Your dream backpacking trips are waiting for you. Find and explore new hiking trails and backpacking routes across the country with advice, adventure travel stories, topo maps, photography, and more from the experts at Backpacker.
Your dream backpacking trips are waiting for you. Find and explore new hiking trails and backpacking routes across the country with advice, adventure travel stories, topo maps, photography, and more from the experts at Backpacker.
Call it the bugpocalypse: Between now and the end of June, two different broods of cicadas will appear in the midwest from the first time since 1803. Here's how hikers can get a front-row seat.
These trips include gourmet food prepared each night, charity work, local expert advice, and more. You can't get that on your own.
Touch the sky and test your mettle on these hair-raising hikes.
A great trail is eternal. See if you can pick out some of America’s best hikes in these photos from the National Park Service’s archives.
In pursuit of the Triple Crown, many hikers save this high route through the Rocky Mountains and New Mexico desert for last. It’s not so scary—as long as you’re prepared.
Here’s a little-known secret: the Cornhusker State is full of untapped adventure
A local expert shares her secrets on finding the state's best waterfalls—from easy walks to more adventurous tours deep in the mountains.
Break trail (not the bank) at these budget-friendly life-list hiking destinations.
Sandra Aguirre started hiking for her own sake and ended up helping others do the same. Now she wants to help you.
You won’t have as much solitude as you think, and there’s a reason everyone uses some of the same gear. But once you’ve hiked the Appalachian Trail, you’ll never be the same person you were when you started.
Local guidebook author Susan Joy Paul explores the best summit hikes in and around Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The country's northeast corner offers an impressive, diverse landscape that will challenge even the most experienced hikers.
For thru-hikers, there’s nothing better than stumbling upon refreshments partway through a long day. But do trail angels need to babysit their gifts?
Borders can be arbitrary political edicts or hard facts of geographical existence. Crossing them on foot opens a rare view into both sides.
Fire lookouts in Washington were built for their unparalleled views. These six are the best of the best.
This adventurous North Carolina community has incubated scores of outdoor gear makers. Here’s what they recommend for fun in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Slot canyons, auburn cliffs, alpine lakes, and more: You can experience the best Utah has to offer on this 10-day road trip just for hikers.
Find boundless beauty in Alberta’s front range—glacial lakes, snow-capped crags, wildflower-filled meadows, and more.
Pacific Northwest hiking expert Matt Wastradowski explores the best hiking in Washington's three national parks.
Oregon guidebook author Matt Wastradowski explores the best hiking and backpacking in Oregon’s national parks and national monuments.
With the contiguous United States' last total solar eclipse for 20 years hitting on Monday, most campsites in the path of totality are fully booked up. But procrastinators still have options.
These treeless summits have expansive views of some of America's most beautiful terrain. Here are 6 of the best to start with.
You can't (or shouldn't) just jump into your thru-hike without a trial run. Take these three trails for a spin before the big trip.
Hike among fossilized sand dunes, fern-filled trails, and striated sedimentary headlands on this gorgeous stretch of the Atlantic.
Adventure isn't just something you do—it's something you live. From close-to-home dayhikes to epic adventures around the world, we've got your roadmap into adding more of it into your everyday, wherever you are.
What's the easy part of hiking a thousand or more miles in one go? There isn't one. That's why only between a quarter and a third of people who set out to thru-hike America's longest trails actually finish. The good news: If you put in the time and effort to prepare for your journey, you can boost your chances of joining them.
Hiking with a guide can take you to places you'd never be able to experience on your own. These guided treks are some of the best in the world.
At a modest 6,288 feet, Mount Washington seems like an unlikely candidate for one of America’s deadliest mountains. But with more than 150 known fatalities, it can be a hazardous hike. Here’s what beginners need to know before hitting the trail.
Spend a night in one of these incredible spots and it might just change your life.
It's hard to find an ugly spot in the national parks. But these eight hikes take it to the next level, with gorgeous scenery and wildlife. Go for a walk.
Traveling 68 miles through Sweden’s Arctic backcountry, the original Fjällräven Classic is an anomaly: A wild trek dozens of miles from a trailhead that’s also feasible to tackle as your first-ever backpacking trip. Backpacker Executive Editor Adam Roy hits the trail to check it out.
After 25 years of hiking in his hometown of Boulder, guidebook author James Dziezynski reveals his all-time favorite treks in the area. Plus, he’s included downloadable GPX files, parking intel, trail beta, gear and weather tips, and more.
If you’re after an experience that feels like a real adventure, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than South Dakota
The next total eclipse will be in 2044. The best place to watch this year's? On these 13 trails within the path of totality.
Longs Peak can be a sufferfest if you're not prepared for what this imposing 14er can throw at you. Here are 14 tips to increase your odds of reaching the summit.
We’ve all heard of the redwoods and giant sequoias, but old growth is all around us—if you know where to look.
Elevate your family adventures from dayhikes to backpacking trips with these five trails.
Getting to Madeira, a Portuguese island off the northwestern coast of Africa, isn't easy. But make the effort and you'll find miles of rugged trails—and equally rugged views—waiting for you.
