Adventure Travel

Hit four technical summits in the birthplace of North American mountaineering.

Link two gorgeous cabins by scrambling through craggy alpine country.

Routefind across precipitous ridges to an ice-filled lake.

Empty of people, that is. Because the 3,000 miles of wilderness that stretch from Newfoundland's fjordlike coastal cliffs to British Columbia's rainforest and skyscraping peaks are brimming with every type of mountain, water, and wildlife adventure a card-carrying backpacker could want—crowds not included. Our Rocky Mountain Field Editor spent two months exploring places we've never covered to assemble our most extensive guide to Canadian backcountry yet.

Forget immunizations, visas, phrase books, and 12-hour flights. For an epic international adventure, just head north. Canada's cred? The world's longest coastline, 10 major mountain chains, more lakes than any other country, and five Alaskas worth of world-class wilderness.We've scouted eight challenging trips in four provinces, all easy to reach and close enough to major American cities that you won't blow your budget just getting there. Or going back for more.

More than 150 of you entered our contest to become a BACKPACKER field scout. Meet the winners.

Find caribou, moose, and bald eagles on a hut-to-hut trek in an undiscovered park.

Think there's nothing wild left in the Lower 48? Don't tell the grizzlies on this traverse of the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

Watch your step on Utah' Highline Trail. The nonstop views and rampant wildlife are distractingly spectacular. Plus: Gaze away on 9 more elevated hikes.

Think you're a tough guy (or gal)? Take our five-week challenge and enter our video contest for a chance to prove it.

If you plan to hit more than one national park in a year, consider this national parks pass.

Going the distance? Use these tips to ease big-mile trips.

BACKPACKER editor Jonathan Dorn's photos and memories of a six-day desert adventure race in Abu Dhabi

Follow the editors as they test gear on Norway's Folgefonna Glacier.

Traverse a Glacier: On Norway's west coast, ancient ice scapes offer an otherworldly adventure.

Rise from the desert floor to an airy, see-all perch.

Sherpa's big year also includes an limited edition Suunto watch to benefit his foundation.

Tackle Vancouver Island’s wild coast.

BACKPACKER's Life List: The International Edition is a free guide to the 20 best international hikes ever written about in the pages of Backpacker.

The best hikes near Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The best hikes near Columbus, OH.

The best hikes near Austin, TX.

The best hikes near Milwaukee.

The best hikes near Chicago.

The best local hikes near St. Louis.

The best hikes near Dallas, TX.

The best hikes near Roanoke, VA.

The best hikes near Asheville, NC.

The best hikes near Atlanta, GA.

The best hikes near Richmond, VA.

The best hikes near Charlotte, NC.

The best hikes near Tallahassee, FL.

The best hikes near Nashville, TN.

The best hikes near Washington, DC.

The best hikes near Seattle, WA.

The best hikes near Bozeman, MT.

The best hikes near Laramie, WY.

The best hikes near Salt Lake City, UT.

The best hikes near Albuquerque, NM.

The best hikes near Aspen, CO.

The best hikes near Flagstaff, AZ.

The best hikes near Phoenix, AZ.

The best hikes near Moab, Utah.

The best hikes near Grand Junction, CO.

The best hikes near Denver/Boulder.

The best local hikes near Santa Barbara/Ventura.

The best hikes near San Francisco.

The best hikes near Las Vegas.

The best hikes near San Diego.

The best local hikes near Sacramento.

The best local hikes in LA.

The best hikes in the Midwest, as recommended by the region's best hiking clubs.

The best hikes in Northwest, as suggested by the best local hiking clubs.

The best hikes, as recommended by the best hiking clubs in the Northeast.

The best local hikes in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana.

The best hikes within two hours of California's major cities.

Pass between waterfalls and mossy boulders for this long, gentle slide.

Traverse the eastern flanks of the most active volcano in the Cascades on this 11.3-mile (round-trip) dayhike in Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. You'll encounter tufts of vibrant wildflowers and postcard views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams.

Experience the rugged side of Yellowstone on this two-day, 23.1-mile backpack. You'll track past steaming creeks and old-growth lodgepole on the way to a campsite near Heart Lake's rocky shoreline. On day two, rise early for the 2,800-foot climb to Mt. Sheridan's 10,308-foot crown.

Circumnavigate a 425-foot-tall pink granite monolith on this 4.9-miler, which crosses a sandy creek and cruises classic Texas Hill Country west of Austin. Spur trails to Moss Lake (backcountry campsites available) and the summit are short and worthwhile.

Pack a camera for this lollipop loop to one of the best mountain views in the park: a sit-awhile panorama, atop a 5,565-foot knob with thousand foot drop-offs on three sides, that stretches from Mt. LeConte to the jagged peaks of the Sawteeth Range.

Free Print & Go PDFs give you turn-by-turn trail instructions and photos embedded on a usable topo map. Also: Gear checklists, driving directions, and geo-references for finding the nearest campground, restaurant, gas station, and grocery store.

What makes a backpacker a backpacker? It's not the garage full of gear or piles of guidebooks--it's the experiences, from thru-hiking a long trail to pushing your personal envelope to inspiring a child's love of wilderness. Here we present BACKPACKER's ne

Experience the thrill of being a pioneer: Trek to a remote corner of the globe.

The roof of the world is open to everyone, and your personal Mt. Everest is waiting.

Need instant inspiration? Download these BACKPACKER destination photos–Switzerland, Grand Canyon, & John Muir Wilderness–and get lost.

Use our guide to make your Wales hiking adventure a reality.

Cross a sprawling preserve of broad mountains, lonely ridgelines, and lush river valleys.

Follow a long-distance trail along the once-violent, now-bucolic border between England and Wales.

The highest peak. The wildest ridges. The largest lake. Find them all in Wales's alpine heart.

Tiptoe along oceanside bluffs with views across the Irish Sea.

Join The Alarm, Squeeze, Gin Blossoms, The Fix, and Stay Cats at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in the name of the Love, Hope, Strength Foundation. Photos by Owen Fegan.

Blind climber Erik Weihenmayer has a new hobby: photography.

Don't be fooled by the cozy pubs and low elevations. The birthplace of mountaineering overflows with challenges, from rugged peaks to history-laden coastal treks.

Devour the world's best scenery, chocolate, and cheese on the Via Alpina.

Hug the coastline in these Michigan, California, and British Columbia hikes.

Hike Canada's Pacific Coast harbor on this British Columbia trail.

Turn-by-turn beta for highlights on its best 10 miles.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

In November 2009, blind climber Erik Weihenmayer traveled to Mexico and climbed the volcano Iztaccihuatl with a group of blind children.