Published
Storms dumped rainfall across Utah. One hiker died and another required rescue.
The internet is flooded with clips of people making bad decisions at America’s oldest national park. Backpacker editor Adam Roy thinks the latest cringeworthy clip is the worst one to enter the oeuvre.
Making your own camp stove out of a cat food or soda can used to be a rite of passage for backpackers. But with canister stoves getting lighter and cheaper—and fire bans getting more and more common—one Backpacker editor argues their time has come. (Plus: Another editor dissents.)
A proposed price increase for backcountry access in Zion could raise fees by as much as 400 percent for some groups
When a court struck down the public’s right to wild camp in Dartmoor National Park in January, hikers lost the only place in England where they could dispersed camp without getting the owner’s permission first. Now, an appeals court has given it back to them.
A hiker found the woman’s body on a popular trail near the national park
It was so hot that rescue helicopters couldn’t take off
Live electric wires and bridge damage are among the hazards that trail crews have found so far—but it’s not all bad news
Authorities are trying to determine what caused the deaths of three people found in a remote campsite near Gunnison last week
The death is the third snow-related fatality that local search and rescue has responded to over the past three weeks
When it comes to remembering my best trips, smells do something that photos never could
Authorities say the unleashed mutt provoked the bruin, and have closed a popular trail near Asheville
Students in the Semester-A-Trail program at Emory and Henry College will spend their spring and summer semesters hiking part or all of the Appalachian Trail—with gear, support, and an on-trail budget included in tuition
How to make due without hiking poles, a sleeping pad, and more pieces of crucial backpacking gear
The answer isn’t as obvious as it was five years ago
The sad situation is a reminder to visitors to avoid handling wild animals
A group of young hikers used Apple’s Emergency SOS system to trigger a rescue
We hiked, ran, skied, and climbed through the night to find the best illumination of the year
Officials say evidence suggests the men were caught by a flash flood. This is the second double tragedy in the famous slot canyon this year.
You don’t need to tote a frying pan into the backcountry to make a pancake breakfast. All you need is a canister stove with a pot, two or three ingredients, and a metal mug.
Matthew Read, 19, spent two days stranded in the woods
Encounters between bruins and campers led the forest service to shutter the areas
Lifesavers in Colorado recently rescued multiple hikers who had lost their footwear on the same slushy trail
Editor Adam Roy explains why his ultralight four-legged friend is the ideal backpacking companion
Rescue crews in SoCal are already warning hikers to skip the snowy San Jacinto Mountains
The bloodsuckers are waking up—and biting—earlier each year
A man says he required lifesaving when he accidentally ignited a 2018 wildfire. An Arizona court determined that his negligence made him culpable.
Backpacker executive editor Adam Roy has fully embraced the eccentric footwear after previously swearing them off. Here’s why.
Hikers in New Hampshire can already be charged for lifesaving, and a proposed law would punish those who refuse to pay. Editor Adam Roy thinks it’s a terrible and dangerous policy.
The Havasupai Tribe closed their lands—and the iconic waterfall—to tourists amid the pandemic. Guests who had reservations from 2020 will be allowed to visit in 2023.
A federal judge convicted Jeffrey M. Johnson for operating a paid guided tour without a permit in a national park
The real story is weirder and sadder than what we saw in the film’s bonkers preview
A campground located along the Bright Angel Trail will be called Havasupai Gardens following a government decision
Two agencies will investigate bringing grizzlies back to the Pacific Northwest
The Sonoran desert toad is under threat from hunters who seek their toxic secretions
As defenders of all things outdoors, we can’t let Paul Hollywood’s weird marshmallow hockey pucks stand
Some of you are thinking, Ewww, no way. But open your hearts to the truth: spiders are among the most fascinating creatures on earth, and great neighbors to boot (goodbye, mosquitos!). With climate change putting them in danger, they could use a few new friends.
Hiker Rebecca Clark says she ended up with a hole in her back and lots of stickers and thorns, but otherwise she is OK
Keep your hands warm all season long. Here are the winter gloves you need to ski, hike, snowshoe, and stay outside as long as possible.
Rescuers say Jetal Agnihotri, 29, died after being swept away by flash floods on Friday
Park Service officials believe the human remains are connected to a death that occurred near the Abyss Pool hot springs on July 31
Driven by closures and new parking rules, Colorado’s highest peaks saw a precipitous drop in hiker visits from 2020 to 2021
Feeling entranced by the cosmos? See the heavens in all their glory from one of these incredible trails.
Michael Charles Lombardo, 55, frequently walked the famed trail with his pet Chihuahua
The new slogan launches after a series of tourist encounters with the massive mammals
Waves swept two hikers out to sea on the Northern California coast last week
The 200-million-old fossil, which contained footprints from an alligatorlike reptile, is believed to have been stolen from the park roughly five years ago
The incident in December is the latest incident of vandalism to ancient Native artifacts
Bus 142 spent 60 years sitting in the Alaskan backcountry and saw thousands of visitors before it ended up at the Museum of the North in Fairbanks. Now a team of conservators, students, and volunteers face the challenge ahead.
That shiny sheet of plastic you have wadded up at the bottom of your daypack can help you stay alive. Will it help you stay comfortable? That’s a different story.
Exercise may not be enough to make up for thru-hikers’ bad diets, a new paper suggests
Despite warnings, rules, and common sense, tourists in Yellowstone keep approaching bears and bison.
Unpacking the buzz around the latest performance food
When the American cyclist quit the Tour, he did exactly what an athlete should do
You don’t need to go all in to reap health and performance benefits from the famous diet
The real takeaway: nutrition labels just aren't working
A new cookbook seeks to make the world’s most restrictive diet palatable
A new cookbook breaks some traditional Paleo rules. Result: It's packed with recipes you'll actually want to make.
Tips from legend Lee Sheftel, who sent his first 5.14 after his 59th birthday
Officials fear it may draw people to island
