Hiking and Backpacking
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Some of our favorite gear is garbage. And that's why we love it so much
Thousands of acres in California’s Sierra National Forest have been proposed as a national monument. Many argue that the protection is crucial for wildlife, the environment, and wilderness recreation. But it will face stiff opposition.
Washing your face or bowl with Dr. Bronner’s? Sure. Using it to cure congestion? Maybe. Using it as toothpaste? Hmm.
Long-distance hikers love to reach towns and binge. I temporarily gave up the cycle, and maybe it changed my life.
In a park whose heart is a volcano, see ancient obsidian lava flows layered with red and orange cinder cones. Explore green gulches, bamboo forests, warm lagoons. Hike, run, bike, stargaze, soak up sunsets. Hey, you might even fly.
An experienced 59-year-old hiker died after falling from 2,865-foot Mount Willard
From tiny pocketknives to freeze-dried foods, these ultralight-friendly gifts are best presented in a sub-one-ounce merino sock
If you’re small-framed, you could be in for some serious savings
Escaping the craziness of the season to head into the wild can sound amazing—right up until that overnight snowstorm crushes your tent.
Led by one of the outdoors' biggest retailers, some manufacturers may soon ditch women's and men's sleeping bags for nonbinary ones made to fit a wide variety of bodies
Highlights from the first-ever Outside Gear Summit
Perry’s time for a self-supported trek on the trail nearly broke the best mark for a supported effort
Injured in the SoCal backcountry, a man got a break when two campers heard him screaming for help
Burnout can affect participants of any sport—including hiking. Here’s how to identify, prevent, and cure it.
Park officials believe the 31-year-old succumbed to hypothermia
Our hiking columnist knows firsthand that buying gifts for the hiker in your life can induce anxiety. These affordable finds from independent companies can’t miss.
Hikers on the Appalachian Trail will see the permit price increase from $20 to $40 in 2023
From stunning alpine routes to the environments where high-altitude herbs thrive, tap into the healing power of nature in the mountains of Switzerland
Late fall turned out some inclement weather for our first-ever Gear Summit—but that just meant good conditions for testing products from 28 brands
I thought I’d found my calling guiding clients in mountains around the world. I sought out the highs of an adventurous life, but I wasn’t at all prepared for the dark side.
In less than 800 miles, the Arizona Trail offers a steady string of stunning landscapes, uncanny animals, and changing circumstances. If your time is limited, it’s the national scenic trail to try.
When you gotta go, you gotta go. These make it easier no matter where you are.
Columnist Maggie Slepian explains why expertise in the outdoors does not make you immune from mistakes
Hikers had to pay to access 14,272-foot Quandary Peak outside Breckenridge in 2021 and 2022
A longtime resident of the Southwest shares her favorite ways to see this region’s geological wonders, surreal sunsets, and wide-open spaces
Black Diamond’s Spot has all of the traits that made the original version so popular (red night vision, multiple power settings, IPX 8 waterproof rating) but in a smaller package that weighs just 3.2 ounces. It’s not rechargeable (it requires 3 AAA batteries), but its 350 lumens at the highest…
Sparkling alpine lakes, the highest point in the continental U.S., and 800-plus miles of breathtaking hiking trails: Sequoia and Kings Canyon in the Sierra Nevada are far more than home to the biggest trees on the planet.
Swedish novelist John Ajvide Lindqvis created a scary audio story geo-locked within his country’s borders to lure visitors into its beautiful natural areas. For Halloween only, you can listen to it anywhere in the world.
Scary movies have a rich tradition of being set in creepy forests, caves, and swamps. We rounded up our favorites of the genre.
The latest story of a tourist behaving badly in a national park is a real head scratcher
Were these hikers more surprised by the fact our free beer was non-alcoholic, or that they loved it? You be the judge.
Hours of testing, tasting, and innovating goes into these freeze-dried pouches
Colorado has thin air and endless views. New England has roots, rocks, and tree-lined trails.
