Places » Photo Essays

An Introduction to Packrafting in the Yellowstone River Corridor between its headwaters and Big Timber, MT. Read More...

Photos from a Scout trek across the Spanish Peaks in Southwest Montana, with some insight into how we incorporate an ultralight ethic into groups. Read More...

Photos and a Gear List from the 2012 Ultralight Backpacking Boot Camp. Read More...

The votes are counted, photos drooled over, and the top ten are in. Congrats to all who entered - the eye candy was gorgeous! Read More...

Danny Milks and Kristin Tennessen left California in September 2009 to embark upon a two-year international backpacking adventure. Follow their travels, break down their gear lists, and step into their photos for a global adventure like nothing you've ever seen! Read More...

Lightweight backpacking in Bolivia's northern Andes. Read More...

Trekking in one of the world's deepest canyons. Read More...

Escaping the "boxes" of modern society in the heart of the breathtaking Peruvian Andes. Read More...

Anyone who hikes the long trails is asked “Why go?” There are many answers: the physical challenge, being immersed in the wilderness for months at a time, the joy of seeing new sights every day, the camaraderie of people we meet along the way. Ultimately, the reason I go is for the journey itself. Read More...

The westernmost place in the continental United States is no longer the furthest west, geographically. It is rather that most rugged landscape generally arrayed across the Continental Divide as it marches from Canada to Mexico. Read More...

Months of travel can wear on people, even as they enjoy the "other" of another country. We found the perfect combination of comforts from home and the diversity of a foreign culture in Bariloche, Argentina. Read More...

We discovered why Torres del Paine, Chile is the poster child for Patagonia's wilderness playground. Read More...

In this Global Test Photo Essay, we arrived ill-equipped for a trek over an ice field. Setting up a base camp and sticking with day trips ensured that we didn't miss out on one of the most beautiful parks in the world. Read More...

In nine months backpacking around Latin America, there was much grandeur to be seen, but there were also tiny treasures that required a closer look. Examine their petite beauty. Read More...

Trip report and photo essay of a wildflower-filled circumnavigation of Oregon's famed peak. Read More...

Tackling big mountains with lightweight gear is becoming our trademark, and it never gets dull! Read More...

Lightening up on Alaska’s classic mountaineering route. Read More...

A light and kind-of fast expedition on one of the world’s great mountains. Read More...

We are pleased to announce the winners of our 2009 Reader Photo Contest! Read More...

We entered at Benchmark (on the South Fork Sun), exited at Silvertip (on the Spotted Bear), and had the time of our lives over a few relaxing days while making long miles in a packraft on the South Fork. Read More...

Father and son float trip in the lowlands. Experience Ryan Jordan's wild ride through skeeters and heat exhaustion, including running low on key supplies. Or... not. Read More...

The summer of 2008 got Backpacking Light's Wilderness Trekking School off to a great start. We ran three trips in three wildly different locations: Northern Rockies, Pacific Northwest, and Desert Southwest. Each allowed for a unique experience and permitted us to focus on the core curriculum of the Wilderness Trekking format. Read More...

On the Haute Route, a 21-pound pack is over-inflated. At sixty-two well-used years, I submitted myself to random weight checks to remain sub-twenty pounds and passed most of them. Making the formula feasible are the huts and hotels which always appear just when you've had enough. Read More...

With dozens of peaks above 6,000 meters (nearly 20,000 feet), Peru’s Cordillera Blanca range is one of the highest, most rugged sections of the Andes, and the most heavily glaciated of any mountains in the planet’s equatorial zone. It is a well-known mountain climbing destination, and hundreds of kilometers of hikeable trails have made the range increasingly popular among trekkers. Read More...

Stretches of the Madison River can be described as a "booze cruise," where innertube flotillas of relaxing college students and drift boats of fly-fishers fill the river. The Bear Trap canyon isn't one of those stretches, especially during spring snowmelt. Read More...

At 1.6 cfs in the Escalante, would there be more packrafting or raft-packing for our intrepid explorers? Read More...

Packrafts open up the lunatic fringe of National Parks. We hiked into the Aniakchak Caldera and Surprise Lake to packraft down the Aniakchak to the Pacific Ocean. Read More...

John Muir will be forever linked with the High Sierra and California, but it was far from there that his life began, in the little coastal town of Dunbar on the southeast coast of Scotland. Read More...

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, situated in the southwestern Highlands, is Scotland's first national park, encompassing a beautiful area of mountains, forests, rivers, and lochs surrounding Loch Lomond itself, the largest lake in Britain. Read More...

The Cairngorm Plateau consists of bare, stony undulating terrain and can seem benign in clear, summer weather. However it's edged with cliffs and steep slopes, and poor visibility is common as clouds sweep across the slopes. Join Chris Townsend as he crosses the Plateau on a freezing winter day. Read More...

Join Ron Rod as he explores Nepal in July: monsoon season. Read More...

Reminisce about the warm colors of the fall with Chris Townsend's evocative photography. Read More...

Adventurers Erin McKittrick and Bretwood Higman summarize their 4000-mile trek in photos and prose. Read More...

Join Regina WB for her annual family trek to Blue Lake in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa Mountains. Read More...

Join Bayley Lawrence on a hike of the Croatan National Forest in North Carolina. Read More...

What kinds of gear and clothing are optimal for wet, windy, and cold Scottish weather? Read More...

BPL Staffers enjoy a rare opportunity to explore Arizona's Navajo Canyon. Read More...