Edgar McGregor - Climate Activist

Two years ago, Edgar McGregor, 20, decided he’d seen enough litter. The epiphany came as he hiked Eaton Canyon Trail in his favorite Los Angeles area park. As soon as he was out of the woods, he grabbed a 5-gallon bucket and started picking up trash. He’s now notched more than 650 near-consecutive days of service, picked up thousands of pounds of garbage, and earlier this year, finally declared Eaton clean (for the moment). His work garnered widespread praise, including a shout-out from youth climate activist Greta Thunberg. But McGregor is just getting started.

Stop and Smell the Wildflowers

Hiking is about living in the moment, not speed.

Unquarantine Your Muscles

Your body may have changed during a year of staying home. And even if your physical fitness has remained constant, your neurological connections may have weakened from a lack of stimuli. It’s time to shake off the sluggishness with this workout designed to get your body moving. Include it in your exercise routine every other week.

Kilimanjaro: But First, Soccer

Our writer sought meditation on Africa’s tallest peak. What she found was something even more meaningful: fun.

Samaritan Search and Rescue

In June of 2020, ultrarunner Jeremy Humphrey used his intimate knowledge of his local mountain range to rescue a missing hiker.

Learning Who I Am Not, the Hard Way

One hiker finds his limits in Mexico’s Tararecua Canyon.

Long Trail – Go Big

How I got my footing back as a 300-pound adventurer on the Long Trail.

Eye of the Storm

Foul-weather backcountry days have an allure all their own.

Falling Over a Cliff

Courtney Henderson, 19, and Gavin Caruso, 23, fell 50 feet during a storm in June of 2020. Only one survived.

Emily Ford – Thru-Hiker

Late last December, Emily Ford, 28, of Duluth, Minnesota, took her first steps on Wisconsin’s 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail with a borrowed sled dog named Diggins. “I was laid off from my job as head gardener at the Glensheen Mansion, and I took full advantage,” she says. Ten weeks later, she became the first woman and second person ever to thru-hike the IAT in winter.

America's Friendlist Summits

Some high points require expert skill, a bit of luck, and probably some suffering. Not these. Here are 15 peaks—high on views, low on effort—that don’t play hard to get.

Breathe, Repeat Hike

A pilgrim seeking peace and purpose on Spain’s famed Camino de Santiago finds much more.

The Last Best Place

Add your voice to the call to protect Montana’s Gallatin Range, a critical–but unprotected–habitat bordering Yellowstone National Park.

The Long Way Down

Active Pass member Robin Mino takes the rocky route on the descent from Huemul Pass to Lake Viedma in Patagonia.

Finding Home

Our writer reconciles her family and her future on the path to Harding Icefield.

Now Blooming

Flowers aren’t just for meadows. Look up to see spring among the branches.

Liz “snorkel” Thomas – Hiking Icon

Thomas has thru-hiked more than 20 long trails, including the Pacific Crest, Continental Divide and Appalachian Trails (the Triple Crown). On top of that, she set a fastest known time on the AT for an unsupported woman and has completed dozens of urban thru-hikes as well. This issue, she joins Backpacker as a contributing editor. Here’s some of Thomas’s best advice and insight fed by more than 20,000 trail miles.

Tuna Melt Crunchwrap

Put a backcountry spin on a fast food cult favorite.

Out in the Open

In one of America’s least visited national parks, I find my authentic self.

Fire and Ice

Find alpine bliss halfway through this snowshoe beneath an active volcano on Artist Point Trail in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington.

A Moment in Time

The climb up Mauna Loa’s volcanically shifting landscape is never quite the same, no matter how many times you do it.

Drop Weight

The old backpacker’s adage is that the lightest gear is what you carry between your ears: your brain. Ultralight gear often requires more know-how than traditional gear. Here’s how a Triple Crowner approaches her packing strategy.

The BEST NIGHT OF YOUR LIFE

The national parks are our national treasure, and these 10 campsites are the best they have to offer. Hike in, pick up your jaw, and post up in paradise.

Slide for Life

Taylor Gibler, 26, barreled towards frozen peril after stumbling on Mt. Baker in June of 2020.

Rising Above

Two gutsy climbers tackle South America’s highest summit.

Working Remote

See the world through the viewfinder of one of the world’s foremost adventure photographers.

Warm Up to Winter

Backpacking is so many things. It’s a leisure pursuit, a way to connect with nature, an athletic feat, a means of forging bonds with your friends and family, a problem-solving game, an escape, a subculture . . . Realistically, it’s something unique to every hiker. Because, above all, it’s a pull from within to get out there, and that’s a very individual thing.

Who's Afraid of Winter?

Two fair-weather enthusiasts tear down their fear of the fourth season.

Play List

THIS SEASON’S TOP TRIPS & PICKS

Shattered on the pacific Crest Trail

When they wake up broke, broken, and far from home, how do thru-hikers find the will to go another mile?