Rip & Go: Lyell Canyon, Yosemite
Escape front-country crowds on a trek to the park's idyllic interior.
Trips
Trips
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.
Mileage Master Skills
Going the distance? Use these tips to ease big-mile trips.
The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge: Trekking the Empty Quarter
BACKPACKER editor Jonathan Dorn's photos and memories of a six-day desert adventure race in Abu Dhabi
Viewfinder: Our Best Photos Ever
If the average picture is worth 1,000 words, the best wilderness images from BACKPACKER's top photographers are worth millions. Get inspired--and find the beta you need to hike to our favorite scenes--in this collection of classics.
Rip & Go: Approach Trail Loop, Chattahoochee National Forest, GA
Relax in a hiker-friendly lodge at the Appalachian Trail's southern tip.
Rip & Go: McKittrick Canyon
Soak up high-desert views amid the Lone Star State's tallest peaks.
Rip & Go: Big Piney Trail
Roll from dark hollows to dolomite ridges in the Ozark highlands of Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest.
Rip & Go: Big Creek Loop
Hike from a wildlife-choked river valley to soaring mountain views.
Rip & Go: McCargoe Cove to Rock Harbor
Hike among moose and wolves on this two-day escape to Isle Royale National Park.
Readers' Choice: Appalachians
Your favorite parks, weekend getaways, peak ascents, campsites, and more in the Appalachians.
Rip & Go: Devil's Path
Conquer the rocks, ridges, and ravines on the East's toughest trail.
Rip & Go: Four Pass Loop
Like peaks, lakes, and wildflowers? You'll love this Rockies classic in White River National Forest.
Rip & Go: Enchantment Lakes Basin – Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA
Discover a hidden basin filled with wildlife, lakes, and granite peaks.
Rip & Go: Crow Pass Trail – Chugach State Park, AK
Cross the west edge of the Chugach for glaciers, bears, and wildflowers.
Rip & Go: King's Canyon CA, Shenandoah VA
From routes to food to post-hike brewski, we've got your weekend backpacking plans dialed. This week, we've got three killer adventures in Kings Canyon and Shenandoah. Ready? Read. Rip. Go!
Fall Gear Guide: Norway Gear Test
Follow the editors as they test gear on Norway's Folgefonna Glacier.
Best Winter Trips: White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire
Few places serve up fierce, unpredictable winter weather quite like Mt. Washington, the 6,288-foot capstone of New Hampshire's White Mountains. Battle hurricane-force winds--and 20-plus feet of annual snowfall--while tackling the East's best mountaineering, or choose from hundreds of miles of snowy trails for a lower elevation romp.
Best Winter Trips: Teton Range, Wyoming
Towering 7,000-plus feet above Jackson Hole, the Tetons wrest more than 30 feet of snow from passing storms and pile it thick on road-accessible slopes.
Best Winter Trips: Mt. Rainer National Park, Washington
The granddaddy of the Cascades looms above Seattle like a great white beacon for snow junkies. The mountain's 25 major glaciers hold enough ice to bury Manhattan 150 feet deep, and some of the planet's highest recorded snowfalls guarantee powder for all. Paradise, the park's winter epicenter, has year-round road access.
Norway: Tested
Traverse a Glacier: On Norway's west coast, ancient ice scapes offer an otherworldly adventure.
Best Hikes Ever: Sabino Canyon Trail, AZ
Hike to a natural day spa.
Best Hikes Ever: Four Pass Loop, CO
See some of the Rockies' most iconic mountains.
Best Hikes Ever: Chupadera Mountain Trail, NM
Rise from the desert floor to an airy, see-all perch.
Best Hikes Ever: The Lost Coast Trail, CA
Hike a remote paradise just hours from California's bustling cities.
Best Hikes Ever: Appalachian Trail, GA-ME
Thru-hike America's most revered long trail: the Appalachian Trail.
Best Hikes Ever: Presidential Traverse, NH
Tag a team of the East's most challenging peaks in the White Mountains.
Best Hikes Ever: John Muir Trail, CA
Step for scenery-packed step, nothing else compares to the John Muir Trail.
Give a Sherpa a Lift: Apa Sherpa Summits Mt. Everest for the 20th Time
Sherpa's big year also includes an limited edition Suunto watch to benefit his foundation.
Rip & Go: Maine, Idaho, California
Take the guesswork out of weekend hike planning; download these new trips in Baxter State Park, the Bitterroot Wilderness, and the Trinity Alps.
