Each year, millions of backpackers and day hikers set out to tackle all or part of the Appalachian Trail. This is the team tasked with stewarding the 71-mile section that winds through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Read More...
Fire lookout towers like the one at Rich Mountain were once the primary source of fire detection in North Carolina. Now, the Forest Fire Lookout Association, in collaboration with local nonprofits, has begun restoring them. Read More...
The new short film, “Akuna Hikes,” produced by Stept Studios and presented by Merrell, follows veteran Will Robinson’s journey to healing through hiking. Read More...
One of America’s most iconic footpaths, the Appalachian Trail travels nearly 2,200 miles between Georgia and Maine. Each year thousands of people head north from the trail’s southern terminus in an attempt to hike the whole trail in one year, but only one-fourth of them finish the journey. Read More...
We all have great expectations when we set out on a hike. We go in with preconceived notions and come out disappointed when they aren’t met. But I’ve noticed a strange trend in my hiking life: Some hikes have a way of becoming retroactively better than I had ever hoped. Read More...
Many backpackers dream of spending weeks—or even months—on trail. But most folks can’t swing the time commitment required to thru-hike classics like the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail and Continental Divide Trail. The solution? Learn to embrace the joys of section hiking. Read More...
Appalachian Trail versus Pacific Crest Trail is a serious question. But it doesn't have to be. Before you begin your next thru-hike, take this fun quiz. Read More...
Whether you’re deciding which footpath to tackle for a first thru-hike, you’ve hiked one trail and want to know how it stacks up to the other, or you just have a general curiosity, a fascination with comparing the Appalachian Trail (AT) and Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is common. Read More...
