Adventure Travel
Adventure is out there! Our writers have brought it here with outdoor stories from around the country, the continent and event the globe. Find the next great adventure with their help as your read their stories of mountain rescues, river madness and tales from the trail that you won’t soon forget.
Think All-Inclusive Resorts Are Just for Beach Getaways? Think Again.
Club Med’s first four-season resort in Canada just might be the summer vacation your family needs
Latest in Adventure Travel
10 Must-Do Winter Activities in Québec
Experience unique winter adventures in every region of the province
5 Regions to Experience Switzerland’s Alpine Flora
From stunning alpine routes to the environments where high-altitude herbs thrive, tap into the healing power of nature in the mountains of Switzerland
I Fell In Love With a Picture of Greenland. Seeing It in Person Blew My Mind.
In pictures, Greenland’s backcountry ski terrain looks spectacular. In person? It’s even better.
The West Coast Trail Is a Beautiful Hike With a Horrifying History
Canada’s most revered backpacking trail was born out of a ghastly misfortune
The Historic Trans Bhutan Trail is Now Open to Hikers
After decades of disrepair, the path reopened to adventurous trekkers.
Hike and Help in Nepal with Backpacker
Join us on a life-list Himalayan trek, and do good for others while enjoying one of the world’s dream trips
Explore the World’s Best Hikes With Backpacker
We're partnering with Modern Adventure to take you to the best trails anywhere, from Everest to Alaska to the French Alps.
The 7 Best Via Ferrata Routes in the US
Get the summits on these "iron ways", no climbing experience necessary.
Welcome to the Jungle: Hiking Panama’s Parque Internacional La Amistad
A hike through Panama’s Parque Internacional La Amistad highlights wonders, both of the natural world and within the hikers themselves.
Mt. Olympus: Hiking Up the Mountain of the Gods
After striking out on his first attempt, the author returns to Greece's most famous mountain determined to make the summit.
Here’s Why You Can't Beat Reno Tahoe in Winter
Whether you're after deep powder, dusty singletrack, lively après, or all of the above, the Biggest Little City in the World delivers.
Hiking and Helping in Nepal
Want to do some good on your next big trip? Join us in Nepal in spring 2022. On this special adventure, we'll volunteer on a post-pandemic recovery effort, then go on a life-list trek.
The 10 Most Memorable 10-Mile Hikes in North America
Ten trails. Ten unmatched miles each. Get maximum bang for each boot step on hikes that our most-traveled contributors call their all-time favorites.
At This Remote Park, You’ll Be the Only Hiker for Miles—If You’re Tough Enough to Handle It
Deep in the wilds of Northern British Columbia's Spatsizi Wilderness Provincial Park, our scout proves there’s no joy like misery.
The Leg-Busting Descent is Worth it on This Hike to an Argentine Glacier
Active Pass member Robin Mino takes the rocky route on the descent from Huemul Pass to Lake Viedma in Patagonia.
More Than a Ski Hill
Jackson Hole has world-class summer adventures waiting for every adventurer!
5 Ways to Make the Most of a Socially Distanced Costa Rican Vacation
Socially-distanced adventures that are so worth the wait.
Two Blind Veterans Tackle the Americas’ Highest Peak
"You get to feel nature under your feet.”
5 Off-the-Beaten-Path Bucket List Treks You’ll Remember Forever
Make memories without the crowds on five spectacular treks that aren’t household names.
How a New Website is Making Hiring a Guide Easier Than Ever
57Hours is a one-stop-shop for booking adventures with experts.
Go Hut to Hut on Glaciers in the Canadian Rockies
Looking for a family vacation no one will ever forget? Follow photographer Kennan Harvey's lead and take the kids on the Wapta Traverse, a tour of the best that a Rocky Mountain winter has to offer. He recounts the trip in his own words.
Search for Big Cats in the Jungles of Belize
Venture through the world’s oldest jaguar preserve to Victoria Peak in a vibrant Central American jungle.
Trekking the Edge of the World on Navarino Island
Navarino Island is remote and rugged, with unforgiving weather. But its beauty is revealed to those willing to battle the elements.