From a 41-mile day to thigh-busting climbs to exposed, high-mountain ridges, hiking doesn't get harder than this.
The ocean is calling your name. Answer it on these wild, remote beach trails in the Pacific Northwest.
Dreaming of doing a thru-hike? You can get a taste of the experience on these three-day treks that travel an entire trail, terminus to terminus.
Complete an entire thru-hike before fair-weather hikers lace up for their first trip of the year.
If you want to hike to one of these iconic destinations, you'll have to plan ahead.
Resolving to be more peaceful in 2024? With these trails, you'll want to keep your resolution going all year long.
Solo hiking is the best way to explore wherever you want, whenever you want. These six trails around the U.S. and the rest of the world are well-traveled enough to feel safe, but wild enough to change your life.
America’s national parks boast thousands of stunning trail miles, but some are just a hair more amazing. Find the top 101 miles in the entire system on these 16 hikes.
Dayhikes, backpacking trips, popular routes, remote backcountry trails, and more. No matter what you're looking for, Patagonia has it all.
Every day is a good day for hiking. But where to do it? Chase the best weather, dodge crowds, see superblooms, and more with our month-by-month hiking guide to 2024.
Not interested in thru-hiking? You can still have goal trails. These dayhikes have everything worthy of a spot on your bucket list.
We all have those trails with calls we just can't ignore. Here are ours.
Looking for a heroic adventure? Hike across an island, seek a rare beast, or complete three more quests on these life-list treks.
The Alaska ferry system is creaky and unpredictable. But it may be the best way to reach the wildest trailheads and abandoned shorelines in America.
Want to hike in Middle Earth? Turns out you just need to go to this park in Ohio. Plus: What we think could be the new Triple Crown trails.
Our editors do a lot more than write about hiking. We also walk the walk, literally.
At 2,795 miles, the King Charles III England Coast Path is on track to become the world’s longest coastal trail. Wild in some places and suburban in others, walking along it offers an incredible education in Englishness.
Check out these insider tips on how to take the road less traveled and visit Australia’s adventure epicenter
Think hut-to-hut hikes only exist in the mountains of Europe? These four trails in the states will prove you wrong.
If you're not doing fourth-season hiking, you're missing out on low-to-no crowds and completely transformed vistas from the season before.
A longtime backpacker discovers a whole new way to explore the Canadian Rockies.
You’ve heard of long-distance hiking’s Big Three, but North America has more amazing thru-hikes to discover. Find a new challenge—and a new perspective on the backcountry—on these incredible lesser-known trails.
Craving an escape, but don't want the commitment required to complete a months-long thru-hike? Try these fourteen-day-long adventures.
Australia’s Northern Territory is a must-visit destination for outdoor adventure—enter this trip giveaway to experience it for yourself
Ready to hike to the highest point in Hawaii? Ascend Mauna Kea's volcanic slopes to a summit high above the clouds. This challenging day hike is among the most spectacular on the planet.
Because willing to hike with you for 14 sweaty, stinky hours (and still have a good time) is the biggest green flag of them all.
A searching mother, a headless gunslinger, a mysterious light to show you the way: these national parks are home to hair-raising tales
With the summer temperatures cooling down and the leaves turning, it's high time for an adventure. Make the most of your autumn with recipes, trips, and skills stories for the third season.
California's Channel Islands are a wonderland of biodiversity just an hour or two from Los Angeles.
The annular eclipse is in the morning, so how else should you spend the rest of the day? By hiking, obviously.
Hike a long trail without spending a night in a tent or lean-to? It may sound silly. But a veteran thru-hiker says it’s more than doable—if you know where to look.
These week-long backpacking trips are the perfect length to squeeze into a vacation.
Find adventure out your own back door. Here are 10 urban hiking trails—each under 2 miles—worth exploring.
On a winter thru-hike of the Ozark Highlands Trail, Jeff Garmire contended with snowstorms, swam a river, and bushwhacked paths overgrown with bramble—and discovered the rugged heart of one of America’s lesser-known long trails.
Three locals are adamant that Germany’s mountains, coastlines, and forests are an outdoor adventurer’s paradise. Spoiler: They’re right.
Last year, Yosemite hosted 3.7 million visitors, with 75 percent between May and October. Don't fight crowds when you can have the same views minutes away.
Our national forests are brilliant, underappreciated, and uncrowded compared to most national parks. Here’s the intel on where to hike in these stunning landscapes.
If you think the Midwest is flat and boring, you'll think again after taking these trails for a spin.
With an abundant coastline, green initiatives guiding change on both peninsulas, and trail-filled forests that cover more than half the state, Michigan is made for eco-minded travelers
Only a lucky few can win the permit lottery, but anyone can hike these alternate trails that give you a similar experience.
Let your senses guide you to your next Maine adventure. Here's where to plan your escape.
Want to cross the finish line of a thru-hike but only have a handful of days to do it? From 40 miles to more than 200, these trails pack a huge punch in a small package.