With the park left severely shorthanded due to staff cuts, officials have closed the Fiery Furnace hike until further notice.

Here's what a lifelong backpacker learned when she ventured into bigger terrain.

We trekked deep into canyons, forests, and mountain valleys to test these life-saving devices.

Sometimes, when you follow a path back through history, you learn about human folly, nature's indifference, and how far some people go to survive.

Two gearless "castaways" hike the Shipwreck Trail and discover that you can get on what the Pacific throws on shore, if you're creative with sea trash and have faith that Providence will provide.

With the help of a dog named Orient and a lot of determination, Bill Irwin became the first blind person to complete the Appalachian Trail.

The Maze District of Canyonlands National Park is around 30-square miles of rugged, remote red-rock canyon, twisted into a nearly impenetrable labyrinth. Writer David Sumner dives in feet-first in this 1982 story from the Backpacker archives.

"From this trip, I thought, self-reliance might grow. If it did, exploring would not be far behind."

14 testers vetted dozens of blades and tools. These nine are a cut above the rest.

For 100 years, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy has helped maintain and manage the world's most famous long trail. Through its new consulting service, it hopes to help build a few new ones.