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See also menus of National Park Trips, Family Adventures, and International Trips at The Big Outside.
Alaska
Back to the Ice Age: Sea Kayaking Alaska’s Glacier Bay
Arizona
The Best Backpacking Trip in the Grand Canyon
Fit to be Tired: Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim in a Day
April Fools: Dayhiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim
Backpacking the Grand Canyon’s Thunder River-Deer Creek Loop
Not Quite Impassable: Backpacking the Grand Canyon’s Royal Arch Loop
A Matter of Perspective: A Father-Daughter Hike in the Grand Canyon
Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Please follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.
One Extraordinary Day: A 25-Mile Dayhike in the Grand Canyon
The 10 Best Backpacking Trips in the Southwest
Best Dayhikes in the Southwest
The Quicksand Chronicles: Backpacking Paria Canyon
Dropping Into the Grand Canyon: A Four-Day Hike From Grandview Point to the South Kaibab Trail
Ask Me: Where Should Our Family Backpack in the Grand Canyon?
Ask Me: How’s November For Hiking in the Grand Canyon?
Ask Me: What Backpacking Trips Do You Suggest in the Grand Canyon and Southern Utah?
Ask Me: Can You Recommend a Big Dayhike in the Grand Canyon?
Plan your next great backpacking adventure in Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Grand Teton and other flagship parks using my expert e-guides.
Ask Me: Which Dayhike or Two-Day Backpacking Trip Should Our Family Take in the Grand Canyon?
Ask Me: Backpacking Trips With an 11-Year-Old
California
The 10 Best Dayhikes in Yosemite
The 5 Best Backpacking Trips in Yosemite
Where to Backpack First Time in Yosemite
Best of Yosemite, Part 1: Backpacking South of Tuolumne Meadows
Best of Yosemite, Part 2: Backpacking Remote Northern Yosemite
Ask Me: Hiking Yosemite’s Half Dome
Ask Me: Where Can I Hike in Yosemite in Late Fall?
The Magic of Hiking to Yosemite’s Waterfalls
Heavy Lifting: Backpacking Sequoia National Park
Ask Me: Backpacking in Sequoia National Park
A Mind-Boggling Chunk of Lonely: Backpacking in Death Valley National Park
Thru-Hiking the John Muir Trail in Seven Days: Amazing Experience, Or Certifiably Insane?
Ask Me: Questions From a 55-Year-Old Woman First Time Hiking the John Muir Trail
Ask Me: How Early in the Season Can I Hike the John Muir Trail?
Ask Me: What Are Your Top Picks For Long Backpacking Trips?
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In the Footsteps of John Muir: Finding Solitude in the High Sierra
Ask Me: Is June Too Early For Hiking Mount Whitney and in Yosemite?
Facing the Biggest Challenge Inside: Friendship and Climbing Rocks at Joshua Tree National Park
In the Land of Dr. Seuss: Exploring Joshua Tree
Like a good, hot soak? Find the best hot springs in California at calihotsprings.com!
Roof of the High Sierra: A Father-Son Climb of California’s Mount Whitney
Ask Me: 7 Great, Uncrowded Places to Hike
Trail Running Across Marin: Four Days, 42 Miles, Inn-to-Inn
Ask Me: Backpacking Trips With an 11-Year-Old
Colorado
The 5 Rules About Kids I Broke While Backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park
Ask Me: Should I Go Backpacking Solo (in Rocky Mountain National Park)?
Best Hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park and near Breckenridge
Ask Me: What Should We Do on a Trip to Colorado, Yellowstone, and the Southwest?
Why Conservation Matters: Rafting the Green River’s Gates of Lodore
Exploring America’s Big Sandbox: Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes
Where’s Best For Backpacking Photos, Glacier, Tetons, Rocky Mountain, or Cascades?
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Connecticut
Ask Me: What Are Your Favorite New England Hikes?
Florida
Like No Other Place: Paddling the Everglades
Idaho
The Best of Idaho’s Sawtooths: Backpacking Redfish to Pettit
Jewels of the Sawtooths: Backpacking to Alice, Hell Roaring, and Imogene Lakes
The Best Hikes and Backpacking Trips in Idaho’s Sawtooths
I’ve helped many readers plan an unforgettable backpacking trip in the Sawtooths. Want my help with yours? Find out more here.
