Hiking
Archive
Get outside for a night (or two) with this roundup of backpacking must-dos
How a father-son trip to Yosemite conquered my fear of hiking, bears, and falling off chairlifts
We asked hikers for advice on how to readjust to life after the trail
New to backpacking, or never been? Make your next trip (or your first) a success by answering these questions beforehand.
From in-town trails to nearby epics, hiking thrives in and around these urban epicenters
Alpine scrambles and beachfront strolls; multi-day singletrack adventures and quick urban escapes; soaring trees and rolling sand dunes—every state in the country has something to offer intrepid hikers. So we rounded up a bucket-list-worthy, best-of-the-best guide.
Olde Virden's Red Hot pepper flakes turn even the rankest dehydrated meal into mouthwatering fare
The Garden State doesn't usually bring to mind bucolic wilderness. But if you ask people in the know, that's only because you've been looking in the wrong place.
New owners are revitalizing Shaw's, the beloved hostel on the Appalachian Trail
How will a snowy winter affect your summertime high-country plans in the High Sierra and southern Rockies?
Ancient European pilgrimages. Coastal treks along jungle isles. Surprising Rocky Mountain summits. Checking off any of these bucket-list hikes is sure to be the experience of a lifetime.
Epic ultras in the Alps. An urban loop in running's most beloved city. High desert treks through the American Southwest. These are without a doubt the best runs on the planet.
On July 17, 2017, thru-hiker Joe McConaughy set out to claim the fastest known time for a self-supported traverse of the Appalachian Trail
It's so good that you'll start making it at home, too
Violinist-pianist duo Anastasia Allison and Rose Freeman hike into the wilderness and often play for no audience other than nature
The hiking duo Her Odyssey highlight their journey from Patagonia to Colombia by nonmotorized travel
You're probably doing it wrong. And even if you aren't, it won't work anyway.
Setting an FKT is already badass. But what these Fastest Known Time award winners pulled off on the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail is downright awe-inspiring.
Food is heavy. Don't carry it for miles while backpacking just to let something else eat it.
‘Climbing Giants,’ from Red Carpet Producciones, features runner Bárbara Koch summiting Misti and Chachani, two volcanoes in Peru
In 2018, thru-hiker Tyler Lau set out to be the first person of color to complete what’s known as the triple crown in one year
This summer at the southern terminus of the PCT, photographer Ian Tuttle asked a bunch of thru-hikers why they were hiking. Months later and 2,591 miles to the north, he found some of them again and asked what they’d learned about themselves. Turns out, six months in the wilderness is a pretty good crash course in philosophy.
Two hikers just set the only known times on the country's newest state-spanning trail system
The residents of Atlantic City, Wyoming, are just fine being off the grid. But Continental Divide Trail thru-hikers are revitalizing the town in surprising ways.
What the new data says about how long the average hiker takes, what they drink, and how tired they get
The difference between capturing good and great shots comes down to the smallest details
The 34-year-old teacher reportedly died at the hands of a drug cartel
Only five others—all men—have completed the thru-hiker’s Holy Grail in fewer than 365 days
Photographer Tommy Corey spent the summer shooting Hiker Trash Vogue, a photo project featuring thru-hikers as models—minus wardrobe changes and plus a lot of dirt
The 34-year-old from North Carolina hasn't been heard from in more than a week
Iraq War veteran Will Robinson had to do something drastic to save his own life. So he started hiking…and he hasn’t stopped since.
Told here in full for the first time, this is the horrifying story of the first murder on the Appalachian Trail, the kidnapping that followed, and how one woman learned to survive.
The bodies of Garret Bonkowski and Jessica Bartz were discovered on October 1 on a South Rim trail. How they died remains a mystery, and their families want answers.
The route patches together portions of five other thru-hikes and includes sections of trail-less meandering through the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. It's no wonder that only one person has ever completed it—yet.
As America wrestles with high rates of suicide among military personnel and veterans, outdoor programs have been offered up as a promising treatment. Dan Sidles seemed like the ideal candidate: an Iraq War vet who suffered from PTSD, he tried to find a renewed sense of purpose through climbing and mountaineering. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough. Brian Mockenhaupt explores the final years of a tortured friend.
This loop through Yosemite could just be the finest high-altitude thru-hike in the country
Want to take the kids along? Follow these tips from families who've done it the long way.
Sue Johnston has been setting FKTs for decades and inspired a generation of ultrarunners along the way. If you've never heard her name before, that's by design.
