
15 Best Day Hikes: Readers’ Choice Edition
Here they are: the 15 best day hikes, as told by our readers. All of the words and images below are straight from your submissions to our GP best hikes competition.

Here they are: the 15 best day hikes, as told by our readers. All of the words and images below are straight from your submissions to our GP best hikes competition.
By J. Travis Smith

Packing perfectly for the Baja Peninsula in Mexico means being prepared for everything — because anything can, and will, happen.
By Bradley Hasemeyer

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

A skill that every self-reliant camper should know.
By Jack Seemer

For hikers, cyclists, and backpackers, a Trangia spirit (alcohol) burning stove is a proven option for any number of different overnight excursions. But even so, the variety of sizes, materials and accessories within Trangia’s product line is burdening for anyone in the market, or simply in consideration of an upgrade.
By Jack Seemer

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

Leave it to an Alaskan to invent a new way to drink alcohol outdoors.
By J. Travis Smith

What do hikers, disaster survivors and Walter White have in common? They all need to communicate without a cell tower.
By J. Travis Smith

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.
By J. Travis Smith

Hammocks are supposed to call to mind carefree days of swinging lazily in the shade of coconut trees, while gentle tropical breezes toss sea-green waves onto sugar-white sand beaches.
By Peter Koch

You know it’s time for another Outdoor Retailer show when South Main Street in Salt Lake City is populated by fat bikes, single-wheeled skateboards and tan people with good beards.
By Jeremy Berger

The beauty of the West isn’t up for debate: it’s ubiquitous, grandiose and unchallenged. But hidden within these 13 states are secrets that can’t be seen driving an SUV through the “scenic” route.
By Tucker Bowe

A guide to ultralight hiking: rethinking pack weight, preparedness, safety and more.
By J. Travis Smith

Obsessive weight-trimmers with less than 10 pounds strapped to their backs are considered “ultralight” hikers, a term as ubiquitous and unregulated in the hiking retail market as “organic” and “grass fed” are in the food industry.
By J. Travis Smith

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.
By J. Travis Smith