America’s Newest Long Trail: The Idaho Wilderness Trail
Going After Goals: Backpacking Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains
Roof of Idaho’s Sawtooths: Hiking Thompson Peak
Hidden Paradise: Backcountry Skiing Idaho’s Sawtooths
Chasing Summer’s Tail Climbing in Idaho’s Sawtooths and Castle Rocks
Hell Hath No Fury: The Stark Beauty, Solitude, and Surprises of Hells Canyon
Head in the Clouds: Thinking About Wilderness On a Big Dayhike In Idaho’s White Cloud Mountains
Exploring a Wilderness Hopeful: Idaho’s White Cloud Mountains
Ask Me: What Backpacking Trip Do You Recommend in Idaho’s White Cloud Mountains?
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Big Water, Big Wilderness: Rafting Idaho’s Incomparable Middle Fork Salmon River
Reunions of the Heart on Idaho’s Middle Fork Salmon River
Photo Gallery: Idaho’s Craters of the Moon
Chasing the Snow: A Meditation on How ‘Compressed Adventure’ Can Be Your Salvation
Growing Up On Skis: Two Families, Yurts, and Many Memories
Key Ingredient to Family Yurt Trip: What’s Missing
Snowstorms, Skinny Skis, Yurts, and a Family Tradition
The Wildest River: Kayaking the Upper Owyhee
Wild Back Yard: Trails of the Boise Foothills
A 12-Year-Old’s First Time Skiing Wild Snow
An Ode to Favorite Spots Most People Don’t Know: Backcountry Skiing Mores Creek Summit
Maine
Ask Me: What Are Your Favorite New England Hikes?
A Path Too Far: Hiking Maine’s Mahoosuc Range in a Day
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Massachusetts
Ask Me: What Are Your Favorite New England Hikes?
Montana
Descending the Food Chain: Backpacking Glacier National Park’s Northern Loop
Wildness All Around You: Backpacking the CDT Through Glacier
Jagged Peaks, Mountain Lakes, and Wild Goats: A 3-Day Hike on Glacier’s Gunsight Pass Trail
The 6 Best Long Hikes in Glacier National Park
Get my expert e-guides to the best backpacking trip in Glacier
and backpacking the Continental Divide Trail through Glacier.
Ask Me: What Hikes Do You Suggest For Three Days in Glacier National Park?
Ask Me: If I Have One Day in Glacier National Park, What Hike Should I Take?
Ask Me: Looking For a Moderate, Three-Day Backpacking Trip in Glacier National Park
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Ask Me: How to Grab a Hard-to-Get Permit For Backpacking Glacier’s Gunsight Pass Trail
Where’s Best For Backpacking Photos, Glacier, Tetons, Rocky Mountain, or Cascades?
Ask Me: How Hard Are the Trails in Glacier National Park?
Ask Me: Tips on Backpacking Glacier National Park and the John Muir Trail
New Hampshire
Still Crazy After All These Years: Hiking in the White Mountains
Being Stupid With Friends: A 32-Mile Dayhike in the White Mountains
Big Hearts, Big Day: A 17-Mile Hike With Teens in the Presidential Range
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The Hardest 20 Miles: A Dayhike Across New Hampshire’s Rugged Wildcat-Carter-Moriah Range
Ask Me: What Are Your Favorite New England Hikes?
Backpacking the Appalachian Trail Across New Hampshire
North Carolina
In the Garden of Eden: Backpacking the Great Smoky Mountains
The 12 Best Dayhikes Along North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway
Oregon
Learning the Hard Way: Backpacking Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness
Full of Surprises: Backpacking Mount Hood’s Timberline Trail
Nature In Your Face: Hiking in the Columbia Gorge
Photo Gallery: A Big Day in the Columbia Gorge
Stacking the Deck for Adventure: Rafting Oregon’s Wallowa and Grand Ronde Rivers
Bottomless Powder, Big Ski Lines in Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains
The Wildest River: Kayaking the Upper Owyhee
Hell Hath No Fury: The Stark Beauty, Solitude, and Surprises of Hells Canyon
A great adventure deserves a good, hot soak. Find the best hot springs in Oregon at soakoregon.com!
