Stories

Everyone loves national parks - but are they being loved to death? Join a star-studded roundtable to explore the fate of this embattled American institution.

Many people think exploring this 91,440-acre desert park is all about dodging the tall, spiny cacti that earned the place its name. But Southern Arizona Hiking Club guide Steve Singkofer knows better. His favorite 20.3-mile route - including a 4,500-foot climb - reaches overlooks of Tucson and far beyond.

Glaciers sculpt mountains, dredge valleys, and remain an unending source of fascination for hikers.

When Utahans really wants to disappear, they head to the magnificent canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante.

Visitors to Montana's Glacier National Park can visit on the cheap or pay an arm and a leg -- but each way has its unique charms.

When you're trekking into a backcountry bowl, avalanches are almost always a threat. Learn how to protect yourself when the worst happens.

When a scramble turns to a nightmare learn how to help yourself.

The Lower 48's most glaciated region is losing its ice at an astonishing rate.

A big-picture biologist unearths threats to songbirds, salamanders, and a peak-loving furball.

More potent poison ivy is on the way, plus fast-growing weeds that will change the face of Eastern forests.

Pine beetles are felling more trees than wildfires and the timber industry combined.

As the earth warms, here's how higher temps will affect our forests.

Find these hard-to-spot beauties on your next journey

A for and against look at heli-hiking

Stay sanitary, and for your travel companion's sake, pack what's on this list.

On the trail and in camp, beat the cold with these tips.

Beat the itchy stuff with creams or homeopathic measures.

Here are the seven guidelines to Leave No Trace

The trail-staple GORP gets a face lift with these reader-submitted recipes

A successful hike often starts with a bit of research.

Hit the wilderness in search of beasts big and small.

These hares love the snow and cold and they're designed to use the elements to their advantage

Looking to get more than scenic views out of your hikes? The U.S. Forest Service's Passport in Time program turns trekkers into weekend archaeologists.

Head to Hawaii for three of the tallest

If you've always dreamed of descending into the center of the earth, try one of these creekbed hikes.

Try a stunning new hike–or two thrilling classics–in the Colorado Rockies' top spot for big backpacking adventures.

Traverse the Yukon Territory's Tombstone Range, sea kayak Baja, trek Torres del Paine, Patagnoia–all in 2008. Plus, monthly adventures closer to home.

Keen on birds, peak bagging, or wildflowers? Here's how to join hikers who share your passions.

Rangers despise him. The law is after him. Yet in chopping down trees in an overgrown national park, Bob Garrison has become a hero to some hikers.

Inside Idaho's Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, humans and wolves learn to co-exist.

Welcome to Yosemite, iconic American landscape, hikers' paradise, and all-you-can-eat home of the wiliest bruins on earth.

The wooly bear caterpillar, wild leek, and yew have "magical" qualities, but live in your backyard.

Museum curator Glenn Crosby tracks down Ansel Adams' famous shot

Spot lizards, wrens, and javelinas in the desert Southwest with these tips.

Try this black diamond, three-day kayak trip that navigates Lake Superior's piney islands.

Take a winter hike to the steaming pools of Melanie Hot Springs in Gila Wilderness, New Mexico.

By foot, kayak, or on top of a Boulder, North Georgia has plenty of outside activities.

Hike, paddle, or ride in America's favorite steel town.

Idaho's capital offers hiking, kayaking, and climbing close to downtown

Try this 30-mile lollipop loop that is almost entirely above 9,000 feet.

A rarely-attempted traverse reveals the Navajo Nation's vast red-rock wilderness.

Trek into the wilderness but sleep in comfort with these hut treks

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

A hiker's guide to fighting climate change

The best overall weekend hike you'll find on the CDT.

Hike this trail to find peace, stress relief and a tonic to cure your daily routine.

Explore six new routes through the most rugged, scenic, and wildife-rich mountains in the Lower 48.

Hiking, climbing, and fishing in this New South boomtown.

Pick your poison with three epic adventures in Yellowstone: camping, canoeing, and ski touring

Get ready to feel puny--and profoundly grateful--on three hikes through ancient forests.

Write your own ticket to new adventures with these 10 territory-expanding skills.

Our scribe-turned-pizzaman labors in the land of granite and pulls back the curtain on the seasonal-employment fantasy.

Drought is giving Glen Canyon--and those who love it--a second chance. Here are four spectacular reasons why we should protect this Southwest wilderness by making it America's next national park.

Link two classic Southern rivers on a trek along the newly completed Benton MacKaye Trail in Tennessee and North Carolina.

Live life on the edge as your dayhike three vertiginous ridges in Arizona, Vermont, and Colorado.

Scratch the picturesque postcard surface of Big Sur...and there's far more than you imagined, including hot springs and high-rise trails.

16 wild ways to find backcountry solitude and big-time scenery. All this, and you can bring the ice chest, too.

Climate change isn't just melting glaciers--it's messing with wildlife everywhere

Classic hike-in spots in Wyoming, South Carolina, and Oregon let you ditch the trail mix for pan-fried fish.

Relax after a long day of hiking at scenic hot soaks in Idaho, Arizona, and Colorado

Hit the high point and move on to the other attractions this park offers.

Lay low like Jesse James at this high point.

Can't make it to Canada? Try Glacier Peak, Baker Peak, or Catamount Mountain

The ultimate continental divide and a legendary mountaineering traverse

A peerless art gallery of bristlecone pines, wildflowers and a ridge walk

We follow a giant, endangered caribou herd from the Yukon to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Part 6.

Bats have nothing on this nocturnal hiker.

Will anyone ever climb the dangerous northwest face of Alaska's Devil's Thumb? Maybe they shouldn't.

Sneak in the side door for a private viewing of the finest in California's High Sierra real estate.

Use your backpacking skills at the best surfing, climbing, trail running, and even paragliding spots

We follow a giant, endangered caribou herd from the Yukon to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Part 5.

Here is your chance to tag six summits in only 3 days.

Come to this tropical oasis for great weather, an array of fruit and some great swimming.

One camper sweats and another shivers. What's the deal?

If you can't hook a monster in one of these fishing holes, you better hang up your rod.

Why are Sherpas so studly?

Learn the latest survival smarts with this military acronym

Get lost in the land o' lakes with 3 quiet, crowd-free trails

Hike and canoe through the pristine springs of Missouri's Ozarks.

Berries Prove Balance Can Be Sweet