A retired Bureau of Land Management employee may well be the most-published outdoor photographer working today, with his jaw-dropping landscapes showing up everywhere from the New York Times to Patagonia ads. The kicker? Photography wasn’t even in his job description.
In the ’70s, Ray Jardine changed rock climbing forever when he invented Friends. In the ’90s, he teamed up with his wife Jenny to do the same for backpacking, kickstarting the ultralight movement with their innovative gear designs. In a rare interview, they explain why they left the industry they helped create.
A friend to the thousands of hikers he fed, the late Ed Faubert helped Cheryl Strayed during the journey she chronicled in "Wild," and earned a place in PCT history along the way.
After spending her infant years ascending New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks in a carrier, Lydia Pearson recently accomplished the challenge on her own two feet—summiting all 48 of them
Renee Pelletier had never backpacked before deciding to embark on Spain's most famous trek. Along the way, she found strength and community.
You've probably seen a video of Nelson Holland on your Instagram or TikTok feed. Here's how he went from a New Yorker with little outdoors experience to a Colorado hiking fanatic.
When Laura Van Antwerp stepped on a trail, she found a way to maintain the sobriety she had been fighting for. Now, through her organization Your Sober Pal, she's trying to bring that transformative outdoor experience to people who might not otherwise have had it.
And Alfredo Aliaga is already planning his return to come back and do it again next year.
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.
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.
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.
We posed your top questions to our resident outdoor nudist funhog
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.
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.
Completing a winter journey on the Appalachian Trail convinced the fun-loving thru-hiker that he can accomplish whatever he dreams up
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.
Jon Anderson overcame temporary snowblindness to complete the 2,650-mile journey from Mexico to Canada
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.
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
On Sunday night, British hiker Josh Perry decimated the trail’s long-standing self-supported records after chasing Timothy Olson’s 2021 time
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
The hiking community has long praised Earl Shaffer for being the first person to complete the iconic trail in a single push. But one man wants us to take a closer look at Shaffer’s claims.
The hiking community has long praised Earl Shaffer for being the first person to complete the iconic trail in a single push. But one man wants us to take a closer look at Shaffer’s claims.
In 2015, while crewing for her husband, Scott’s, successful Appalachian Trail speed record, Jenny Jurek began healing from the grief of two traumatic miscarriages. In 2021, she returned to the trail with their two young children in tow.
Without a healthy world, there's no backpacking. These 11 backpackers and advocates are fighting for a better Earth.
When Edgar McGregor decided to clean up Eaton Canyon, he started a quest that spanned 2 years and thousands of pounds of trash.
Hiking is for everyone, not just the kind of people you're used to seeing in magazines. See the trail from a different perspective with these 8 fantastic Instagram creators.
Nearly 1,000 young women make up the groundbreaking new class from the BSA.
A program called Goat Walkabouts pairs hikers with “healing herds”of retired yoga goats to help treat trauma in the Rockies.
For this 28-year-old Minnesotan, life on a long path is a series of snowy 20-mile days with a borrowed husky. What will life after it look like?
The 72-year-old activist, who passed away last month, used mining claims, scenic flights, hiking trails, and occasionally outright confrontation to protect the Opal Creek Wilderness.
The founder of HBCUs Outside is using gear libraries and hiking meetups to tear down barriers in the outdoor industry.
After a cross-country road trip, Earl Hunter Jr. made it his business to break down racial lines in the outdoors.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
More than a decade after seeing his first peak, adventurer Tyrhee Moore gives back.
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.
Eva Luna Harper-Zahn kicked off her alpinism career with the Lower 48’s highest peak.
Nearly four decades after wowing a generation of hikers with his original boot, Randy Merrell went back to the workshop to release a modern version.
Because of her gender, no trekking agency in Ladakh would give Thinlas Chorol a chance. So she decided to create her own.
"The healing is going to start with the women. In indigenous culture, women are a huge part, and it’s got to start with us out on the land."
These explorers’ exploits go beyond just summiting a mountain: They're using the outdoors to preserve Native culture, protect the environment, and more.
They go above and beyond for the love of the trail. Now, BACKPACKER is shining the spotlight on them. Tell us who we should feature next.
This duo melds their passion for music and the outdoors by bringing their instruments into the backcountry.
A childhood Outward Bound trip inspired Perry Cohen to create one of America’s first queer and transgender guiding services. Now, he wants to change the outdoor industry.
Can a trail-loving conservative use public land to bridge the partisan divide? M. John Fayhee joins Representative Martha McSally on the Arizona Trail to find out.