Stories

The next best thing to hitting the trail? Hitting these books.

Embracing the pee bottle is the secret to getting through cold nights on trail comfortably. So why do so many hikers fight it?

After bad news from a doctor threw his hiking dreams into question, one backpacker planned the adventure of a lifetime.

Follow these steps to give your camp neighbors an unforgettable experience. (Note that we said “unforgettable,” not “good.”)

This Appalachian’s spin on Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of forest bathing, is proving to be potent medicine in the mountains of North Carolina.

A backpacker discovers the joys of scenic commodes on trails around the world.

Pulling a sled of gear across a frozen lake in Minnesota, a mountaineer discovers just how challenging and deeply rewarding polar exploration is.

PFAS, or forever chemicals, provide stellar water, stain, and oil repellency to everything from clothing and carpets to dental floss and paper plates. But at what cost? New regulations are forcing industries across the globe to rethink their chemistries because of the severe health implications of PFAS.

Choosing not to thru-hike was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made.

Their idea of a nice dinner is buying the expensive dehydrated meal, cuddling on a sleeping pad is awkward, and don’t get us started on their feet: There are a lot of great reasons to date a hiker, but there are also a lot of reasons not to.

If your life partner is also your hiking partner, you'll express love by popping blisters, planning trips, and sharing M&M's.

A viral video showed a group of thru-hikers ordering food delivery to the trail. Is there any harm in a little self-indulgence?

Catholes are still the gold standard according to Leave No Trace—but maybe they shouldn't be.

At 6,800 miles counting both its northern and southern branches, the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail is one of the longest paths in the United States, and thru-hikes of it are rare. With less than 50 miles to go, Briana “Rocky Mountain High” DeSanctis is poised to become the fourth person—and first woman—to complete both routes.

In 2023, Sam “Shade” Carter tried to hike the Calendar Year Triple Crown with a $19 Amazon daypack, an emergency bivvy, and no tent, sleeping bag, or sleeping pad. Is that too ultralight?

On a slow-paced trip to Colorado's Ice Lakes, one hiker comes to terms with the value of doing nothing.

Putting up your own tent inside a communal shelter may sound cozy, but it takes up room and can be frustrating to weary hikers who just want to get some rest. Is there ever a situation where it’s all right to do?

Hikers today can be harsh when they see one of our number screw up on the trail. But it's time to face facts: We all make mistakes, and if we were less judgmental about them, we might all be safer.

New year, new us? Not quite. From hiking crowded trails to carrying gear we know we will never use, here are all the bad habits we plan to keep nursing this year.

Billy "Wahoo" Meredith had one thru-hike and exactly zero FKTs under his belt when he decided to try to finish the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails in record time. The next 234 days and 7,500 miles would test him in more ways than one.

From a globetrotting adventure on the International Appalachian Trail to a family hike of the Triple Crown, our most popular long trail stories of the year were a look at just how big a backpacking trip can be.

Doyle set a speed record on the AT 50 years ago, long before YouTubers and partying twentysomethings had flooded the iconic trail. Through his Appalachian Trail Institute, which he’s run since 1989, he’s still trying to convert a new generation of thru-hikers to his personal philosophy of what the trail should be.

The author and thru-hiker is hosting his first book talk for "Journeys North" in Boulder, Colorado's Carsen Theater December 5 from 7 to 8 p.m.

Rich Moore and his dog Finney disappeared on a hike in Colorado in August. Ten weeks later, crews found the dog alive. Now, friends and family are trying to understand what happened.

Hitting the trail with someone may be the best way to get to know them. But what if that "someone" is your new hubby?

FKTs are dropping like flies. But the strategy for making miles might be impacting hikers' health.

And Alfredo Aliaga is already planning his return to come back and do it again next year.

Grappling with loss and the singular desire to be a father, one hiker turned to the trail for solace.

Kristian Morgan set a new southbound FKT on the Appalachian Trail, but he’s not done yet

For most AT thru-hikers, Katahdin is the finish line. For Will French, it was the halfway point on a 25-year, 4,320-mile journey along the prehistoric spine of the Appalachians.

After beating gray zone lymphoma (twice), Alec Sills-Trausch hit the trails to relearn what it meant to feel alive.

Saufley, who passed away after a battle with brain cancer earlier this month, spent decades hosting hikers at her home in the desert of Southern California—and touched thousands of lives along the way.

The rise of social media has created a new breed of influencers who tackle the world's longest trails with their audiences in tow. But success isn't guaranteed on a thru-hike—and bailing with thousands of eyes on you is more complicated than it looks.

To celebrate National Public Lands Day this month, the Secretary of the Interior reminds readers why stepping up for public lands has to be a priority.

Nick Fowler averaged 50-mile days through unfavorable conditions in an already complicated year for PCT thru-hikers.

Our Pacific Crest Trail correspondent has finally reached the northern terminus. Here are his final thoughts from his time on the trail.

It's the ultimate Leave No Trace dilemma for a backpacker: What will become of your mortal remains, once you reach trail’s end?

We sat down with this year’s PCT correspondent to learn about the highlights (and lowlights) of his hiking season.