Go Hiking Underground in Chiapas, Mexico
Change your perception of canyoneering by doing it in a cave.
The Vampire Trail
Immerse yourself in ancient myths and one of the last refuges for Europe’s wolves on a hike through the Transylvanian Alps.
Trekking the Pyrenees in Aigüestortes i Estanyde Sant Maurici National Park, Catalonia
Explore the alpine for endless vistas, mountains galore, and a touch of class.
Hike the Medieval Villages of Catalonia
Trek through villages that still have one foot in the past
Catalonia's Caves Are a Window Into the Past
Step inside a medieval cave dwelling and step back into history.
Float a Swedish River on a Huck-Finn-Style Log Raft
A trip down the Klarälven River is a journey back in time.
Go Trekking With BACKPACKER
We've partnered with three great organizations to help you see the world, from Utah to Nepal.
Search for Elephants (and Do Some Good) in Aberdare National Park, Kenya
They don’t call it Elephant Hill for nothing. Tackle a rugged, 11-mile day hike with some of East Africa’s most iconic fauna (if you’re lucky) and support clean water projects in the Kenyan mountains.
New Zealand’s Newest Great Walk Is Open for Registration
Sweeping ridgetop views and dense coastal rainforest put the 34-mile Paparoa Track in good standing among New Zealand’s Great Walks
See a Magical Crater Lake—and an Active Volcano—on Mt. Rinjani in Indonesia
Get up close and personal with a force of nature.
BACKPACKER's 5 Favorite Hikes of 2018
From Catalonia to California, our staff picks their top trails of the year.
6 International Adventures You Need to Have in 2019
From Canada to Peru to New Zealand, our writers have been to some wild places. Put these on your wish list for next year.
Hike a Forgotten Incan Refuge in Peru
Trek deep into the heart of the mountains to find an ancient city.
British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest is a Remote Wonderland
On Canada's west coast, countless animals—and the occasional kayaker—thrive.
The Hardest Trek in the Himalayas
The Great Himalaya Trail combines hiking and mountaineering to reach some of the country's most remote regions. The beauty is real—but so is the danger.
3 Incredible Adventures on New Zealand's North Island
Let the crowds have the South Island. We found a paddling, trekking, climbing paradise on New Zealand’s North Island, where the adventure density means you can do three life-list trips in a week.
Embrace the Invisible: Climbing New Zealand's Mt. Taranaki
Rise through rainforest to come face to face with a Maori god.
Crossing Guard: Hiking New Zealand's Egmont National Park
Score the North Island’s best scenery per mile on the Pouakai Crossing.
River of Life: A Canoe Trip Down New Zealand's Whanganui
Paddle a wilderness waterway with a soul.
12 Big Adventures to Plan for Next Year
From trekking in Nepal to hiking Peru, start planning one of these bucket-list trips right now.
Climbing Italy's Alta Via 4
On a via ferrata, a new mom finds strength in the Dolomites' vertical terrain.
The New Life List: 9 Adventures to Check Off
Trek Patagonia, see a grizzly, or hike the Grand Canyon in a single day: The choice is yours.
How to Go Hiking Abroad
Backpacking abroad doesn't need to be intimidating. Plan, prep, and go on your next international adventure with confidence using our handy guide.
The 5 Best Baja Trips for Backpackers
Click your way through our adventure guide to Baja California, Mexico.
Hike Jamaican History in the Blue Mountains
Go deep in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park to find the heart of the country’s fight for freedom
15 Reasons Mountains Are the Coolest
And why you should keep hiking them
Hike With Elephants and Lions in Kenya
Venture into the bush to see Africa’s wildlife the wild way.
Explore the High-Altitude Lakes of the Peruvian Andes
Peru’s Cordillera Blanca contains more than 880 alpine tarns, but one stands out among the rest.
See Bioluminescence
With a bit of luck, you can see nature’s most electric light show.
Hiking Middle Eastern History on the New Jordan Trail
Star-shot skies over vast deserts, fertile valleys, and a footpath that follows some of humanity’s oldest trade routes: The new, 400-mile Jordan Trail offers a month-long immersion in the Middle East.
