Hiking & Climbing

As Keen’s ultimate outdoor sandal turns 15, we’re celebrating with a round-up of our favorite outdoor treks and the shoes we’d take along for the ride.

Next time something snaps, rips or leaks, reach not for your credit card, but for a quality gear repair kit.

Whether we’re headed out for a weekend trip or a thru-hike, these items always make our packing list.

Washing a down sleeping bag (or a down jacket) is simpler than you might think.

What better way to spend time with your little one than tossing them in a pack and hitting the trail?

Climbing Grand Teton with Exum Mountain Guides is akin to taking a lap around Monte Carlo in a Ferrari with Michael Schumacher.

Gore-Tex’s latest technology is their new “C-Knit” fabric, which will debut in Gore-Tex-equipped jackets in 2015.

The North Cascades aren’t exactly user friendly. There are no drive-up views for the minivan crowd.

Nearly one in three Koreans hike on a monthly basis — some consider it an “addiction” — where weekends at trailheads are backlogged with eager hikers dressed in brightly colored mountaineering gear. But several paces in, trails unfurl a multitude of unique sights to Westerners accustomed to sweeping landscapes.

We found the 15 best day hikes near major cities in the South.

With the Appalachians to the east and Rockies to the west, the relatively flat American Midwest doesn’t call to mind a hiking destination. But that’s dead wrong.

GP contributor Chris Burkard and friends explore the canyons of Zion National Park’s Birch Hollow, Orderville Canyon and the Narrows on a day-long microadventure.

A guide to ultralight hiking: rethinking pack weight, preparedness, safety and more.

The summer before his senior year at Duke University, Andrew Skurka thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, his first ever backpacking trip, alone and in only 95 days (that’s 23 miles a day). He had caught the bug.

Stick anyone next to a cliff and they’ll inch forward and peek over; put anyone in a supercar and they’ll double the speed limit. We all want to stay safe and comfortable, sure, but in those moments when we lose our footing and time slows to a crawl, we are undeniably living in the moment.

Over the years we’ve owned a number of different hiking boots in a continuous search for just the right balance of sufficient support, stability, and grip without being so rigid and heavy that they feel like Tony Soprano concrete specials.

There are big-name brands in the outdoor clothing market that turn out lustworthy, cutting-edge shells, baselayers and insulation pieces season after season. But every once in a while, we stumble upon a small brand doing things a little bit differently yet equally well.

For thru-hikers of the AT, the White Mountains are a cruel joke, coming near the end of a months-long journey that begins in the gentle hills of Georgia. With nary a flat mile the trail follows the spine of the Presidential Range before exiting into Maine and the final miles to Katahdin.

The rotor wash from a Bell 212 helicopter is startlingly strong. Though I was getting used to the pick up and drop off routine — kneel, huddle together, cover your face — every time the helicopter landed I was nearly blown off my feet.

Retro gear is retro for a reason: modern outdoor gear design performs better than its forebears in almost all respects. But we still have a soft spot for the leather, wool, canvas alpine designs of the 1950s and ‘60s — you know, before things got all sleek and neon.