Dr. Hitesh Tolani created Gays of National Parks to create community, but it’s become so much more than that.

While heavy snow and closures forced most PCT hikers to flip-flop this year, a small, dedicated group is still trying for a continuous, end-to-end hike as the season hits its final stretch.

Social media and hiking can mix—as long as you're intentional about your usage.

I gave up having a career and a family in favor of seasonal work and the freedom to hit the trail any time. Do I regret the sacrifice? No, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t think about it.

Making your own camp stove out of a cat food or soda can used to be a rite of passage for backpackers. But with canister stoves getting lighter and cheaper—and fire bans getting more and more common—one Backpacker editor argues their time has come. (Plus: Another editor dissents.)

Could an AI chatbot be a weekend adventurer's new best friend?

A deep snowpack in the Sierra disrupted normal trail dynamics for groups of hikers, but flip-floppers are reuniting as their paths converge.

In 2020, Danae “Queen Bee” and Olen “Spreadsheet” Netteburg set out with their four kids on the Appalachian Trail. Three years (and one more baby) later, they’re about to complete the Triple Crown.

On England's 102-mile Cotswold Way, a hiker sets herself up to fail—and ends up surprised by how things turn out.

And while we're at it, stop saying these other phrases to me on the trail.

Chips, candy bars, ramen bombs: A lot of what thru-hikers eat on the trail is far from good for you. But some nutrition-minded backpackers are trying to buck the trend.

We posed your top questions to our resident outdoor nudist funhog

One of the most popular mountains on the Appalachian Trail closed to overnight visits after visitors trashed it in 2020. Now, those temporary restrictions are starting to look permanent.

The Idaho Centennial Trail is a long trail experience that takes hikers through some of the most remote, beautiful terrain in the lower 48. But years of deferred maintenance mean that it’s in danger of vanishing into the wilderness.

Most of this year’s PCT class is skipping the snowbound Sierra and planning to come back later when conditions improve. But a small, hardy group of adventurers are pushing straight through.

Witnessing a friend’s nearly fatal fall made one hiker rethink the way she talks about mistakes.

Over 7,000 miles on trail, our hiking columnist has tried coffee and caffeine in most every form imaginable. But the humblest one of all taught him something about himself.

The answer isn’t as obvious as it was five years ago

As record snows in the Sierra force more and more Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers to flip-flop, trail angels are stepping up to make sure they get where they need to go—including a hiker-pilot who's flying them there.

After a five year hiatus, thru-hiking legend Heather “Anish” Anderson just set another FKT, the 250-mile section of the Appalachian Trail that runs through Pennsylvania. In this essay, she explores how her relationship with the sport has evolved over the past decade since her ground-breaking Pacific Crest Trail record in 2013.

While planning a solo, analog trip, our writer discovers that ditching her phone comes with a cost.

Staffed fire lookouts, once ubiquitous in the West, have all but faded into obscurity. Deep in North Cascades National Park, Jim Henterly is still at it.

Roughly 84% of visitors at one popular national park are in favor of its new reservation system—and it could be a sign of things to come.

Gear companies are constantly upgrading their products and pulling old ones off the market. But there are some advantages to being a few seasons behind.

So you want to help thru-hikers? There are a lot of great ways to do it. Veteran hiker Liz "Snorkel" Thomas talks you through them.

Some hikers cowboy camp or dehydrate their toothpaste to save weight. But for Luna Soley, a book is always worth a few extra ounces.

A half-hour ramble to a local campsite may not be your idea of an epic backpacking adventure. But it might just give you a new perspective on what’s important in a hike.

In Fiji and 99 other countries, the same Sawyer water filtration technology used by outdoor adventurers is helping to solve the global water crisis

It's been 50 years since we published the first issue of Backpacker. What will the backcountry look like in another half-century? Our editor speculates.

Backpacker’s 50 year history is rich with riveting storytelling. We tasked our editors with picking their all-time favorite stories.

Personal air conditioning, new trails, a dozen new Leave No Trace principles: For Backpacker's 50th anniversary, we asked Triple Crowner and columnist Liz "Snorkel" Thomas to speculate about what thru-hiking could look like a half-century from now.

Think you could outswim a bear? Think again.

Completing a winter journey on the Appalachian Trail convinced the fun-loving thru-hiker that he can accomplish whatever he dreams up

Backpackers carry ultralight tents, backpacks, and quilts. Is it really so weird to hike with an ultralight dog?

Americans live in one of the most individualistic nations on Earth—and it can be one of the most isolating, too. Could hiking be a way for us to find our way back to community?

Hikers love to share their opinions. That doesn’t mean it’s always useful.

Olivia Mendoza was sure she wasn't the only one who wanted lasting, adventurous friendships during Covid-19. So she created a forum for it.

"I felt no threat, only outrage and indignation, so I took off after them into the woods."

Caught between a goat and a hard place? Don't move.

No one likes having to jump through a bunch of hoops just to hike a popular trail or visit a national park. But with more and more areas reaching their carrying capacity, it’s time to consider our options.