Stories

Journey through America's most accessible wilderness in search of untouched places, and you might just find peace of mind to match the lakes and hills.

We've picked the top 10 miles of North America's 10 most memorable hikes. Find your way to wilderness nirvana with these map and planning guides.

America’s leading advocate of wilderness silence shows the way to Mt. Rainier National Park’s quietest corner. Plus: 9 more campsites with life-list listening.

Enrich your trip memories by recording nature's soundscapes.

Bad things happen to good hikers. Everyone should have a smart back-up plan--or two.

Warren Doyle has hiked the Appalachian Trail 16 times, and he has a no-fee plan guaranteed to help others complete the 2,180-mile trek. The hardest part? Hiking with Warren Doyle.

BACKPACKER and CLIMBING have teamed up to bring you a one-stop resource for scaling the best treks and technical climbs in the country.

When you're planning a weekend outing, you don't want good, you want the best. Well, here's perfect. These hikes tour the deepest backcountry, best views, and quietest wilderness areas in every state.

Discover surprising solitude and endless vistas on an easy-access multiday trip between rim and river.

Rule #1 when planning a hike through this iconic park: Let your ambition match the scenery.

On a climb from the Hoh River's silty riffles to high-country glacier views, pass through a moss-hung rainforest that might be the lushest place in America.

Wade through wildflowers, listen to wolves, and escape the crowded trade routes in this secluded corner of the park.

Enjoy this legendary park (without the legendary crowds) on a four-day trip through the Clark Range.

A forgotten explorer's route leads to off-trail, high-peak adventure and bona fide solitude.

Don't own a massive pack for your big annual adventure? Here's how to make it all fit.

The prognosis for naming new sanctuaries looks grim. Is our best strategy to vote a few misfits off the island?

Seven great books and the outdoor places to enjoy them

Hike these long trails in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida, and paddle three days in the Everglades backcountry.

We're down to the last two weeks of our five-week Tough Guy Challenge. Are you still hanging in there?

Your life-list only starts with the top 10 parks. Our favorite hikes from the next 40 will fill it with glacier-edge paddling, desert-oasis exploring, and more.

Denali isn’t just for experts. These guinea pigs will prove it. Probably.

Can you ever really have too much of a good thing? Once you've seen the biggest tree, largest glacier, and deepest canyon, nothing else compares.

Week three of our five-week challenge will have you navigating obstacles and increasing mileage.

Hike these long trails in Montana, Idaho, Arizona, and Colorado, and raft an eight-mile section of the Arkansas River.

This remote chasm boasts big views, craggy mountains, abundant wildlife, and staggering solitude.

See scores of stunning images from the Grand Canyon, Denali, Yosemite, and more.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

If it bleats, chirps, or roars, our readers have captured it.

If it bleats, chirps, or roars, our readers have captured it.

Got a burning ursine question? Ask our resident bruin expert in our new weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Got a burning ursine question? Ask our resident bruin expert in our 'Ask A Bear' column.

Got a burning ursine question? Ask our resident bruin expert in our new weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Usually, our bear answers burning ursine questions, but this week he's dropping off a holiday gift.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our 'Ask A Bear' column.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in out weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Check out BEAR's author page.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our 'Ask A Bear' column.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our 'Ask A Bear' column.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

You choose! Look through the slideshow and at the end cast your vote to help decide which one will be the winner for BACKPACKER's September 2011 issue.

A new theory might solve the mystery of how these mountains formed.

For sheltered scenery high above the trees, there's no better place than a fire tower. Try one of these editor-approved hikes to backcountry rooms with a view.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Hike Denver's lost wilderness, a twofer of peaks in Idaho, lava tubes in New Mexico, Zion's sneak route, and Bozeman's trout-filled lake.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Does God love camping? A new church movement foot-soldiered by wilderness-loving young people could transform the way conservative Christians perceive and protect the environment. We hit the trail with the new green evangelicals.

Make one simple resolution–to hike more in 2011–and we guarantee you'll lose that spare tire around the middle. Here's the proof, the plan, and the inspiration.

See Yosemite's river of ice, witness there-and-gone meteor showers in Hawaii, and mark your calendar for eight more fleeting natural wonders.