Trips

Send him out on a work trip. Let wilderness do the rest.

Drop into America's belly on a little-known hike that dips in and out of four different canyons, each blessed with gurgling spring water.

First John Francis stopped riding in cars. Then he stopped talking. More than three decades, two continent-spanning hikes, and countless trail miles later, he's still following his remarkable path of protest–only now he's not alone.

Climb classic Sierra passes, ogle granite monoliths, and camp above treeline in John Muir's second home.

Scramble up class III peaks and cross late summer snowfields on this strenuous but straightforward trip through Montana's big-mountain country.

Check out Marc Peruzzi's author page.

The ultimate vacation in one of America's iconic parks requires the ultimate hiking plan: classic scenery, no crowds, and secret campsites. Here's how to spend a perfect week in Glacier, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Olympic, Denali, and the Great Smoky Mountains.

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

The Ice Age left its mark from Acadia to Yosemite. Here's scenic evidence.

Follow Dan Koeppel and photographer Michael Darter as they jump a magic bus in L.A. and camp in Angeles National Forest. You may never drive again.

In "Destination Nowhere" (September 2008), Mark Jenkins explores the most remote wilderness location in the continental United States–a top-secret spot in Yellowstone. See his trip photos and read an interview with Jenkins where he discusses the assignment.

After reading Dan Koeppel's latest urban hiking adventure "Don't Pay at the Pump" (September 2008), we guarantee you'll want to crank "Magic Bus" and ditch the car on your next trip to the trailhead. We can help. Our map team has assembled more than 25 hikes you can access via public transportation. Plus, check out more of Michael Darter's photos and read Koeppel's 2004 feature, "I Climbed Los Angeles," to learn about his slightly insane 19-mile L.A. staircase route.

Plan your perfect week in the Tetons right here.

Hikers learn to leave (absolutely) no trace on high-traffic peaks and trails.

On your mark, get set ... hike. Inside a 5,600-mile footrace on the country's hardest trail.

Hike this burly wonder to find out what inspired the Appalachian and Long Trail's founders.

3-D hike videos, complete trip planner pdfs, our interactive ParkFinder tool, and more.

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.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Once a guide and counselor near Yosemite, up-and-coming musician Brett Dennen is now taking his backcountry jams to the masses.

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?

Meet Michael Rash, sanitation king of the backcountry. Be glad he uses Purell.

Three ways to hike, bike, and paddle your way to freedom in the Twin Cities.

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. Here, read the Backpacker Blog on the project, and vi

Can I get married in a national park?

What happens when a couple's vows are tested by hard miles and hunger pains on the John Muir Trail? A sore-footed bride tells all.

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

You can only get so far off the grid in a single day - that is, unless you take a shortcut into the mountains. Many ski resorts, including the three premier sites mentioned below, open a lift or two in summer and fall, offering an express route to places high and wild. There's no other way to get this deep into the woods this fast.

Adventurous types can still find magic in the rivers, lakes, and paths of Detroit.

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

Whether you fear, respect, or applaud these complex creatures of the night, the tips below will help you find and observe them.

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.

Follow correspondent Kevin Fedarko into the remote Utah slot canyon where Ralston famously separated himself from his right forearm.

Retracing the route to people's accidents can help us prevent our own. These 10 trips lead you to the exact locations of disasters from Denali to the Grand Canyon.

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

We surveyed more than 40 scientists, conservationists, and professional adventurers, then ranked the 15 parks that are most in peril from climate change.

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

Need trip-planning beta for your National Park adventure? See our comprehensive list of National Park phone numbers, websites, and drilled down details here. You’ll be ready to hit the trail in no time.

From Florida to Wyoming, track wild horses for four hours or 10 days.

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.

Where classic Euro trekking meets the Mediterranean coast.

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.

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

Track the sun on these 2-4 day trips in the Southeast, Southwest, and Hawaii

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

Joshua Tree, Zion, and the Guadalupe Mountains are three hike-worthy desert destinations.

Add Olympic National Park to your to-do list.

Find out what happens when four people hike the 221-mile John Muir Trail in just a week. Then learn how to bag the classic in more sensible lightweight fashion.

Thoreau, Hemingway, and Kerouac all went into the backcountry to find the right words.

No, it's not an oxymoron. You, too, can say buh-bye to endless energy bars and instant rice glop--and eat like royalty for less than two pounds a day.

A 10-step ultralight backpacking plan that keeps pack weight under 15 pounds

In 10 days, carrying just 25 pounds, you can pound through the John Muir Trail...happily. Get the plan.

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.

Shave pounds from your whole packing list.

Whether you are after fishing holes or skinny-dipping, Backpacker tracked down the best campsites in the country

Sharpen your double-bit axe, get your pecs ready for action, and shoulder the biggest pack you've ever seen. Then dive into the trenches with a screwball trailbuilding crew, fixing the neediest hiking paths in the Adirondacks. Assuming you're not afraid of some very heavy lifting, this just might be the ultimate summer job.

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

Some things are so inevitable there's no sense disputing them: death, taxes, and the unrivaled beauty of the Sierra.

Find spectacular views and deep solitude on this weekend hike.

Don't miss your chance to take the best dayhike on the CDT.

You won't want to miss this breathtaking 8-mile dayhike.

Bob Coomber is determined to become the first man in a wheelchair to ascend a 14,000-foot mountain.

Like crowded campsites and easy trails? Then by all means avoid this deafeningly quiet expanse of rugged, wildlife-rich mountains and forest in Washington's North Cascades.

Head out with six hard-charging huskies, and winter will never feel more alive.

Hike, bike, and climb in this Utah gem--much more than a skier's paradise