Long Trail

Dreaming of a truly long hike someday? Don't limit yourself to the famous options like the Appalachian Trail. Take this quick quiz to find out which trek is really right for you.

You’ve heard of the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails. Now add one of these ambitious hikes to your bucket list.

Long distance hiking is awesome, but becoming a thru-hiker can have some…side effects.

I leave the Pacific Crest Trail for the Donner Pass Tunnel hike.

New stretch opens in Bear Mountain State Park

Start planning and training for next year’s long trail now.

Network to announce winner on December 6

Our PCTfield scout and his buddies enjoy Washington's Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

Our PCT field scout meets his trail family.

Our scout heads out on the PCT.

Our field scout is about to embark on a yearlong journey of a lifetime.

Rowdy hikers and an ultrarunner's clash with park rangers have officials threatening to move the northern terminus of America's most famous trail.

Our correspondent endures hail and treks through Yosemite on the latest leg of her hike.

Our correspondent battles bugs as she continues her trek

Take a breather from hiking the Presidentials and take in New Hampshire's White Mountains from a whole new perspective.

The ATC predicts an increasing number of hikers will hit the trail after the movie "A Walk in the Woods" premieres, and they're shoring up their defenses.

Some highlights from my time on the trail in the high Sierra.

It's not all hiking in glory on the PCT.

Tyler Fox, the creator of "The Pacific Crest Trail in Three Minutes," tells BACKPACKER about the video, its success, and his next adventure.

I climb Mount Whitney off the PCT.

The vegan ultra-runner completed the 2,189.2-mile Appalachian Trail in just 46 days, 8 hours, and 7 minutes, beating the previous record by 3 hours.

Fire in southwest Washington closes 13 miles of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail. Divide Camp Trail provides a detour for thru-hikers.

It's the day every PCT hiker waits for: we finally arrive at Kennedy Meadows, the gateway to the Sierras.

I am no endurance athlete, but the Pacific Crest Trail allowed me 30 sweet miles in a day.

The Pacific Crest Trail wants to test my sleeping bag's rating. Spoiler: it failed.

Finally getting trail legs on the Pacific Crest Trail.

The Pacific Crest Trail drums up a wicked four-day storm.

After more than 100 years, a new 224-foot suspension finally spans a longtime gap in Vermont’s Long Trail.

Register for our 24-hour thru-hike AT in a Day on August 20, 2016 and be part of something huge.

For long-haul hikers, time has a way of putting things into perspective.

For almost two decades, Donna Saufley opened her home to PCT thru-hikers at the legendary "Hiker Heaven." But was this trail angel a victim of her own success?

Answers to your AT in a Day FAQs

We've got your picks for the best after work, day-long, and overnight trips near Beantown, including the White Mountains, Blue Hills, and more.

The first 60 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail aren't what I imagined.

Our contributor makes the tough decision to step off the Appalachian Trail.

Everything needed for five and a half months on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Climb the peak with the infamous moniker "Home of the World's Weather" in winter.

Our contributor checks off the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail—69.6 miles in.

If this trail wasn’t already on your bucket list, we guarantee it will be now.

What everyone asks about the Pacific Crest Trail, and what I want to know.

Our contributor compiles gear for a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Our contributor prepares to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.

People expected less of me on the Appalachian Trail because I was a woman.

Thinking about thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, or other long-haul route? Don't miss these tips for lady backpackers from a Colorado Trail thru-hiker.

Hike to the best views in the Ansel Adams Wilderness.

See colorful wildflowers and big views on the Appalachian Trail.

Summit nine peaks and graze on trailside blueberries in Maine.

Circle the Rockies on this high-alpine route.

Get this on your life list: It's the #1 trail our readers think every hiker should do.

Tag Mount Whitney, the Lower 48's highest peak, during this 42-mile trek into Sequoia National Park where there's more acreage of wilderness than you'll know what to do with.

In this 86-mile section, hike through Kings Canyon National Park into a series of JMT favorites.

