IF I DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER, you could’ve convinced me I was standing on a floating ice chunk somewhere in the Arctic Ocean. The setting sun cast a glow on the horizon that, despite the subzero temperatures, painted everything a warm orange. Just mom

Eighty percent: That’s the amount of states’ wildlife conservation budgets that comes from hunting- and fishing-related fees, including licenses and taxes on gear. Unfortunately, the number of people who do those activities has been declining for yea

When the first issue of Backpacker debuted in the spring of 1973, William Kemsley had a simple goal: to teach people how to take care of the trail. America’s wilderness areas were experiencing the greatest surge in visitation in the nation’s history,

My most memorable adventures have always begun where the trail ended. There was the time in the Catskills when I veered off a well-beaten path in search of a shortcut to the high peaks. Two hours of bushwhacking later, I stumbled across a swimming ho

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Believe it or not, our most beloved trails and backcountry sites have changed a lot in the past five decades. In the 1970s, hiking paths were poorly maintained, the only “influencer” was Smokey Bear, and litter and vandalism were common. (Leave No Tr

For 50 years, Backpacker’s covers have graced newsstands—unfortunately, some haven’t aged as well as others. These four deserve a do-over. Oct. ’76 TFW you’re not quite ready to be photographed and it ends up on the cover Sep. ’99 The Ultimate Ultral

ON A MUGGY GEORGIA MORNING in July, a small group of hikers huddle around a log by the side of a trail. Underneath sprouts a solitary mushroom. It looks a lot like ones I’ve eaten before in fancy restaurants, with a thin top and a fanned underside. B

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Better backpacking gear is the key to going farther and faster, and to feeling more comfortable while pushing those boundaries. The very best gear is worthy of obsession, with the chops to completely change the way you play in the wild, and, in some

It’s not just about sweat.  It’s how you feel. How you plan. How you gear up. Harness the power of O+ today so you can do more of what you love: getting outside. O+ THE ONE SUBSCRIPTION TO FUEL ALL YOUR ADVENTURES  CONTENT | FILMS | HOW-TOS | GPS APS

IN MY DECADE or so of outdoor adventuring as an adult, I’ve come to the conclusion that my most memorable outdoor trips leave me frustrated. Not because I’m disappointed in the experience, but because I’m bummed that I couldn’t explore more of whatev

An old timer with a scruffy white beard under a Royal Canadian Navy hat stood in the back of the line with a toothpick protruding from the grin on his face. He watched our group of four backpackers buying last-minute candy bars at the Pacheedaht Camp

*** We re-created three DIY projects from the Backpacker archive. Plus: setting the record straight on some questionable advice we’ve given over the years. ■

For me, the horizon is a to-do list. I look west from my home in Colorado’s Front Range and tick off the inventory of peaks: Done it, done it, need it, need it, done it … oh man, gotta climb that one. And the one next to it. Those last two wishlist m

Mobility refers to the ease with which your joints move throughout their range of motion. Having mobile joints can minimize your risk of injury and lead to reduced pain while you hike. Don’t confuse mobility with flexibility: Contrary to popular beli

BIG AGNES COPPER SPUR HV UL4 $700 | 5 lbs. 11 oz. You’ve already got more than enough extra weight to contend with when backpacking with a preschooler. Thankfully, the Copper Spur HV UL4 is one of the lightest four-person tents on the market, weighin

I CAN’T recall a more anxious sunset. Color seeped out of the skylight in the branches above my campsite, and with it, hope for escape. Each advancing second brought the walls of the forest closer, while the trailhead seemed to creep farther away. So

I left the oceanside trailhead at Pensacola Beach at 4:30 in the morning and walked east along the edge of the barrier island that forms this section of Gulf Islands National Seashore. I was looking for a place where the light pollution is all but no

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, passed in 1968, was a landmark piece of legislation. For the first time in United States history, it gave Congress the power to protect rivers with “outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wil

At the top of British Columbia’s Tin Hat Mountain, the 360-degree panorama looks uncannily like Tolkien’s Middle Earth: Below me spread deep-cut fjords and hazy lakes, velvety mountains and densely forested foothills. A hobbit wouldn’t seem out of pl

Summer is the season of big hikes—the quit-your-job kind of hikes; the bucket list treks you blow all your savings on but never regret; the everyone-says-I-can’t-but-I’ll-do-it-anyway journeys. Hikes like the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide

In his documentary series “The National Parks,” filmmaker Ken Burns extolled the populist nature of what he refers to as “America’s Best Idea”—the fact that those amazing federal lands are available to people from all walks of life. But what about th

RAB KINETIC ULTRA $200 | 10 oz. (m’s M) The Kinetic Ultra is the ideal jacket for anyone who wants the stretch and breathability of a softshell and the protection of a hardshell. Its PU-coated, threelayer recycled polyester knit feels more like a sof

Backpackers cannot survive on freeze-dried meals alone. OK, you probably can, but if you don’t want to spend every trip picking from someone else’s menu, it’s time to invest in a dehydrator. These devices, which retail from $40 to over $400, help you