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WELCOME TO A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND–A DEFINITIVE rundown of the best backpacking spot in each state (plus two runners-up) based on a survey of BACKPACKER readers. Note that we say “readers,” plural, which means that our results are not one person’s opinion. The come instead from a host of folks who’ve been to these spots and deemed them worthy of being labeled “the best.”
So here’s a list of vacation options for the rest of your hiking life: 150 of the finest backcountry locales America has to offer. Now it’s just a matter of deciding whether to enjoy the wildflower-strewn highlands of Arkansas, or the cobbled shores of Lake Superior, or the cloud-piercing peaks of western Wyoming, or…
Just click on a state to view the best backpacking in that state.
Pick A State….AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming