Stories

There's a fascinating world of fur and claws underfoot. Here's how to tell who's down there.

Easily said and done, when you have a constant reminder at bedtime.

Meet Jamie and Joe, who need help with everything from planning to packing to eating well. Enter our team of experts, with a few simple tricks designed to turn them-and you!-into well-oiled backpacking machines.

Lines at backcountry outhouses. Hikers competing for tent sites. Is there any solitude left in New Hampshire's White Mountains? Lots of it, if you know where to go.

Sometimes, despite all the commitments and obligations, you know what you have to do.

You'd better like your own company, because that's all you'll have in Oregon's Badlands Wilderness Study Area.

Arizona's Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness is so incredible, you'll want to tell the whole world.

If you're a fan of waterfalls, then Arkansas's Richland Creek Wilderness is your dream trip.

A 5,200-year-old artifact provides insight into early man's walking habits.

When venturing into country "untrammeled by man," we can thank Marshall's unlimited efforts to preserve it.

You may have the Ozarks' wildlife-rich Ridge Runner Trail to yourself, but that doesn't mean you're alone.

The little-known Ouachita Trail ranked third among the long trails for solitude.

Take along your plant guidebooks for this flora-filled treasure.

Forgot your toothbrush? You can still practice good hygiene.

The challenge of Vermont's Long Trail will cure what ails you.

The condors know all about Chumash Wilderness, but luckily, the masses in Los Angeles don't.

A whale of a Minnesota trail beside a Great Lake.

Cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, ancient pottery -- Utah's Grand Gulch is thick with history.

It's the longest stretch of virgin coastline left in the Lower 48. But that's just one of many reasons to hike it.

Mind-bending views, close-up wildlife encounters.

If any long trail is likely to induce a headache, it's the Colorado Trail.

This magnificent trail travels through three California parks while showcasing the natural wonders Muir worked to preserve.

The famed peaks of the Appalachian chain entice some 2,500 people to attempt the thru-hike each year.

Carved limestone cliffs add even more to love on Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail.

A good pile of animal scat speaks volumes about your backwoods neighbors, if you know what to look for.

In the 1800s, cowboys didn't think much of the Grand Canyon's Parashant National Monument. Luckily, times and attitudes have changed.

The best trips are littered with mistakes, frustration, and, if a river called the "Little Misery" runs through it, boot-sucking mud.

For Deep South scenery, try Alabama's Conecuh Trail, where the gopher frogs and armadillos outnumber the people.

If land has a personality, then Vermont's 270-mile Long Trail is one moody, unpredictable way to hike through New England.

When you have park visitors asking such questions as, "The animals aren't really wild, are they?" you have a recipe for disaster.

Where the words "wild" and "life" take on new meaning

The best way to honor a wilderness-minded senator is to hike the Jackson Wilderness.

What's good for elk is good for backpackers on Michigan's High Country Pathway.

New research suggests that bear bells don't work, and colorful tents and clothing may attract bruins.

The greatest backpacking parks in the United States, chosen for their scenery.

Glacier National Park possesses scenery that'll suck the breath out of your lungs, quiet so intense you'll wonder if your ears still work, and enough wildlife to make a zookeeper drool with envy.

When leaves turn the colors on a painter's palette, head to the Adirondack's High Peaks Wilderness.

When summer ends, crowd-free hiking begins in Colorado's Indian Peaks.

Out of mistakes, miscues, and unexpected turns in the trail, we find the perfect trip.

Washington's gentle "forgotten mountains" -- The Kettle River Range -- are ignored by those in a hurry to reach the Cascades.

Its bite is more than painful -- it could be deadly.

Sure, you can summit Mt. Rainier, but the real treasure isn't on top. It's the Wonderland Trail down below.

Follow Jesse James's footprints to a land of shady valleys and cool, clear lakes.

The French-Canadian trappers are long gone, but the grizzlies and waterfalls remain in this alpine nirvana.

If you think the last truly wild, unexplored land is in Canada or Alaska, you haven't been to Wyoming's Absaroka range.

History is carved in stone in this wild and scenic southern river corridor in North Carolina and Georgia.

Is the legendary jackalope the most endangered species in the Lower 48 or just an old cowboy tale that refuses to die?

Rare stands of virgin hardwood and creekside camping beckon sunburned hikers.

Are you antsy? Need to get away? Try New York's Tongue Range.

Wyoming's Medicine Bow National Forest is just what the hiker ordered.

Even when you're trapped in the nation's most crowded metropolis, backwoods relief is only a short hike down a Long Path.

In a strange way, music and wilderness go hand in hand.

Some people head to Wyoming to summit the Tetons. But outdoor legend Paul Petzoldt had a better idea: Create a route for foot travelers along the spine of the great range.

Chambers Lakes are too cold for swimming, but a great place to watch 'bergs drift by.

Montana and Wyoming's incredibly wild and beautiful Absaroka needs your help.

Here's what little we've learned about the mysterious Jackalope.

On the hoof, antlers and horns are a regal sight. Once discarded, they speak volumes about the former owner.

Horns or antlers?

A quick guide to antler spotting in the wild.

Myths and cactus in California: A life-filled land of sand and mountains.

A primordial oasis of rivers, bighorn sheep, and canyons.

Mountain vistas: the ups and downs of a mountain-biking/hiking paradise.

A high point offering a year-round getaway for lovers of southern wildlife, lush forests, and redeye bass.

California's second largest park has an impressive trail system.

Roads end in Arizona with tall tales, natural gardens, cacti forests, and shoe scorpions.

Cool your feet and warm your brow in this Arizona desert wilderness.

In the shadow of magnificent Mt. Shasta lies a relic of ancient times.

Lay claim to your own California mountain valley and bask in utter solitude.

Porpoises escort you to a rugged island where buffalo really do roam.

Alaska's premier area for fish and wildlife.

A water-lover's Wisconsin wonderland with forests, prairies, and the occasional eagle.

A slice of Utah canyon in the heart of Dixie.

Waterfalls and swimming holes aplenty.

Sunny beaches, cool forests, and a birder's paradise along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Where the shadows on the sandstone offer lessons from the past and there's not a soul to be found.

Tucked away in a New England corner is an old-growth paradise.

Old, haunted New York mountains, thick with legend.

Trade your flip-flops for hiking boots and explore a seaside trail.

Heavy forests and the roar of whitewater wait in this section of the Appalachian Mountains.

Take a lazy cruise through exotic scenery, where monkeys swing and eagles soar.