Stories

Is natural beauty always in the eye of the beholder?

With travel plans cancelled due to COVID, one hiker makes the most of staying close to home.

In a remote corner of Montana, backpackers and wildlife advocates clash over the future of a bear population hanging on for dear life.

When companies don't offer plus sizes, that sends a message about who is and isn't welcome in the outdoors.

With races around the country canceled, an unprecedented number of ultrarunners are testing themselves on the trail.

The Western U.S. is rife with forests and deserts that you can't visit. A new law could fix that—if we're willing to fight for it.

After 18 years of backpacking, boating, and skiing, a mother and son confront letting go.

When you’ve stepped onto a long trail, you never really leave it.

As she nears the end of her journey on the Colorado Trail, our writer reflects on some of the people she’s met along the way.

A chance encounter with a group of friends on an annual, women-only backpacking trip leaves our Colorado Trail correspondent reflecting on how her own life changed her attitude towards the trail.

What do hiking the Colorado Trail and childbirth have in common? Sometimes, you just need to trust your body to get you through it.

After a series of mistakes left her dehydrated on the Colorado Trail, our writer learned that making it on a long trail is about more than guts or skill.

Hiking a long path is hard. As Patricia Cameron discovered while getting ready for the Colorado Trail, doing it in the era of COVID-19 adds a whole new level of difficulty to the process.

There are a lot of good reasons to fight racism. Let’s add one more: We can’t protect the climate without ending it.

Yes, apple cores and banana peels are "biodegradable." But tossing them into the woods isn't just gross, it's bad for wildlife too.

After a cross-country road trip, Earl Hunter Jr. made it his business to break down racial lines in the outdoors.

We can do better for the environment.

Supportive social media posts are a start. But as the country protests yet another Black man’s murder, the outdoor industry has to take a stronger position against structural racism.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, hundreds of long-distance hikers paused their trips on the Appalachian Trail and headed home. Now, as states begin the process of reopening, the wisdom of getting back on the path is up for debate.

From favorite shirt to lifelong companion.

Three scientists chronicle life, death, and the last stand of the Grizzly Glacier.

Travel postponed? Live vicariously through these adventurous sagas instead.

Kermode bears, British Columbia's famous white bears, may be in decline as salmon populations drop. What do we lose if one of the world’s most striking animals disappears?

This week, we're paying homage to our favorite backcountry fauna with bear science, safety, and advice. Dive in and get to know the original masters of staying at home.

A globetrotter reflects on a place that stopped him in his tracks.

It’s tough to pick our favorite place in New Zealand, but this stretch of coast is all-time.

Some love affairs aren't meant to last. But that just makes them sweeter.

Sometimes, your search for adventure leads you to your own backyard.

A trekking trip becomes a pilgrimage for one mountain lover.

From childhood trips to sailing voyages, this wave-licked chunk of sandstone has never lost its magic for me.

See the divine written in sand.

Hike the desert or sail the Indian Ocean with these great (but sometimes cringe-inducing) flicks.

With even local trails getting clogged, our editor has some advice for you that he hoped he’d never have to give.

This Appalachian Trail thru-hiker (2010) balances luxe and light on her long-distance jaunts around the East.

This Californian ultralighter knows her way around her home state—and is no stranger to big-name trips across the country.

Get away from it all with this live nature cam.

Goodbye, spring, summer, fall, and winter. Backpackers need new seasons that help us understand what actually matters: daylight.

Akuna's path to the Triple Crown led through battles with PTSD, a failed attempt on the PCT—and a few life-changing friendships.

Whether it's a relationship or a round-the-world trip, sometimes plans fall apart. If you're Reptar, you just pack your bags and roll with it.

She came to the US to hike the best long trails it had to offer. Now, the first known Mexican national to finish the Triple Crown wants to bring the thru-hiking experience back home.

Heading out on one of these hikes? Keep an eye on the forecast.

Be careful of the local fauna on these six spectacular but hazardous hikes.

You'd better not be afraid of heights if you're going to tackle one of these airy trails.

The scenery here is awesome—but it can be deadly, too.

The Outdoor Advocacy Project wants to give every hiker the tools to advocate for the environment—and today, on the last day of the US outdoor industry's biggest trade show, it's hitting the streets.

Thru-hikes are transformative experiences. Here, five long trail alums share the wisdom of those miles.

Online bullying isn’t going to make our public lands better, says writer Morgan Sjogren.

These ten point-to-point treks pack the payoffs of a thru-hike, but they're hikeable in a week.

Nearly a century ago, Peter Parsons made long trail history before there were long trails.

When CDT thru-hiker Cionnaith "Lucky" O'Dubhaigh stopped to resupply in Lake City, Colorado, he was just looking for a short rest. Instead, he stayed and turned his new home into one of the best trail towns in the country.

From a father-daughter journey on the PCT to a man's love affair with a California mountain, these were the stories that moved us this year.

A would-be thru-hiker hit the trail to change her life. She knew about the natural hazards. It was the human threat she never saw coming.

In Mexico’s Copper Canyon, LifeStraw’s give-back program delivers water purifiers to schools in need.

Fueled by a passion for wilderness and a genius for robotics, Natalie Panek is taking Leave No Trace to where it’s never been before—outer space.

Not sure what kind of adventure lies ahead? Pick a pack that lets you do anything.

We do need to prioritize the parks, but not among each other, writes former National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis.

From a hermit’s three-decade sojourn in the wilderness to a geographer’s dive into the racial history of the outdoors, these titles bring a new perspective to the adventure canon.

National Parks may be America’s best idea, but we’ve created more preserves than we can take care of. It’s time to rightsize the system.

Need a boost up the mountain? Your pooch has stoke to spare.

Catalans are famously good hosts. I'll drink to that.

Will “Akuna” Robinson is an Iraq veteran, a thru-hiker, and now, one of the few African-American backpackers to complete the country’s three most famous long trails.

An accidental litterer receives their penance in this edition of Leave No Trace Confessional.

More than a decade after seeing his first peak, adventurer Tyrhee Moore gives back.

Hunters fund conservation through taxes and tag fees. As their numbers decline, it’s time for hikers to step up.

If there was a championship of local hiking, New Hampshire native JR Stockwell would be a lock for first place—except he never tells anyone about his singular adventures in the White Mountains.

When a father-daughter team tackles the Pacific Crest Trail over the course of seven summers, they learn something about long-distance hiking—and each other.

Use some elbow grease to give back to the land you love.

I wasn't ready for an emergency—but my gear was.

An obscure peak in the High Sierra preserves the legacy of a beloved ranger and beckons more to its granite summit.

Frumkin’s the kind of artist who shouts “Stop the car! I need to paint!”

For two decades, Rick Sanger worked as a backcountry ranger in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. When it ended, it took his sense of meaning with it.

Check out BACKPACKER Editors & Contributors's author page.

What some might consider to be a disastrous backpacking trip shaped Rubio’s art career—for the better.

Dietel was told she’d never walk again after she broke her spine in a hiking accident. She proved the doctors wrong and forever changed her path as an artist.

As a self-described map nerd, Warren lives for looking at topography and landscapes as blank canvases for both art and exploration.

Ryan, Rebecca, and Skyla Means's quest for solitude turns into a decade-long effort to visit the most remote location in every state—and learn if true quiet still exists.

Meyers fell in love with thru-hiking after discovering Vermont’s Long Trail. Over 9,000 miles later, she still can’t stop.

Turn off the light for a trek you'll never forget.

I've never triggered my personal locator beacon. But I'm going to keep carrying it all the same.

As she thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, Nisbett grew to love long stretches of hiking through green tunnels.