Emma Zimmerman, cookbook author and cofounder of Hayden Flour Mills, shares her favorite recipe for on-the-go energy bars
A former hiking guide reveals his favorite trails in and near Yosemite National Park, with views of enormous waterfalls, El Capitan, and wildlife
These boots are the only ones you’ll need all winter long
An injured hiker is lucky to be alive after she was spotted by a passenger aboard Colorado’s Durango-Silverton railroad
The newest national monument sits in the heart of Colorado’s ski country. Here’s what you need to know about Camp Hale–Continental Divide National Monument.
From temperate rainforests to miles of coastline; from waterfalls and lakes to hiking, backpacking, and camping; from boating to skiing to glacier travel and mountaineering—Olympic has astonishing variety.
Jon Anderson overcame temporary snowblindness to complete the 2,650-mile journey from Mexico to Canada
Leon Sparks, 44, was trying to summit three mountains in one trek when he tumbled down Colorado’s El Diente Peak
This trendy food also makes a great trail snack or meal
We asked the experts—and this is the one trail you can't miss in each of the 61 U.S. national parks
Adventurers Andrea Sansone and Andrew Hamilton trace their relationship back to a chance encounter on one of Colorado’s highest peaks. Now, the two are pushing each other to set speed records on the state’s famed fourteeners.
Whether you’re in need of a quick snack or an on-the-go meal, you deserve a bar that's both fulfilling and tasty
Pay your passion forward for the betterment of the planet
Hiker Andrew Devers went missing in Washington State’s Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest with no food or water in June 2021
Philip Carcia covered nearly 2,000 miles over a span of 90 days to complete the arduous goal. It was his third attempt at the challenge.
One enticement of visiting Hawaii Volcanoes, on the Big Island, is witnessing the eruption of young Kilauea—the world’s most active volcano—and basking in the glow of its lava-filled caldera
“I really did spend 16-plus hours covering fewer than three miles”
This feature from Gaia GPS allows you to search recent satellite images for the best leaf peeping in your area
Why endure the traffic headed inland to major mountain getaways when you can hop a breezy ferry to the Channel Islands, passing dolphins en route, and spend time kayaking into sea caves, hiking quiet hills, and birding, with nary an auto in sight?
Traveling this summer was chaotic and expensive. Fall trips don't have to be that way with this advice on how to save and where to go.
Our soft-drink warriors both believe this sugary, caffeine-packed soda is the perfect refreshment after exercise or adventure. (Hmm. OK.) They disagree about flavors, and be warned: it might get loud.
Travelers may think of the Himalaya and Patagonia when it comes to life-list trekking. But the Huayhuash circuit in Peru is an equally spectacular cultural immersion and takes you by the mountain made famous in the film Touching the Void.
Sun hoodies are the multi-tool of the hiker’s wardrobe, but they often get gross, fast. Not Coalatree’s new Suray.
The results, however hilarious, remind us how hikers destigmatize the body
Joe “Kanga” Harvey was last seen heading toward the Connecticut River, where his body was later retrieved
The veteran hiker takes us through his three-day attempt, which saw him battle bladder problems and extreme exhaustion
The next time you find yourself camping by a wild body of water, catch your own dinner with this packable fly fishing kit
The Granite State has the right to bill hikers for the cost of their rescue, if officials deem them to be reckless in the outdoors
Each year, Big City Mountaineers changes thousands of kids’ lives by bringing them on their first outdoor adventures. You can make it happen for another.
People keep falling into outdoor latrines while rescuing lost phones. Our editors list the belongings they would fish out of an outdoor crapper—and which ones they’d leave behind.
Your guide to all-things Long Trail for your upcoming thru-hike
Lessons learned during a stroll through London’s narrow streets and soaring parks
There’s a reason a strenuous outing makes you desire a greasy mound of meat: it has a lot of what your body needs
Don’t whack a golf ball off one either, or chuck a Frisbee, or do anything else that jeopardizes the safety of your fellow hikers
Ten years after the publication of ‘Wild,’ the beloved author shares her thoughts on the haters who thought she was unprepared, the transformative power of doing big things, and where Monster is now