Adventure Travel

Don't let a bike commute cramp your style.

Join the American Hiking Society.

Hike Switzerland's Via Alpina route with the Backpacker editors in our video series.

View stunning vistas and snowy passes in these photos of Switzerland's Via Alpina route. Included: the Eiger, the Wetterhorn, and Jungfrau Glacier.

Hike from Trubsee lake and Jochpass and down to Engstlensee lake for stunning views of the Wetterhorn.

Get ready for a ten-mile day, 4,265 feet of elevation gain, and the Bunderchrinde, the third highest pass on the Via Alpina.

The Eiger is made up of the stuff of legend. Here, an up close and personal look at the mountain.

The Editors' Choice testing crew finishes their final day under the base of the mighty Eiger.

After 100 miles hiking in the Swiss Alps, the Backpacker editors couldn't resist a summit of one of Europe's most famous peaks, the Monch.

The Editors' Choice testing crew tackles the highest passes in the Swiss Alps.

Starting in the town of Altdorf, the Editors' Choice team gains over 6,000 feet of elevation in 17 miles on its way to Surenenpass.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Forty years after his own adolescent ascent of Mt. Chamberlin, John Harlin III returns with his 13-year-old daughter Siena. Photos and captions by John Harlin.

The editors are back from their annual Editors' Choice trip. Get a preview of the testing ground in this tour of Switzerland. All photos by Steve Howe.

NNN-compatible with exceptional side-to-side stability.

These bindings are surprisingly sturdy, great for cruising on sturdy terrain.

Calling all equipment designers: Everest summiteer and Rainier veteran Peter Whittaker has some advice.

Not even 10 days of constant rain can obscure the beauty of the Rockwall Trail in British Columbia's Kootenay National Park.

Join Justin "Trauma" Lichter on a tour of the wilds of Africa.

Lose yourself in a private paradise the crowds have overlooked.

Three generations of American mountaineering royalty discuss their sport, their fears, and their new mission: design great gear.

Undeterred by injuries that would cripple most men, a Colorado hiker nears the halfway point in a pioneering attempt to thru-hike the true crest of the Continental Divide.

Discover the world's oldest tree, America's biggest cavern, and Florida's largest herd of wild horses on these three treks.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Ed Viesturs, Peter Whittaker, Dave Hahn, and young guns Seth Waterfall and Melissa Arnot are joining forces to create a new line of gear and attack Mount Everest.

Undeterred by injuries that would cripple most men, a Colorado hiker nears the halfway point in a pioneering attempt to thru-hike the true crest of the Continental Divide. In this extended online interview, Dunmire talks about his gear essentials, near misses, and the challenges that lay ahead as he continues to trace North America's spine.

From kayaking with whales in Vancouver to climbing cliffs in France and canyoning in New Zealand, these adventure hot-spots have it all.

Explore secret Africa on an alpine wildlife safari.

See sheer-sided fjords, calving glaciers, and the northern hemisphere's largest ice sheet.

Experience the magic of the remote Himalaya.

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.