its gates.

Check out Backpacker Magazine's author page.

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, improving air quality in our wild spaces could be a vision of a better future.

With resorts closed because of COVID-19, an unprecedented number of skiers are swapping their downhill gear for an alpine touring setup. And that's a problem.

A handful of major parks have shuttered, while many more have modified operations.

"It is clear that anyone traveling the PCT and resupplying in communities along the trail represents a serious risk to others on the trail and people in those communities."

In Utah, health officials and hospital executives are trying to keep visitors away from national parks even as the federal government makes it easier to go.

Citing risk of spreading coronavirus, CEO Sandra Marra urges hikers to postpone or cancel their 2020 hikes.

Some state and tribal parks have reacted to the COVID-19 outbreak by closing campgrounds and visitor centers, while the National Park Service is beginning to implement "social distancing" guidelines.

As COVID-19 spread across the US, the ATC is limiting group sizes on trail projects, shutting down its visitor center, and asking hikers who contract the virus to contact them.