Adventure Travel

Lose yourself in Europe's last great wilderness.

Explore a hiker's fantasy island on Tasmania's rough-and-wild long trail.

See the Andes the way Cortez did–totally wild.

Discover the best of Kiwi wilderness–north and south–with these two hikes.

Score classic Alps scenery, adventure, and hut culture without the classic crowds.

Spain's little-known Valencia region beckons the mountain-minded adventurer with dramatic topography, sun-drenched hiking and biking, and sumptuous end-of-day feasts.

It takes a certain kind of trail to earn such a lofty title. But our top 10 deliver unrivaled scenery, challenge, local culture, and most of all–fun.

Circumnavigate Europe's most iconic peak.

Walk the World's Highest Trail.

In this interview the founder of adventure travel dishes on his favorite wild places, oddest encounters, and the world's next great trekking destinations.

As prosperity spreads across China, so does a passion for the outdoors. But can millions of new trekkers save Asia's vast wilderness from the march of development? Welcome to the world's next hiking frontier. PLUS, check out China's Top Treks.

Stand on the roof of Africa.

Marvel at Middle Earth on this 33-mile, four-day Milford Track.

Brave the Old World's newest and wildest long-distance route.

Bound for one of the globe's most exotic locales? Thrive in any environment with these tips.

Verse yourself in proper cultural etiquette to avoid being just another rude tourist (hint: keep your hands to yourself).

Tackle everything from jet lag to malaria (and those pesky mosquitoes) with our guide to staying healthy abroad.

Hike locals-only trails in Europe's other Alps. This 500-mile track combines rugged hiking by day with luxe living by night

We've traveled to 10 countries and uncovered the best adventures you never knew existed.

Trek across the roof of the Andes, mix in some trail riding–on bike and horseback–and climb a 19,000-foot volcano.

Hike to South America's acropolis.

See azure seas from rocky peaks.

Traverse the unknown end of the Alps–by trail, canyon, and cliff face–on this demanding journey in and around Triglav National Park.

The Sarawak Chamber at Gunung Mulu National Park in Malaysia has over 186 miles of caves.

Think the Empire State Building is tall? Try this waterfall on for size.

The white, fluffy, subzero-temperature-loving polar bear is the world's largest ursine.

You better stand back if this Sicilian island volcano starts to spurt.

From jaguars to river dolphins, Amazonian animals are diverse.

There is a reason the native's call it Sagarmatha, meaning "head of the sky."

Trekker-friendly glacier is largest in the Alps.

If your going to Chile's Atacama Desert, don't forget the sunscreen.

Trek through the earth's wildest mountain range.

Nepal's Annapurna Circuit doesn’t offer lavish huts, extreme solitude, or sumptuous cuisine. So why is it still number one? Let us count the reasons.

Hike, paddle, and swim narrow canyons before running class IV rapids on an inflatable boogie board.

Walk, bike, and raft between a string of glaciated peaks; then ladder-climb 2,500 feet up a sheer rock face.

Join the Backpacker Editors on a rip-roaring tour of Wales for the 2009 Editors' Choice Awards. Hit the mountains and the coast and learn what it takes to be an Editors' Choice Award winner.

Follow editor Shannon Davis and his wife Emily as they trek the first half of the legendary Annapurna Circuit for their honeymoon.

Backpacker.com editor Anthony Cerretani leaves the trail behind to sail the western Scottish isles in this video and photo feature.

Associate editor Shannon Davis tells us more about the highs and lows of his honeymoon trek (featured in March 2009's "The Perfect Circle") on the sky-scraping Annapurna Circuit in Nepal.

Denver teacher Mike Haugen sets a new state summits speed record–fifty state highpoints in less than 50 days!

Join our editors for their annual testing trip on the rocky, misty coast of Wales in this gallery. (Steve Howe)

Paddle out to Ontario's Slate Islands where canoe and caribou are a plenty in this video of these majestic animals and marvel at a slideshow of close-up images.

Scout for gold–and desert views–amid this Texas park's spray of late-fall foliage.

A gym teacher's speed hike becomes a five-day bushwhack in Olympic National Park.

Survivors of the Bataan death march overcame one of history's most grueling walks. What kept them on their feet? and could you do the same? every year, more than 4,000 people hike through the New Mexico desert to find out.

Follow these guidelines to keep your gear dry, secure, and well balanced in a canoe or kayak.

Your partner can't go on. Should you stay–or go for help?

Here's how to avoid hypothermia.

As conservationists and energy developers fight over Wyoming's Red Desert, one thing is certain: There's no time like the present to hike through its unreal geography.

Coastal views, mountains, and fjords await on the Long Range Traverse in Newfoundland's Gros Morne National Park.

To discover the best-kept secrets in Utah's Grand Gulch, you need to start at the bottom.

We sent 209 readers out to GPS the Continental Divide Trail, the biggest, baddest long-distance path of them all. They brought back the makings of the first authoritative map of this American classic. These are their stories–and their favorite sections.

With the right preparation–and a little help from a half-dozen friends, two exotic techno-gadgets, and one very sweaty hypoxic chamber–can a sea-level-dwelling rookie climb the highest peak in Colorado?

On this burly, 210-mile traverse, which crosses 33 passes and barely touches established trails, you can find Alaska-sized scenery, complete solitude, and just enough risk to keep things interesting.

Hike the best section of the Great Divide Trail.

Two Everest-scaling Sherpas face their biggest challenge yet–surviving suburban America.

In search of a guilt-free adventure in the tropics, Jason Daley discovers the line between saving the world–and seeing it.

6 more must-dip pools from Alaska to Hawaii

Here are the top wilderness soaks on the continent. Can you keep a secret?

Half a world away, you'll find exotic highs while hiking in Tasmania.

Our map team has been hard at work plotting the coolest hikes. Check out May's selections here.

When you're slipping and sliding, don't let your partners help you. Learn how to climb yourself to safety.

Don't worry about lava. Worry about rocks and mud and ash.

Rising treeline threatens the Northeast's best views.

One writer ditches his S.U.V. for a vegetable oil-powered Volkswagon Beetle and drives into the Sierras to hike the Pacific Crest Trail and test his environmentalist platitudes

Time is of the essence in the backcountry. Learn how long it will take an impending thunderstorm or avalanche to find you.

Check out Clyde Soles, Climbing: Training for Peak Performance's author page.

The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) today announced it will host two distinct Adventure Travel World Summits in 2008 on two continents.

SOLE, makers of performance custom footbeds, socks and sandals, has inked a deal to be the title sponsor of the third annual Baja Travesia Adventure Race.

Secluded coastline and bikable rain forests are just two things waiting for you in Mexico

Where classic Euro trekking meets the Mediterranean coast.

Inspired by a mountain view, Don Moseman walked out of prison and hiked his way to a better life.

This wilderness area houses a classic section of the CDT but is a little off the beaten path.

Cozy huts, five-course meals, and world-class foliage highlight one family's fall trek.

Thru-hike L.A. County? It can be done with Southern California's Backbone Trail.

Add Adirondack State Park's Mt. Marcy to your life list.

The Grand Canyon is steep and deep, but besides rock you can take in lush springs and junipers.

The wilderness can be deadly if you don't know what you're doing. Take our test to rate your survival IQ—and learn a few skills that might save your hide.

There's a backcountry killer on the loose, and it's not hypothermia, grizzly bears, or rockfall. The thing mostly likely to maim you on your next hiking trip is living inside your head.

A pilgrim heads into the canyon where Aron Ralston lost his arm to pin down the meaning of survival.