Stories

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.

Why even bag it if you’re not going to carry it out?

Want to really impress your hiking partners? Drop a few of these terms around the campfire.

Last January, Carl Stanfield set out to break the world record for the most miles ever hiked in a year. In failing, he found his temporary limit—and, he hopes, a renewed version of himself.

New Hampshire is one of the only states in the nation that regularly makes hikers it deems negligent pay for their own rescue. Now, legislators are considering suspending their driver's licenses if they don't pay. It's a dangerous policy, our editor says.

Faced with risk and loss in the mountains, our writer grapples with what it means to lead a life well-lived.

Bro, I'm straight up not having a good time.

Regular hiking trips are the key to contentment, as one outdoor journalist discovers on a trip in his backyard.

After fatal accidents on the trail, there are always a handful of hikers ready to tear apart the victims' choices—or even suggest they deserved their fate. What would it take to get us to choose compassion?

Guidebook author Tami Asars hikes to write about it. Here's what she can teach us about hiking with intention, detail, and purpose.

Long-distance hikers love to reach towns and binge. I temporarily gave up the cycle, and maybe it changed my life.

Take a walk in another hiker’s boots in these insightful pieces.

The trail is for everyone, even—especially—those of us who always got picked last in gym class.

Burnout can affect participants of any sport—including hiking. Here’s how to identify, prevent, and cure hiking burnout.

The outdoors are powerful medicine—and the Refugee Women’s Network is helping displaced hikers get back to it.

Camping in winter will never be comfortable. Camping in winter will never be entirely safe. Sorry, we totally forgot where we were going with this.

After a decade in Seattle, I grew tired of the Cascades. After gaining a new perspective, I love them more than ever now.

"Nature is not a hobby to me, or even something I really think about. It’s simply part of who I am."

Backpacking’s changed a lot over the years. Is its heyday behind us, or is it yet to come?

Contrary to popular belief, wilderness is a made-up concept. Here’s why it could be harming our planet.

After some amazing interactions with polar bears, Alysa McCall of Polar Bears International decided to dedicate her career to conserving this animal and its ecosystem.

They offer rides, places to stay, food, and more, and never ask anything in return. But thru-hikers still owe a debt of gratitude to trail angels. Here are some ideas on how to repay it.

After a group of campers left one of the Appalachian Trail's most beautiful sites covered in trash, the Forest Service banned camping there. But did it go too far? One local argues for a course correction.

How hiking with my canine companion gave me a new perspective on adventures.

After finding her love for the trail, Welcome used hiking to process some of the most challenging moments of her life.

This trailblazing fire ecologist is making a difference in the world of hiking and land regeneration.

Can the East's small but rugged mountains unseat the Rockies' biggest peaks?

Jon Anderson overcame temporary snowblindness to complete the 2,650-mile journey from Mexico to Canada

Philip Carcia trekked nearly 2,000 miles over 90 days—all in his backyard mountain range.

Outfitters step up to provide career and financial stability for guides—from health insurance to 401ks to paid time off—as demand for outdoor experiences skyrocket.

Our soft-drink warriors both believe this sugary, caffeine-packed soda is the perfect refreshment after exercise or adventure. (Hmm. OK.) They disagree about flavors, and be warned: it might get loud.

Everyone has a Why. Our motivations are as varied as our backgrounds, and these passions are what powers adventures big and small.

The results, however hilarious, remind us how hikers destigmatize the body

Is a hiking resume complete without a long-distance thru-hike?

People keep falling into outdoor latrines while rescuing lost phones. Our editors list the belongings they would fish out of an outdoor crapper—and which ones they’d leave behind.

Backpacking by yourself unlocks a powerful wilderness experience. If you’re scared to solo, you’re on the right track.

Feel like you couldn’t possibly bare skin in the shape you’re in? All the more reason to try.

Some backpackers are just dedicated soloists. But as our writer discovered on her first big group trip, sometimes there's magic to hitting the trail with some new friends.

As someone who’s confronting his own age, I appreciate seeing an older guy hold it down. That’s why I’m cheering for 480 Otis this Fat Bear Week.

On Sunday night, British hiker Josh Perry decimated the trail’s long-standing self-supported records after chasing Timothy Olson’s 2021 time

Your thru-hike is supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. So why is your mind wandering to literally anywhere else?

Too many rocks? Not enough people? Illustrator Amber Share says bring it on.

Last week my house burned to the ground, and if that’s not bad enough, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder

Empowerment self defense classes focused on the outdoors are teaching women to feel safe in the wilderness.

When a massive flood wrecked the Yellowstone area—and derailed her backpacking plans—Maggie Slepian had to contend with the ways the changing climate is already affecting hiking's most storied spaces.

Paralyzed in a cycling accident, endurance athlete Jared Fenstermacher begins an Appalachian Trail comeback quest rolling, stepping, scooting, being carried, and crawling—but never giving up.

It's nice to have friends on the trail. But in the end, everyone there is chasing their own dream.

When hiking becomes cool, it loses something sacred.

It's been six months since the first NPS director in five years stepped into office facing $22 billion in deferred maintenance. This is what he's accomplished so far—and what's still coming.

From the Wonderland Trail to the Wave, many of the most spectacular places in the United States are only available to people willing to go through a permit lottery. For Maggie Slepian, it’s just not worth the hassle.

Each year, more families seem to earn attention by taking to long trails with small children. What are their motivations, and is it bad for the kids?

On a hike in New Mexico, an outdoor writer gets a new perspective on a trail and the legacy of the people who made it.

A hike in the author's native Washington state gives perspective on half a millennium of persecution, and a home worth fighting for.

Deaf people look for community on the trail, just like all backpackers. But some hearing hikers don’t know how—or don’t care enough—to bridge the gap.

Kathryn Miles’s new book, ‘Trailed,’ investigates the killings of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans in Shenandoah National Park 25 years ago—and asks difficult questions about safety in nature

Takeaways from a thoughtful life spent outdoors.

Backpackers often turn their noses up at the Havasu Falls and Horseshoe Bends of the world. But that’s elitist, and it ignores one important fact besides: these places are gorgeous.

An affidavit filed as part of an ongoing lawsuit has revealed that the treasure was apparently found in Yellowstone—and park officials are fighting to keep the exact location a secret

Most people who start a long trail won’t finish it. But when you’ve built your identity around perseverance, what does it mean to throw in the towel?

Watch as the Moon family talks about raising their daughter on the road

Watch as the Moon family sets out on a camping adventure in the all-new Toyota Tundra

A group of dedicated trail lovers are working to protect America’s favorite wilderness footpath from the hordes of people who walk it each year

Several hikes share a confession, and we're here to dole out penance—and advice.

We may not have iPhones or Tinder, but bears have plenty of ways of letting each other know what's up.

Looking for a furry friend? A tame bear is definitely not it.

Wasp spray: great for wasps, not so great for bears.

At age 8, I went to a junior ranger camp that did everything wrong. Ten years later, the lessons they taught me paid off.

Someone on the plane told me I could die in my new home of Kodiak, Alaska, home to one of the world's largest bear subspecies. Instead, I adapted.

These gaping glacier cracks are dramatic—and deadly. Here's how they form, plus three safe places to see crevasses up close.

Is quicksand as big of a threat as Hollywood tells us it is? Zion's chief park ranger gave us the truth (and tips on escaping quicksand...just in case).

Though microbursts are rare and usually fairly short-lived, these vertical hurricanes can cause extensive damage.

Hike into the epicenter of a cataclysmic explosion in New Mexico's Valles Caldera.

The science behind the sky's natural fireworks display–and how to see it.

To see how animals stay cool in a hot climate, just look up.