Trips by State

Make the most of your precious weekend freedom. These hikes deliver epic views and fun to all types of time-crunched hikers.

Looking for a great dayhike, weekend trip, or multiday expedition near Seattle? We've got you covered.

A winter trip through Crater Lake National Park nets a once-in-a-lifetime photo.

A hiker pulls confidence from an unsolicited gear critique in the Catskills.

From climate change to drilling and mining, various threats promise to wipe out what’s best about America’s 12 most endangered trails. Hike them now to admire ancient glacial ice, hear howling wolves, splash at pristine beaches, and admire ancient art galleries.

Two thru-hikers find unexpected trail magic on one of America's lesser-known thru-hikes.

When it's finished, this in-progress long trail will let hikers take a stroll up the Appalachians without battling the AT's crowds.

After pandemic restrictions forced Sharon Wu and her fiancé to reschedule their wedding, they set their eyes on a consolation prize: the rugged Trans-Catalina Trail.

With the help of our friends and readers, we set out to find the best trail in all 50 states. From epic thru-hikes to short jaunts, these were the ones that rose to the top.

These difficult hikes will challenge you no matter who you are.

With an average of 43 feet of snow per year, Crater Lake is one of the best places to sample winter.

On a ski trip to the Pacific Northwest, Backpacker's editors found beauty, snow, and solitude.

Circle an upland swamp rich with views, solitude, and wild edibles.

If you’re operating on a three-season schedule, you’re missing out. Here are a dozen reasons to keep your boots at the ready.

Make like a goat and hoof it to the trail: just a hop, skip, and a jump from D.C.

Every fall, male spiders in search of mates crowd the rocks of the 5.7-mile Condor Gulch to High Peaks Loop.

This is one hike that's worth getting up early for.

From tiny foxes to giant sea cliffs, Channel Islands is a world all its own.

This 12.1-mile overnight bags a Catskills Peak on the way to your lean-to camp spot.

Experience the beauty of fall foliage in Minnesota with these bucket list hikes

The world's largest gypsum dune field isn't just a wonder of the natural world—it's a great place to hike, too.

This descent into this Wind River Range highlight is one no hiker will ever forget.

Explore a secret wonderland in the West Needle Mountains.

It's the most-visited 14er in Colorado. But that doesn't mean you should skip it.

Almost entirely above treeline, this 6.5-mile day-hike loop cruises below rounded 12,000-foot ridges en route to Tobacco Lake in the heart of Colorado’s South San Juan Wilderness.

If you're new to Colorado's 14ers or simply looking for a day hike into the clouds, try these (relatively) easy adventures on Colorado's tallest mountains.

Ohio is the last place you'd expect to discover an off-trail wonderland. But in Cuyahoga Valley, where cross-country hiking is allowed, finding the good stuff takes a little bit of work.

Wildlife, wildflowers, and views await on this short but sweet Colorado hike.

The short and steep trip to Lake Agnes delivers with craggy peaks, scree fields (home to pika), and fish-filled alpine waters.

This 2.5-mile loop in the Wichita Mountains nabs a summit and heads through a series of boulder-built caves.

Check out Drew Allred's author page.

Mastered walking? Time to use your hands as well as your feet on these adventurous day trips.

Tick off the state high point on this 3-day backcountry adventure.

See historic bridges and wildlife on this 38.6-mile paddle through America's heartland.

Paddle 7 miles up the Wailua River to secret waterfalls, hidden swimming holes, and one of Kauai's best rope swings.

By Marissa Gawel

The Bay Area's best hikes range from enormous redwoods to waterfalls dropping straight to the sea.

Link pristine forests, wildflower meadows, and two picturesque lakes on this gentle, 3.7-mile hike near Snoqualmie Pass.

This 11-mile out-and-back climbs to two high-altitude lakes in New Mexico's Carson National Forest.

This easy loop hops islands and sand dunes beside Lake Michigan.

This 23.6-mile backpack along the shore of Lake Superior is perfect for a long weekend or a weekday escape.

Like its name suggests, the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail offers near-constant water views—and if you want to see it all, you’d better arrive before the dogwood flowers do.

This 10.5-mile out and back promises wildflower drenched meadows, stunning vistas, and two pristine alpine lakes perfect for a cold dip or sunrise photo op.

Spring rains turn this swath of forest in the Loess Hills into a natural paradise.

Wind through a chain of alpine lakes with spectacular views of Mts. Baker and Shuksan on this easy 6.5-mile overnight.

The 53-mile Lost Coast Trail heads through some of California's last pristine beaches.

This 7.2-mile round-trip hike to the Dutch Doctor lean-to in Harriman State Park takes you right into the wilderness, only an hour outside NYC.

Grand Staircase-Escalante’s Little Death Hollow takes you into one of the most remote corners of Utah.

Share your solitude with wolves and beavers in Wisconsin's Porcupine Lake Wilderness.

Ditch the crowds but keep the views at Boundary Lake in California's Emigrant Wilderness.

A short hike in the Adirondacks leads to a classic 1900s Great Camp and a smaller, but no less beautiful tent camp.

Head off the beaten—or any—path on one of the Adirondacks more obscure slide paths.

Escape the city at this wild respite just a stone’s throw from downtown Chicago

Hopping Pawnee Pass might be the secret to escaping the Indian Peaks’ crowds.

Find seasonal solitude close to home on this ideal backpack for winter beginners in New Hampshire's White Mountains.

See everything from low desert to high peaks on this 30-mile stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Amid the vast plains and prairies of Kansas, find an unexpected expanse of rugged geological formations well worth visiting.

Follow BP Field Scout Korey Peterson's two-day route through the Dakota Badlands.

Meditations on a special place in the desert southwest.

Find alpine bliss halfway through this snowshoe beneath an active volcano in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

The climb up this legendary peak's volcanically shifting landscape is never quite the same, no matter how many times you do it.

Coyote Gulch Trail, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, UT

In the winter, the mountains and ridges of Tennessee transform.

Winter on the Appalachian Trail is blessedly crowd-free. Enjoy it on this classic day hike.

Destinations Editor Kristin Smith loves this shoulder-season overnight on East Bank Ross Lake Trail in Washington's North Cascades National Park.

Ride the train or the bus all the way to the trailhead on these short adventures.

Nature and Old West history meet.

Get to know the northwestern rainforest—and its salamanders—on this overnight route.

Hike to one of these nine fire lookouts for unbeatable views and a unique backcountry experience.

See the coast the way it was meant to be seen.

An insider's guide to San Rafael Swell, UT

Soaring bluffs and views to match make this an adventure worth going on.

Spend a weekend on the water on this circumnavigation of a lonely island in Lake Superior.

Pitch camp next to an alpine lake, rocky peaks, and a WWII plane wreck in Idaho’s Salmon River Mountains.

Start your fall off in spectacular fashion.

Pack a summer of views into one weekend.

Find refuge from high summer temps temps on these chill dayhikes.

Late summer means the high country has finally melted out—and as the snow leaves, the blooms move in. Check out one of these seven hikes for colorful meadows just below the peaks.

Discover true quiet in this uncrowded forest.

These beer-and-trail pairings are refreshing from the first step to the last sip.