Four women head into the wilds of Scotland seeking headspace and an opportunity to unplug.
Lightheaded or feeling woozy? Trekking companies are convincing tourists it's an emergency and making tens of thousands off the insurance claims.
Karel Sabbe set a new record of 41 days, 7 hours, and 39 minutes. And he did it without much money or fanfare, proving that you just gotta run like hell.
A few strategies to keep you on the trail this summer
Avery Shawler left her Idaho apartment one morning in 2016 to hike a prominent peak. But the day outing quickly took a turn for the worse, and Shawler would end up needing a lot of luck—and all her backcountry skills—to make it home alive.
From day trips to five-month treks, hiking is more popular than ever. But as the old standbys become more congested each year, there’s a new crop of trails waiting to be explored. Here are ten of our favorites, plus fresh finds for bikers, paddlers, and equestrians.
How much food do you need to bring? What kind? How do you store it? We've got answers.
Up at 4 a.m., then run the equivalent of two marathons before dusk. Now repeat that for 45 days.
From filmmakers Heliconia, Epic Trails follows adventurer Eric Hanson as he hikes through one of New Zealand’s national parks.
In wildlife management areas, hikers can glimpse animals in their natural, pristine habitat while getting off the beaten path
In Washington State, a group of researchers is mining social media posts and photos to identify overused trails and turn your next weekend adventure into a real escape
‘Hike the Line’ follows hikers Tenny Ostrem and Claire Wernstedt-Lynch as they hike from California to the Gulf of Mexico.
After six months and 2,000 miles of hiking, Tenny Ostrem and Claire Wernstedt-Lynch finally reached the Gulf of Mexico
Our columnist has eaten this simple meal on hundreds of trips. He's still not sick of it.
Getting your nature fix doesn’t have to require living in a mountain town or driving countless hours to a trailhead
The Quiet Mountain follows two hikers Neeraj Mishra and Mohan Danu as they approach Nanda Devi, India’s second-highest peak.
A survey of backpackers' tactics on the 220-mile high-country route offers insights on what works and what doesn’t
Ultrarunner Harvey Lewis is vying to clutch the fastest known time for a supported run on the 2,190-mile thru-hike—and so far he's on pace
Wildfires are going to become bigger and more frequent in the future. If you find yourself caught in one, this is what you need to do.
Holly "Cargo" Harrison survived a heart attack and a grizzly bear attack and now holds one of the most substantial FKTs ever
Nobody likes to endure pain on the trail. A writer offers helpful tips to eliminate pinching, chafes, and soreness when wearing a pack.
After thousands of trail miles, here's how our columnist makes sure he's prepared for whatever the terrain throws at him
Loved By All from Sherpas Cinema and Thule follows Apa Sherpa who is known for having summitted Everest a total of 21 times.
Military researchers have spent years calculating the energy cost of hauling a pack in various conditions. Here's how to use what they’ve found.
Filmmaker Elia Saikaly has made a number of films chronicling his experiences on Everest, this is his latest Everest: The Summit Climb.
The last two tree sitters fighting the 300-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline project in Jefferson National Forest surrendered to police. Will others take their place?
Reporter Kathryn Miles and photographer Ian Tuttle caught up with some of the people hiking the Pacific Crest Trail this year and asked them why they're hiking
Backpacking is one of our favorite ways to experience the outdoors, but embarking on your first trip can be intimidating.
Don’t have time to hike the AT? Try one of these instead.
There are plenty of ways to lighten your load this season. These tips can help shave off the ounces before tackling a long trail.
One of the craziest speed records in ultrarunning takes athletes from the top of the canyon, down to the bottom, and then all the way back up again—twice.
There is perhaps no better reward than reaching a remote and wild waterfall. Here are eight of the planet’s most breathtaking falls.
In 1965, mountaineer Jim Whittaker guided Senator Bobby Kennedy up his father’s namesake mountain, Mt. Kennedy.
In this clip from 'Coming to My Senses', Aaron Baker begins his 20-mile journey across Death Valley.
Decades of political infighting have stymied construction of the North Country Trail, which, if finished, would run for 4,600 miles. Now it looks like Congress may finally be ready to get its act together.
Last month, the university banned the Outing Club on the grounds that activities like backpacking and canoeing were too risky. But the students aren't about to disband without a fight.
While overcrowding plagues America's most popular trails, there are still places to find solitude