Stories

These dark-sky treks serve up perfect viewing spots for autumn's intergalactic bling in North Carolina, New Mexico, and California

Experts dissect the missteps in five recent hiking tragedies

Swallowed by Sierra scenery

Kalalau Trail on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, follows the path of a fast-eroding seaside cliff.

Fatten griz for winter

Lost in the labyrinth

A staged photo op in the Tetons results in a near-crushing.

When a storm comes out of nowhere, learn how to handle the unexpected.

Learn how to plan and react when and unexpected injury creeps up on you.

How did you get here? How can you get out? Staying found starts at home.

Survival depends on more than dumb luck–to live to see another day, you must correctly navigate a tricky series of choices. Here's how to do it when the consequences couldn't be higher.

Trek empty terrain all the way from the Grand Canyon to Zion.

Test your self-arrest skills on Mt. Adams's 12,276-foot fractured glacier.

See one of the sea's keenest hunters as you paddle San Juan Island.

Traverse the wildest part of the lower 48's last great grizzly hideaway.

Beat your own path through Denali National Park's confounding and little-traveled Wyoming Hills.

Get vertical on a tricky class 4 route to the top of Granite Peak.

Get your feet (and more) wet on the Florida Trail's best section.

Dodge high wattage on the newest stretch of the Colorado Trail.

Got guts? Good. Now learn what skills you'll need to bag America's Little Everest—a traverse of New Hampshire's Presidential Range—in winter.

The world's tallest tree towers above a secret location deep within the lush, tangled backcountry of Redwood National Park. Determined to find this giant, our correspondent discovers something more incredible than he ever imagined.

Upgrade your trail menu–and lower your carbon footprint–with farmers' market fare.

The most remote spot in the Lower 48 is inside Yellowstone National Park. It's also the goal of our correspondent. What he encounters–and what it says about the solitude backpackers treasure–will surprise you. PLUS: See more of his photos and read a Q&A.

Gas prices are soaring. Glaciers are melting. What's a conscientious hiker to do? Take the bus, says Dan Koeppel, who did just that to escape downtown L.A.

Learn how carnivores and their quarry interact—and what happens when humans upset the natural balance.

America's largest rodent may be clumsy on land, but in water, it's a marvel of design.

Wind power offers clean energy–but how much will hikers compromise to get it?

Where's the best western foliage?

Sample the best section of the country's first thru-hike.

The name doesn't say it all: Arizona's premier cactus preserve conceals a cool mountain escape.

We've got a selection of cozy shelters and trail-side restaurants from Washington to Maine. Check out these hikes in the Rockies, the Northeast, and the Northwest.

Looking to catch some migrating birds? Find out where to look.

The Civilian Conservation Corps is turning 75—so celebrate right by hiking its classics.

Catch this national park's brightest fall foliage on a short stroll or an all-day epic.

A few of the shelters and lean-tos found along the length of the Appalachian Trail © Jeff Chow

A collection of five-star overlooks along the Appalachian Trail © Jeff Chow

Some of the faces and places our map contributor saw on the AT © Jeff Chow

On this 70-miler, see rhododendrons by day and hike light by staying in shelters at night.

Explore big skies and pristine lakes in the Medicine Bows.

Glimpse these rare mammals in Idaho's Salmo-Priest Wilderness.

Nine ways to get your cascade fix from Tennessee to Montana.

Want a backcountry room with a view? Climb these lookouts from Vermont to Washington.

Backcountry crooks ransack public lands, stealing the natural prizes most coveted by collectors–and vulnerable species and hikers alike suffer when these icons vanish from the trails to resurface on the black market.

This question fuels the debate regarding how to help the aging national park system improve.

Learn the secrets of nature's greatest recyclers

Hikers and ATV riders hit the ground in a new battle over trail access.

California, Argentina, Mexico–our readers sought the endless summer this month.

Mark Jenkins, the author of "Destination Nowhere," discusses his Yellowstone assignment to find the most remote spot in the United States.

In September's "The Red Zone" writer Michael Behar and photographer Mike Sakas join biologist Erik Molvar through America's highest desert. See Sakas's photos of the trip here.

For September's "Destination Nowhere" Mark Jenkins explores the most remote wilderness location in the continental United States–a secret spot in Yellowstone. See his photos here.

A killer whitewater trip at the end of a stunning 40-mile canyon hike? That's the scenario on Oregon's Rogue River Trail.

How did the bear cross the road? See a few ways engineers are helping wildlife go over, under, and around traffic.

From the West Coast to the Rocky Mountains to New England, we've got nine epic ridgewalks just for you.

These weekend float trips have side hikes that rival the paddling for scenery and solitude.

This dignified giant stands four feet tall, making it North America's largest heron.

How to retrace each segment of the author's perfect week from "A Perfect Week in the Tetons."

You won't waste a minute with our only-the-highlights hiking and climbing guide to the West's archetypal range. From the loftiest summits to the loneliest cross-country routes, this seven-day sampler visits every type of Tetons treasure-and then some.

Check out The Backpacker Editors's author page.

Spectacular lake views, granite-edged trails, and surprising solitude will make you want to go in circles on the Tahoe Rim Trail.

Shhh! Find silent shores in this isolated Boundary Waters hideaway

After nearly two centuries of ecological havoc wreaked by invasive species, the gem of Channel Islands National Park is becoming a paradise again. ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Watch a video and see two photo galleries from the island.

Learn where to bag peaks, visit hidden cold water lakes, and trek through the eroded wonder of Badlands National Park in our Black Hills primer.

Of all the North American bird species, few stand out more than this trio of flyers. Their vivid plumage makes them some of the easiest springtime wildlife to spot.

New legislation could make the volcanic monument a national park. But is that a good thing?

Learn the difference between elk, white-tails, and mule deer.

How Cold War weapons sites are becoming America's most unusual new preserves.

With a thousand islands and countless passages, this little-visited treasure is a watery maze. Here's the way in–and out.

Only an hour from Seattle, this Cascades gem offers killer Rainier views.

Trek the best spring blooms from the Ozarks to the Olympics with these two, three, and four day treks.

Looking to catch and eat the big one? Try paddling Arkansas' Little Red River.

No, not the famously wind-whipped peaks in New Hampshire. Explore some of the country's lesser-known Whites with these accessible spring summits in Arizona, New Mexico, and Alaska.

Check out the steepest trail, the best swimming hole, and the wildest vista in America's most popular national park.

Utah's Range Creek hides the most intact Native American artifacts in the United States. Get there now–while you can still play archaeologist.

Check out these top shots from readers like you.

Forget all the rules about freezing or making yourself big. When faced with these angry beasts run for cover.

Dive into the Channels Islands with exclusive on-the-scene video, photos, and trip reports.

View photographer Michael Darter's outtakes from his trip to Santa Cruz island for the July Adventures story "Return of the Natives" (Photos by Michael Darter, www.michaeldarter.com)

Are these hidden containers harmless, or do they flout low-impact ethics?

Unlike their cougar and wolf cousins, these cats and dogs are (often) easier to spot.

Scientists hike deep into California's wild high country to probe for answers.