Stories

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.

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.

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

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.

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?