Take these 21 trail tips to heart, and you're virtually guaranteed a good hike.

We've created a plan to help you upgrade your trail time in all the ways that matter: bigger views, more solitude, easier miles, and more. Don't hang up your boots until you've mastered this definitive list of 10 skills and life-altering experiences.

If you don't know what triangulation is, read this article.

Any suggestions for making my 5-year-old's first backpacking trip a success?

Once you've been to the mountaintop, few other experiences will compare. For soul-cleansing, skill-building, life-affirming thrills, put a big one on your bucket list.

Work! Altitude! Traffic! Sometimes it seems like the universe is conspiring against your hiking plans. Here's how to subdue those hazards and 18 other trip killers to keep your weekends sacred.