Trips

Start planning and training for next year’s long trail now.

Snowshoe through the Northwoods on this winter overnight to a shelter along the St. Croix River. BY KOREY PETERSON

Scramble across the trailless desert in Joshua Tree's wild northeast corner to inner Basin Pass. BY EMELIE FROJEN

Loop through Savage Gulf and you'll be rewarded with 50-foot cascades, swimming holes, see-forever views, and an amazing campsite. BY ERIC HARRISON

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From trailheads to trail towns, US 395 in California serves up the ultimate road trip for hikers.

How’s this for a speed record? In June, BACKPACKER readers hiked almost 2,000 miles in 24 hours. One participant reflects on the unprecedented event.

Tour bluffs surrounding Arkansas’s Buffalo National River before nabbing a view of the tallest waterfall between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains.

Our PCTfield scout and his buddies enjoy Washington's Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

Our PCT field scout meets his trail family.

Our scout heads out on the PCT.

Our field scout is about to embark on a yearlong journey of a lifetime.

Trek 1.4 miles to the summit of Cathedral Rock. BY CHELISE SIMMONS

Climb to the top of the Sierra Buttes for sweeping views from an old fire lookout. BY CHELISE SIMMONS

Ascend through aspen groves and pine forests and below limestone cliffs on this high-altitude adventure to killer views on the hike from Trail Canyon to North Loop. BY CHELISE SIMMONS

At 11,918 feet, Mt. Charleston is a peakbagger's dream. This strenuous, high-altitude (nontechnical) climb brings you to the top of the most prominent peak in Nevada—and it's only a short drive from Las Vegas. BY CHELISE SIMMONS

Plans to make 20,000-mile trip in five years

For backpackers, there’s nothing better in the entire park system. How much of it can one hiker see in a week?

Faces six months imprisonment, public lands ban.

Five months after an earthquake rocked Nepal, outfitters say that most of the country's trails are ready for trekkers. Here's what to know before you go.

Score local color without the crowds.

California’s rolling hills and desert heat will eagerly invite you to cool off in isolated swimming holes.

Elsewhere in the country, hikers are putting away their boots and packs for the winter, but here in Lost Maples, I’m about to set up a picture-perfect campsite on an outcrop 400 feet above the fall scenery. BY JUDY PAUL

Get the best of summer (waterfalls, swimming, beaching) with the best of fall (mild temps and colorful foliage) on this overnight through DeSoto State Park. BY VICTORIA STOPP

Explore the Superstition Mountains on this overnight across Red Tanks Divide. BY QUINN HARPER

Wind past a half-dozen jade pools on this loop in fall-perfect Huron-Manistee National Forest in Central Michigan. BY STUART PECK

Get the Wallowas to yourself on this loop through prime bear habitat in the rugged Joseph Canyon. BY PATRICE LA VIGNE

The reward for portaging so many times? The best fall foliage show the Northeast has to offer. Get it all on the Seven Carries route in the St. Regis Canoe Area. BY RYAN WICHELNS

Rowdy hikers and an ultrarunner's clash with park rangers have officials threatening to move the northern terminus of America's most famous trail.

Our correspondent endures hail and treks through Yosemite on the latest leg of her hike.

Finding a hike of your own is as easy as getting off the trail—and this Sierra spot makes it easy.

Discover the forgotten lakes and boulder fields in, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, UT. Take Ruth Lake Trail and head off on a private adventure.

Bush whack through the jungles of Congaree National Park, SC, to find the River Trail, then find sanctuary on one of the secluded beaches.

Even locals hardly know about Hesse Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN/NC, this secluded spot is the perfect nature get away to explore.

Even locals hardly know about this secluded spot

Come to Hawaii’s Big Island and hike into the rainforest for private beaches

Leave the desert heat and hike along side Lanphier Canyon Blue River Loop, take a dip in the cool Arizona water when the sun gets too hot.

Climb up 4,000 foot peaks for views of lakes, wildlife and the surrounding mountains of White Mountain National Forest, NH.

Camp and kayak at one of three remote islands

It may be in a popular park, but you won't find any crowds on this underappreciated trail.

Leave your canoe and hike through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, in Minnesota, your legs will appreciate the exercise on the Sioux-Hustler Loop.

The cave brings the crowds, which in turn leaves the hiking trails deserted; enjoy seclusion on the trail trekking through Mammoth Cave National Park.

Dip into Georgias’ Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest after hiking along babbling creeks, and silent oak trees, find your paradise in a swimming hole.

Get wet in late summer when the Queets River is easily crossed to see a rainforest most hikers never knew existed in Olympic National Park, Washington.

Negotiate a climb just shy of 14,000-feet. Hike MT. Meeker's solitary trails escaping the mobs of people across the valley on Longs Peak ridge.

At eight thousand feet in Guadalupe Mountains, the Texan desert seemingly stretches forever.

Thirty miles in Florida’s swampy backcountry can challenge even the toughest of nerves. But if you can stomach the elements, the rewards will gladly greet you.

Camp in comfort at DeSoto State Park, rent this three-sided shelter for a family weekend of hiking, biking, and swimming under southern waterfalls.

Backpack past shimmering high-altitude lakes, up steep mountain ridges, and over 7,000+ foot passes in the mountains of the Selway-Bitterroot, MT.

Hike through quiet forest and old farmland on the remotest section of Rhode Island’s end-to-end North-South Trail. BY RYAN WICHELNS

Our correspondent battles bugs as she continues her trek

Toughen up to find total solitude on this 46-mile journey through a remote, untracked canyon. If you can get there, West Little Owyhee is worth the pain.

Backpacking will help you find the ideal mate—and help keep you happy together on life’s long path.

Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho

Sequoia National Park, California

Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington

Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia

Mt. Sneffels Wilderness, Colorado

Baxter State Park, Maine

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana

St. Regis Canoe Area, Northern Adirondacks, New York

Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, Tennessee/North Carolina

High Unitas Wilderness, Utah

Pasayten Wilderness, Washington

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota

New Zealand's newest long-distance hiking path is a 3,000-kilometer monster that spans the length of the country. Here's how to tackle it.

Take a breather from hiking the Presidentials and take in New Hampshire's White Mountains from a whole new perspective.

By Ken Ilgunas

Cross two high-elevation passes and camp at a lake right out of the Dolomites on this weekend trip in the Indian Peaks.

Some highlights from my time on the trail in the high Sierra.

It's not all hiking in glory on the PCT.

This remote park saves its best for hikers willing to tackle long miles and steep climbs. Our insider dishes the best ways to see its best views.

Pack long summer days with more summits—and be home for dinner—with these three essential peakbagging missions.

I climb Mount Whitney off the PCT.

Picking the best campsites in the national parks is a hard task, but these 19 backcountry sites are the cream of the crop.

By Rachel Sayers

By Joseph Friedrichs

By Drew Allred

Traverse lush rainforests and high glacial cirques on bridges, ropes, and ladders on this new path in British Columbia.

From day hikes to weekend trips, here's how to conquer all 46 famed Adirondack peaks.