Utah
The 10 Best Backpacking Trips in the Southwest
The Best Hikes in Utah’s National Parks
The Quicksand Chronicles: Backpacking Paria Canyon
The Best Hiking and Backpacking in Zion National Park
Pilgrimage Across Zion: Traversing a Land of Otherworldly Scenery
Mid-Life Crisis: Hiking 50 Miles Across Zion in a Day
No Straight Lines: Backpacking and Hiking in Canyonlands and Arches National Parks
Why Conservation Matters: Rafting the Green River’s Gates of Lodore
I can help you plan the best backpacking, hiking, or family adventure of your life. Click here now to learn more.
Luck of the Draw, Part 1: Hiking Zion’s Subway
Luck of the Draw, Part 2: Backpacking Zion’s Narrows
Still Waters Run Deep: Tackling America’s Best Multi-Day Float Trip on the Green River
Click here now to get my expert e-guide to Backpacking Zion’s Narrows.
Photo Gallery: The Best Hike in Bryce Canyon
The Most Beautiful Hike You’ve Never Heard Of: Crossing Utah’s Capitol Reef
Playing the Memory Game in Southern Utah’s Escalante, Capitol Reef, and Bryce Canyon
Ancient and Modern Folly: Backpacking Utah’s Dark Canyon
Ask Me: What’s Your Favorite Backpacking Trip in Zion National Park?
Plunging Into Solitude: Dayhiking, Slot Canyoneering, and Backpacking in Capitol Reef
Ask Me: Where Should We Backpack in Capitol Reef?
Vermont
Ask Me: What Are Your Favorite New England Hikes?
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Washington
Primal Wild: Backpacking 80 Miles Through the North Cascades
Wild Heart of the Glacier Peak Wilderness: Backpacking the Spider Gap-Buck Creek Pass Loop
The Wildest Shore: Backpacking the Southern Olympic Coast
Three Generations, One Big Volcano: Pushing Limits on Mount St. Helens
Nature In Your Face: Hiking in the Columbia Gorge
Favorite Dayhikes at Mount Rainier National Park
Exploring the “American Alps:” The North Cascades
Ask Me: Where Should We Backpack Around Sahale Glacier Camp in the North Cascades?
Ask Me: Where Should We Backpack With Kids in North Cascades National Park?
Completely Alone on Mount Rainier’s Northern Loop
Wildflowers, Waterfalls, and Giant Slugs at Mount Rainier
Ask Me: 7 Great, Uncrowded Places to Hike
Ask Me: Backpacking Trips With an 11-Year-Old
Ask Me: Advice About North Cascades, Olympic, and Mount Rainier National Parks and Mount St. Helens
Ask Me: What Are Your Favorite Hikes at Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks?
Ask Me: What Are Your Top Picks For Long Backpacking Trips?
Where’s Best For Backpacking Photos, Glacier, Tetons, Rocky Mountain, or Cascades?
Ask Me: What Are Your Favorite Places in the Northwest and Northern Rockies?
Wyoming
The Ultimate Family Tour of Yellowstone
In Hot (and Cold) Water: Backpacking Yellowstone’s Bechler Canyon
Ask Me: The 10 Best Short Hikes in Yellowstone
Ask Me: The Best Multi-Day Wilderness Trips in Yellowstone
Cross-Country Skiing Yellowstone
The Best-Laid Plans: A Weeklong Ski Traverse in Yellowstone… and a Monster Snowstorm
A Wonderful Obsession: Backpacking the Teton Crest Trail
American Classic: The Teton Crest Trail
Walking Familiar Ground: Reliving Old Memories and Making New Ones on the Teton Crest Trail
Plan your next great backpacking trip in Yosemite, Grand Teton, and other parks using my expert e-guides.
8 Great Big Dayhikes in the Tetons
Ask Me: Backpacking the Teton Crest Trail
Ask Me: Hiking Across Grand Teton National Park in a Day
Rediscovering a Sense of Wonder: Backcountry Skiing the Tetons
Ask Me: Can You Suggest a Backpacking Trip in the Tetons That Won’t Be Hard to Get a Permit For?
Ask Me: Advice on Backpacking in Grand Teton National Park
Ask Me: How Do We Make a Big Backpacking Trip (on the Teton Crest Trail) As Enjoyable As Possible?
Best of the Wind River Range: Backpacking to Titcomb Basin
A Walk in the Winds: Hiking a One-Day, 27-Mile Traverse of Wyoming’s Wind River Range
Ask Me: What Backpacking Trip Do You Suggest in the Wind River Range?