Trips

Hiking with Tripod on the Colorado Trail

Field Notes: Curry and Fire

A curry dinner explodes during this overnight trek inspired by a winter storm warning.

Field Notes: Careening into Winter

Join Ryan Jordan and a demon virus on a trip that brings early-season winter to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Home Range: A Place that Keeps the Wild in Your Life

Drew Smith reflects on hiking in the places close to home as he explores a nearby mountain drainage during all seasons.

Falling Stones at Two Goat Camp

Andrew Marshall's account of a Wonderland Trail thru-hike at the intersection of permits, wildfires, the birth of his son, and trauma.

Lunar Eclipse at Craters of the Moon National Monument

Observing a lunar phenomenon in an otherworldly landscape provides a sense of awe distinct from typical backpacking trips

MYTHing the PCT in a Time of Change

Searching for grace and gratitude through the smoke.

Pushing the SOS button on the Garmin inReach Mini in Jasper National Park

"I was suddenly seized by an inability to breathe: the world went black and I was bent over gasping for air, then passed out and collapsed, falling into the marsh."

Trouble Behind

Enriching friendship through fishing and adventure in Colorado’s Middle Park.

Walking the Great Rift Valley

Heat, army ants, and stupendous views await Jeff de Graffenried as he treks through South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.

Cutting it Short in the Lost River Range

Mark Wetherington confronts the novelty of bailing on a trip after things don't go as planned in Idaho's Lost River Range.

The Blue Lights of the San Rafael Swell

Sometimes we backpack to get a taste of the unknowable: blue lights and pictographs in the San Rafael Swell.

Finding Meaning on the Green River

Ben Kilbourne hikes and packrafts along the Green River in Wyoming.

A Walk in the Park: 100 Miles Across the Wilds of Kafue National Park

An off-trail trek through a Zambian wildlife preserve.

Searching for the Light

After the year of darkness that was 2020, I needed to walk in the light of the Mojave desert.

Blood Moon on the Border

An off-trail borderlands odyssey during a lunar eclipse in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

Off-Season on the Oregon Coast Trail

Tides, blowdowns, and sunsets abound as Maggie Slepian and two friends tackle the quirky and challenging Oregon Coast Trail.

Salamander Song

Rediscovering the Great Smoky Mountains by lens and brush.

Escape from COVID-19 at Corona Ridge

Longtime Backpacking Light author Emylene VanderVeldon takes on a suspiciously-named untraversed route, one of the most difficult she’s ever attempted.

Land of Fur and Fire: the Yellowstone Caldera Loop

With Covid-19 necessitating an unsupported hike, we undertook an ambitious loop through the geysers and lakes of the Yellowstone Caldera.