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Mountain Lakes of the High Sierra—A Photo Gallery
By Michael Lanza It seems a fool’s wager to guess how many mountain lakes exist in the High Sierra, the range that reaches heights over 14,000 feet and spans some 200 miles through eastern California from Lake Tahoe to south of Sequoia National Park, including Yosemite and Kings Canyon national... -
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10 Awe-Inspiring Wild Places in America’s West
By Michael Lanza Over more than three decades of backpacking adventures throughout America’s West, I’ve been fortunate to explore deeply into our most cherished national parks, wilderness areas, and protected backcountry. All of them are special. But some places rise above the rest, inspiring a... -
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Review: Nemo Hornet Elite Osmo 1p Ultralight Tent
Ultralight Solo Backpacking Tent Nemo Hornet Elite Osmo 1p $550, 1 lb. 7 oz./657g backcountry.com From the Grand Canyon’s Gems Route to Montana’s Beartooth Mountains, Nemo’s top-of-the-line Hornet Elite Osmo 1p solo ultralight tent withstood winds gusting to around 30 mph/48 kph and shrugged... -
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How to Prevent Hypothermia While Hiking and Backpacking
By Michael Lanza Rain and wind battered two friends and I as we hiked across exposed meadows high in the Olympic Mountains—our second straight day of heavy rain. Dripping, knee-high vegetation ladled cups of water onto our pants and boots. My rain jacket kept my upper body dry, but my... -
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7 Pro Tips For Keeping Your Backpacking Gear Dry
By Michael Lanza From the rainforests of the North Cascades and Olympic National Park to powerful thunderstorms in the High Sierra and Wind River Range and steady New England rain, from the Tour du Mont Blanc to Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail to New Zealand (lead photo, above) and many more places... -
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12 Expert Tips for Staying Warm and Dry Hiking in Rain
By Michael Lanza There are only three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and at some point, getting rained on when dayhiking or backpacking. As we all know, wet clothing conducts heat away from your body, making you colder. Staying as dry as possible while on the trail or in camp is key to... -
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The Two Best Hikes in Bryce Canyon National park
By Michael Lanza Bryce Canyon’s relatively easy, nearly three-mile Navajo Loop/Queens Garden Loop regularly draws a steady stream of hikers for good reason, with constant views of hoodoos—the multi-colored, limestone, sandstone, and mudstone spires that look like giant, melting candles... -
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The Best Hikes in Capitol Reef National Park
By Michael Lanza Chances are, when you think about hiking in southern Utah, Capitol Reef National Park does not come to mind first. Or maybe even second or third. Ask many hikers and national parks fans to list Utah’s Big 5 parks—the others being Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and Canyonlands—and... -
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The 12 Best Dayhikes Along North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway
By Michael Lanza I’m a hiking snob—I admit it. I want all of the hiking trips I take to feature five-star scenery. And for years, I’ve done most of my dayhiking and backpacking in the American West, with its vast wildernesses and infinite vistas, so I’m a little spoiled. But a weeklong trip to... -
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Review: Rab Downpour Light Waterproof Jacket
Ultralight Rain Jacket Rab Downpour Light Waterproof Jacket $165, 7.7 oz./219g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL (8-16) backcountry.com Two startingly loud, sharp, and sustained crackles of thunder and a flash of lightning gave us about a two-minute warning before the skies... -
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Review: Black Diamond First Light Stretch Hoody
Hooded, Breathable Insulated Jacket Black Diamond First Light Stretch Hoody $299, 14 oz./397g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-XL blackdiamondequipment.com Campsite temperatures below freezing in Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness in October and around 40° F in Montana’s Beartooth... -
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Backpacking Glacier National Park—a Photo Gallery
By Michael Lanza If you have ever backpacked in Glacier National Park, you know you want to return. If you haven’t yet, then isn’t it time? One of America’s flagship national parks, it’s a must-see destination for backpackers because of the eye-popping scenery, remoteness, and an extremely rare... -
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The Best Rain Jackets for Hiking and Backpacking of 2025
By Michael Lanza Shop for a rain jacket for dayhiking, backpacking, trail running, or climbing in the backcountry and you’ll see shells for adults ranging in price from under $100 to over $500 and in weight from less than half a pound/227 grams to over a pound/454 grams—with just as huge and... -
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Review: Sea to Summit Spark Pro -9C/15F Sleeping Bag
Ultralight Sleeping Bag Sea to Summit Spark Pro -9C/15F Bag $649, 1 lb. 11 oz./765.4g (regular) Sizes: unisex regular and long ($689) seatosummit.com We woke up from our first night in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains in mid-September, at well over 10,000 feet beside a creek that sang soft... -
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12 Wonderful National Park Adventures to Take With Kids
By Michael Lanza America’s 63 national parks preserve over 52 million acres of uniquely beautiful and genuinely awe-inspiring places in nature, and the payoff for our country’s foresight in protecting them is a lifetime’s worth of unforgettable experiences—many of them entirely feasible, safe... -
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Review: BioLite Firepit+ Portable Backyard Fire Pit and Grill
Portable Backyard/Camping Firepit and Grill BioLite Firepit+ $250, 20 lbs./9kg backcountry.com Many of us learned a lot about what we liked during the pandemic and many of those newly discovered or rediscovered likes have stayed with us—like sitting out in the back yard to eat and socialize. We... -
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Backpacking the Maze in Canyonlands—A Photo Gallery
By Michael Lanza With our first steps on the descent from Maze Overlook into the labyrinth of mostly dry desert canyons that comprise one of the greatest geological oddities in the National Park System—the Maze in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park—we had to remove and pass our backpacks over a... -
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How to Get a Permit to Backpack in the Grand Canyon
By Michael Lanza First-time backpackers in the Grand Canyon quickly absorb two lessons about this one-of-a-kind place. Foremost, the canyon’s infinite vistas and deceptive scale, the beauty of desert oases and wildflower blooms, the peacefulness and quietude of some of the best wilderness... -
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9 Epic Grand Canyon Backpacking Trips You Must Do
By Michael Lanza This is, in a way, a story about obsession. Or a love affair. Or both. Those metaphors best describe how the Grand Canyon constantly lures me back when I’m thinking about spring and fall hiking and backpacking trips. It is that rare kind of natural environment that exists on a... -
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Backpacking the Teton Crest Trail—A Photo Gallery
By Michael Lanza As we hiked up the North Fork of Cascade Canyon on the Teton Crest Trail in Grand Teton National Park, moments after the path emerged from the forest into a meadow strewn with boulders and still dappled with blooming wildflowers in late August, my friend David turned to look...