Climb through a rejuvenating burn zone and a cinder cone-strewn hillside at the front end of this 32-mile stretch on the JMT

Get the story behind the Appalachian Trail in Bear Mountain State Park, New York—and how to see it yourself.

Get the story behind the Kendall Katwalk, Pacific Crest Trail, Washington—and how to see it yourself.

One woman's journey to the brink of what's possible on the Pacific Crest Trail.

A new land acquisition would allow the trail to ditch the Mojave and add more mountains.

This thru-hiker's video zooms through some of the highlights.

An incredible journey and an incredible beard too.

This 14-mile shuttle hike winds tranquil wooded slopes to five peaks over 3,400 feet in a remote section of the Catskills. Off-trail experience and navigation skills required.

Most of this easy 7-mile hike passes under a tree-shaded ridgeline that insulates dayhikers from the outside world.

This steep 7.8-mile hike climbs through deep forest and alpine tundra to the summit of one of New Hampshire's famed Presidentials for views as far as Maine.

Wander through white pine, Eastern hemlock, and mountain laurel to the summit of Mt. Minsi on this 4.2-mile out-and-back sprinkled with lovely mountain overlooks.

Climb past cascading waterfalls, alongside rocky ledges, and over three exposed summits on this 7.8-mile loop, which offers some of the best views in the White Mountains.

This 7.3-mile loop hike takes you up a steep, rocky trail to an exposed, treeless summit that's the southwesternmost high peak in the White Mountains, and one of the prettiest.

Navigate the long, gorgeous valley of Bishop Creek's Middle Fork to alpine lakes beneath spectacular Sierra Crest peaks. Leave early for this arduous 17-mile hike.

Paddle this 11.5-mile loop through open bays and protected salt marshes to beaches with giant sand dunes and historic buildings from the late 1700s.

This aggressive 20.2-mile loop snakes past canyon walls and up aggressive ridgelines to stellar views of the Laguna Mountains and beyond.

Paddle to sandy sanctuaries, explore an old fort, and camp on the Boston Harbor Islands on this scenic 9.7-mile out-and-back to Peddocks Island.

This rigorous but rewarding 9.8-mile out-and-back on the Pacific Crest Trail climbs more than 2,000 feet to a summit with splendid high-desert views.

This 12-mile loop in Slide Mountain Wilderness connects popular trails with a rough route to secluded campsites and trail-less peaks near the headwaters of the Neversink River.

This 12.1-mile loop skirts five reservoirs, cuts through forests of oak, hemlock, and birch, and gains 2,600 feet of elevation in 2,060-acre Middlesex Fells Reservation.

Hike 4.6 miles up the quieter, less-traveled west side on one of the mountain's oldest trails, alternating between forested scrambles, old streambeds, and exposed rock ledges.

On this 6-mile loop in Blue Hills Reservation, you'll see dense hardwoods, meadows, ponds, glacial leftovers, rocky hills, and sweeping views of Boston.

Moose tracks outnumber boot tracks on this secluded 8.4-mile loop through rolling farmland to a wooded New England pond.

Tackle a section of America's first National Scenic Trail on this 15.8-mile out-and-back overnight near Lake Tiorati in Harriman State Park.

This 5.8-mile loop takes you through a 400-year-old forest to summit the highest Bay State peak east of the Berkshires.

A massive oak, a sprawling wetland, an atomic lake-this classic weekend trip packs it all into a 19.2-mile out-and-back on the Appalachian Trail. Bonus: Save the Earth by taking the train to the trailhead.

This gentle 4.8-mile climb strings through the thick woods of Pawtuckaway State Park to a fire tower lookout with four-star mountaintop views.

HIKERTOWN to TEHACHAPI/WILLOW SPRINGS ROAD: This one isn't for tender-footed hikers. Best saved for springtime, it's a hot run for 37 miles across the Mojave Desert peppered with iconic Joshua trees.

LAGUNA MEADOW to CA 78: Starting on the Laguna Rim, this 25.7-mile leg passes over granite knobs with long views into the undulating desert.