50-Mile Thru-Hikes: West Coast Trail, BC
Tackle Vancouver Island’s wild coast.
Rip & Go: Mathews Arm Loop – Shenandoah National Park
Ramble through brilliant red and yellow fall foliage.
Rip & Go: Grandview Loop – Grand Canyon, South Rim
Descend to the Ditch's primitive core on a three-day loop.
Rip & Go: Paradise Valley – Kings Canyon National Park
Hike in the spray of waterfalls deep in the heart of black bear country.
20 Best International Hikes: Sign Up for a Free Digital Download
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.
Local Hikes: Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
The best hikes near Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Local Hikes: Columbus, OH
The best hikes near Columbus, OH.
Local Hikes: Austin, TX
The best hikes near Austin, TX.
Local Hikes: Milwaukee, WI
The best hikes near Milwaukee.
Local Hikes: Chicago, IL
The best hikes near Chicago.
Local Hikes: St. Louis, MO
The best local hikes near St. Louis.
Local Hikes: Dallas, TX
The best hikes near Dallas, TX.
Local Hikes: Roanoke, VA
The best hikes near Roanoke, VA.
Local Hikes: Asheville, NC
The best hikes near Asheville, NC.
Local Hikes: Atlanta, GA
The best hikes near Atlanta, GA.
Local Hikes: Richmond, VA
The best hikes near Richmond, VA.
Local Hikes: Charlotte, NC
The best hikes near Charlotte, NC.
Local Hikes: Tallahassee, FL
The best hikes near Tallahassee, FL.
Nashville Hiking
The best hikes near Nashville, TN.
Local Hikes: Washington, DC
The best hikes near Washington, DC.
Seattle Hikes
The best hikes near Seattle, WA.
Local Hikes: Bozeman, MT
The best hikes near Bozeman, MT.
Local Hikes: Laramie, WY
The best hikes near Laramie, WY.
Salt Lake City Hiking
The best hikes near Salt Lake City, UT.
Albuquerque Hiking
The best hikes near Albuquerque, NM.
Local Hikes: Aspen, CO
The best hikes near Aspen, CO.
Local Hikes: Flagstaff, AZ
The best hikes near Flagstaff, AZ.
Phoenix Hikes
The best hikes near Phoenix, AZ.
Local Hikes: Moab, UT
The best hikes near Moab, Utah.
Local Hikes: Grand Junction, CO
The best hikes near Grand Junction, CO.
Local Hikes: Denver/Boulder, CO
The best hikes near Denver/Boulder.
Local Hikes: Santa Barbara/Ventura
The best local hikes near Santa Barbara/Ventura.
Local Hikes: San Francisco
The best hikes near San Francisco.
Local Hikes: Las Vegas, NV
The best hikes near Las Vegas.
San Diego Hikes
The best hikes near San Diego.
Sacramento Hiking
The best local hikes near Sacramento.
Local Hikes: Los Angeles
The best local hikes in LA.
Local Hikes: Midwest
The best hikes in the Midwest, as recommended by the region's best hiking clubs.
Local Hikes: Southeast
The best local hikes in the southeast, as chosen by the area's best hiking clubs.
Local Hikes: Northwest
The best hikes in Northwest, as suggested by the best local hiking clubs.
Local Hikes: Northeast
The best hikes, as recommended by the best hiking clubs in the Northeast.
Local Hikes: Mountain West
The best local hikes in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana.
Local Hikes: California
The best hikes within two hours of California's major cities.
Rip & Go: Horse Mountain to Traveler Mountain – Baxter State Park, ME
Reach great granite heights on Katahdin's next-door neighbor.
Rip & Go: Watchtower to Sheephead Loop – Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, MT/ID
Have rocky ridges and sparkling alpine lakes all to yourself.
Natural Wonders: Devil's Tower, WY
Marvel at America's first national monument.
Rip & Go: Stuart Fork to Alpine Lake -Trinity Alps, CA
Discover the inner sanctum of California's second largest wilderness.
Top 3 Waterslide Hikes: Meadow Run, PA
Pass between waterfalls and mossy boulders for this long, gentle slide.
Top 3 Waterslide Hikes: West Clear Creek, AZ
Hike through a winding canyon, then cool off in a whitewater spa.
Top 3 Waterslide Hikes: Eaton Canyon, CA
Climb high and then plunge deep on this hike in Southern California.
Hikes to Natural Waterslides
Slip and slide into refreshing pools at these backcountry swimming holes.