Fat Bear Week Is About to Kick Off. Which Bear Are You?
Fat Bear Week begins on September 22 and runs through the 29th. As always, there are worthy contenders. Take our quiz to see which bear your personality resembles.
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Be One of the First to Hike the East’s New Long Trail
The 300-mile Tiltrock Loop showcases Pennsylvania’s wild forests and rugged ridgelines
Celebrating Public Lands
Discover the trails, wild places, and stories that make America’s public lands worth exploring—and protecting.
19-Year-Old’s Fatal Fall in Yosemite Highlights Leading Cause of Accidental Death in National Parks
Ryan George, 19, died after falling near Illilouette Falls, the second fatal incident involving a young Yosemite visitor and a waterfall this summer.
5 Must-Do Gear Moves You Need to Make Before Your First Fall Hike
Don’t spend your first fall hike shivering in the dark because you forgot to prepare. Learn from my mistakes and make these quick fixes before you hit the trail.
The Gear That Backpacker’s Editors Loved in September 2026
A rugged survival knife, a lightweight pick-me-up, and a peerless pair of socks: This is the gear that helped our editors get outside this month.
A Mine Near Katmai Has Conservationists Sounding the Alarm Over Its Beloved Fat Bears
A proposed mine inside neighboring Lake Clark National Park is moving forward, raising concerns about bears and other wildlife and what development there could mean for Alaska’s protected lands.
6 Fall Hikes to Hear Bugling Elk, Yodeling Loons, and More of Nature’s Music
From raptors and cranes to bubbling mud pots, and bugling elk, these hikes put Autumn’s music on full display
Deal of the Week: Score Our Editor’s Favorite Sun Hoodie for 50 Percent Off
The REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie is light, comfortable, and has a few neat tricks up its sleeve.
10 Family-Friendly Quebec Hikes to Waterfalls, Peaks, and Magical Forests
If you’re planning a hiking vacation with young kids, Quebec's forests are the place to go.
Wildlife
The Cocaine Bear Trailer Is Wild. The Real Story Is Weirder and Sadder.
Cocaine Bear's first trailer shows a bloodthirsty, intoxicated bruin rampaging through the forest. But how much of the based-on-a-true-story movie is real?
Fitness
The Best Hiking Workouts for Every Fitness Level
Reality check: Hitting the gym is the quickest way to hike farther, easier, faster, and pain-free. Get into a routine—or take yours to the next level—with these smart workouts for three different levels.
The Best Hikes
The 101 Best Miles of Hiking in America's National Parks
America’s national parks boast thousands of stunning trail miles, but some are just a hair more amazing. Find the top 101 miles in the entire system on these 16 hikes.
Backpacking Skills
Why You Should Use Trekking Poles
Ending too many hikes with sore, wobbly legs? Trekking poles can help you make it that extra mile.
Gear Round-Ups
The Best Hiking and Backpacking Gear of Winter 2026
From blizzard-ready tents to sleeping bags that can handle the coldest nights, this is the gear you can count on this season.
Trail Guides
The Ultimate Guide to Hiking the Zion Narrows
The Narrows at Zion National Park offers an incredible adventure in America's most amazing slot canyons. Here's how to safely explore them.
Survival Skills
How to Remove and Treat Thorns, Splinters, and Other Prick Wounds
Nature can be brutal. Learn how to to deal with wounds from all kinds of thorns, spines, splinters, shards, quills, needles, and anything else that might get under your skin when you’re on the trail.
Classic Destinations
Hike Mauna Kea: The Expert Guide to Hiking Hawaii’s Highest Point
Ready to hike to the highest point in Hawaii? Ascend Mauna Kea's volcanic slopes to a summit high above the clouds. This challenging day hike is among the most spectacular on the planet.
Backpacking Gear
10 Backpacking Gear Tips We Learned the Hard Way
Get the most out of your backpacking equipment with this sage advice.
Long Trails
100 Years Ago, the Appalachian Trail Was One Man’s Dream. Now, It’s Everyone’s.
Benton MacKaye's original proposal for the Appalachian Trail came out 100 years ago. While the trail may have changed, the appeal hasn't.
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Out Alive
Real people who survived the unsurvivable
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Impossible Odds
Two friends, 8,000 trail miles, one year
Featured Story
She Became the First Woman to Complete This 3,600-Mile Thru-Hike—and Brought Thousands Along for the Journey
This September, Jessica "Stitches" Guo finished thru-hiking the Continental Divide and Great Divide Trails in one five-month push, a deep-backcountry journey that saw her spend weeks without seeing a single other person. But with tens of thousands of people following her daily videos, it was a shared experience.
Jessica “Stitches” Guo began her 30th birthday alone, in the woods, walking north towards the Canadian border.
It was the same way she had spent the last few months of her 20s, during which she hiked from the Mexican border through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana along the Continental Divide Trail. This day, however, was different.
At 1:51 p.m. on August 12, Guo reached a clearing in the trees, where stone monuments marked the U.S.-Canada border and the northern terminus of the CDT. She collapsed into tears alongside some concerned tourists. When they learned what she had just done, they applauded and helped her record a video, which would be viewed by more than half a million people on TikTok and Instagram.
For a few minutes, Guo sat, welcoming in her 30s with birthday cake Oreos and taking it all in. Then, she stood and continued into Canada. Her journey was not over. In many ways, she felt as if it were just beginning.
“Up until that point, I was like, ‘There’s a chance that I might not do this.’ I might get there and be too late or I might be too tired, or I might be too bored,” Guo says. “So for me to get there and still be feeling great, I was like, ‘All right, yeah, we can actually start the real hike now.’”
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