Exploring New Zealand's Deserted Dusky Track
Can there be too much of a good thing? For backpackers who like a challenge as big as the reward, New Zealand’s Dusky Track tests the limits.
British Columbia's Spearhead Traverse: The Best Worst Ski Trip Ever
On a four-day traverse through the spectacularly glaciated Coast Mountains, the BACKPACKER team learns—and embraces—the four steps of overcoming adversity.
A Perfect First Hike in the Alps
The only thing better than experiencing some of Italy and Switzerland's finest scenery—and huts—on the Tour de Monte Rosa? Taking first-timers with you on one of the best beginner hikes in the Alps.
Everything You Know About Hiking in Colombia is Wrong
After decades of conflict, it’s finally the right time to backpack in the Colombian Andes.
Hiking the Other John Muir Trail in Scotland
Hike the wild terrain that shaped America’s patron saint of wilderness.
Torres del Paine: Trek Your Bucket List
Trek to the bottom of South America, where sawtoothed mountains and bright-blue glaciers collide with the Southern Ocean.
Camp on an Active Volcano
Venture to the Ring of Fire to see geology at work on Nicaragua's Volcán Telica.
Ask a Thru-Hiker: Hiking Around the World
Travel the world or go for a long walk? You don't have to choose.
A Challenge for PCT Hikers: Take Your Time in Oregon
Oregon harbors some of the greatest gems on the Pacific Crest Trail—but you’ll never know it if you don’t take your time.
The Best Weekend on the PCT: Old Snowy to White Pass, Washington
Only have a few days? Sample the best of the Pacific Crest Trail on this bite-size trip.
Could an Alaskan Oil Pipeline Become America's Next Great Long Trail?
The Trans-Alaska Trail would be America’s wildest path—if a determined group of Alaskans can make it happen.
Advice From a Hiker Who Finished the Pacific Crest Trail
We sent Amanda “Zuul” Jameson to the PCT to share what it’s really like to live the life of an end-to-ender.
How Three Thru-Hikers Helped Clean Up America's Long Trails
The Packing It Out crew hauled thousands of pounds of trash off the AT and PCT over the last two years. If we all followed their lead, perhaps there’d be nothing left to pick up.
Go Backpacking in Africa's Alpine Zone
In Ethiopia, the Bale Mountains’ glacier-carved plateaus and canyons teem with rare wildlife.
Sponsor Content: 5 Top Hikes to Discover Revelstoke's Alpine Beauty
Surrounded by mountain ranges, this Canadian mountain town packs a punch with beautiful hikes that you have to see to believe
Ice Biking: Adventure's (Questionable) New Frontier
Is ice-bikepacking the cutting edge of adventure? Probably not. But being first is always worth the effort.
Hike It: Washington, D.C. – Area Trails
Backcountry bliss is closer to the Beltway than you might expect. [Sponsored]
Turkey's Lycian Way Trek in 14 Spectacular Photos
This fall, our editors took an 8-day journey along Turkey's Lycian Way trail. Here's the hikers' paradise they discovered.
Bethany Hughes to Trek From Argentina to Alaska
Plans to make 20,000-mile trip in five years
Scotland's Premier Route
Wander the famed Scottish Highlands by day and enjoy refined, trailside B&Bs by night on the West Highland Way in the British Isles.
Celebrating the Art of Adventure
Our planet is an amazing place. These incredible photos, excerpted from the book "The Art of Adventure," celebrate all kinds of ways to enjoy it.
La Cloche Silhouette, Ontario
Take an up-and-down tour of Ontario's lake district.
Hike Peru's Mountainous Alto Route
Machu Picchu + mountains = Peru's most gorgeous alpine route.
The Other Machu Picchu
Solitude lovers, rejoice: Peru's Choquequirao Trek offers all the Incan wonders of Machu Picchu with none of the crowds.
Spatsizi: Canadian For "So Good, It Hurts"
Deep in the wilds of Northern British Columbia's Spatsizi Wilderness Provincial Park, our scout proves there’s no joy like misery.