Adventures
American River South Fork: Chili Bar to Salmon Bridge Packraft
A 21-mile packraft in the spectacular whitewater of the American River South Fork.
Rattlesnake to Westwater Canyon Packraft
A three-day hiking and packrafting trip on the Colorado River.
The Top 10 Best Hikes in the World
Hank and Brian Leukart look back on their past decade of trekking.
Tour du Mont Blanc Backpack
Hiking the 12-day, 170-km Tour du Mont Blanc with five friends from around the world.
The Neverending New Zealand Story Packraft
Heading out on an epic hiking and paddling adventure across New Zealand’s South Island.
Superstition Mountains Traverse Backpack
Brothers packraft Arizona’s Salt River and backpack the Superstition Mountains.
Films
The John Muir: Two brothers. One controversial conservationist.
Brothers Hank and Brian Leukart hike the John Muir Trail over 18 days, while investigating the history of John Muir, Ansel Adams, and the native peoples of the California Sierra.
Pear Lake Snowshoe Backpack
A two-day hike through Sequoia National Park past Heather Lake and Emerald Lake to Pear Lake.
Bears Ears: Honaker Trail to Slickhorn Canyon Packraft
A hiking and packrafting trip to explore Utah’s newest national monument reveals an ongoing political fight.
Volcanoes National Park Grand Loop Backpack
A loop hike in Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii’s Big Island.
Visiting 28 friends in 30 places in 5 minutes
Watch me travel all around the world over ten years.
Trans-Catalina Trail Backpack
Backpacking the Trans-Catalina Trail across California’s Catalina Island with a new backpacker.
Wonderland of Rocks: Boy Scout Trail to Queen Mountain Loop Backpack
Hiking over massive granite monoliths in Joshua Tree National Park’s most notorious backcountry.
Tomales Bay Sea Kayak
Attempting Tomales Bay kayaking and Kings Canyon backpacking trips while recovering from a broken leg.
High Sierra Lakes: Fernandez Trail to Rainbow Lake Packraft
How a bit of imagination transformed a high-altitude backpacking trip in Ansel Adams Wilderness.
Camino de Santiago Backpack
Hiking the 540-mile Camino de Santiago across Spain with an inspiring group of friends.
Appalachian Trail: Garrison to Arden Backpack
My brother and I hike 30 miles on the Appalachian Trail before he heads off to his wedding.
Hong Kong Food Tour
Eating the best food in Hong Kong, while exploring the city’s generational political divide.
Umbrella Dreams: Fighting for Hong Kong Democracy
Filming a documentary short about students fighting for democracy at the Occupy camps in Hong Kong.
Pescadero Creek Loop Backpack
Best friends take a 3-day, 35-mile backpacking trip near San Francisco.
Iceland: South to North Traverse Backpack
Two brothers search for eternal life in the Icelandic wilderness during what may be the last time in history anyone is able to see all of Iceland’s natural, untouched beauty.
Everest Base Camp Trek Backpack
Two brothers tackle the trek to Nepal’s Everest Base Camp and film the entire adventure.
Best Essays
The Romantic Road in Germany Road Trip
Exploring medieval towns and lavish castles on Germany’s Romantic Road.
Israel Road Trip
Why you should fire your tour guide and lead yourself through Israel and the West Bank.
Huangshan East-to-West Loop Backpack
How I left my virtue at Huangshan, China’s Yellow Mountain.
Vietnam Cycle
Encountering magical turtles and afterlife-destined motorcycles on a bicycle trip in Vietnam and Cambodia.
Post-Revolution Egypt Backpack
Backpacking through a revolution in the Land of the Pharaohs.
Amritapuri Ashram
Seeking a life-changing hug and the secret to life from India’s most famous female spiritual leader.
Turnagain Arm Cycle
Bicycling Anchorage’s Coastal Trail, Lost Lake, and the Turnagain Arm.
Half Dome Day Hike
After climbing Half Dome, I can’t bear to leave Yosemite.
Indian Ruins Road Trip
Trying to one-up my middle school teachers by taking an Indian ruins road trip through America’s Southwest.
Twilight Road Trip
Exploring Forks, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula, the setting of a teen vampire novel.
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim Snowshoeing Backpack
Brothers tackle a classic trek with magical, holiday cheer.
Los Angeles Derby Dolls
Understanding the post-feminist ethos of roller derby.
Buckskin Gulch to Middle Trail Backpack
Hiking the world’s longest slot canyon with a boy made of paper.
Torres del Paine O Circuit Backpack
Hiking the Torres del Paine Circuit on another family’s vacation.
West Coast Trail Backpack
Brothers tackle dangerous surge channels on the West Coast Trail.
Bicycling to nowhere
The peculiarity of studio cycling and Los Angeles gym culture.
McGonagall Pass to Muldrow Glacier Backpack
A harrowing attempt at crossing the McKinley River in Denali National Park, Alaska.
More Essays
Europe Couchsurfers Train Trip
My quest for an airline’s highest elite status ends with me visiting my best friends, all over the world.
Santa Cruz Island: Scorpion Anchorage to Prisoner’s Harbor Sea Kayak
A kayak-camping trip with ten friends on Santa Cruz Island in California’s Channel Islands.
Can travel change you?
Speaking to high school students about the value of authentic travel before a 540-mile hike across Spain.
Yucatán Peninsula Road Trip
How I saw ancient Mayan cities, Egyptian temples, and other world wonders without pesky tourist crowds.
El Fuerte de Samaipata Ruins
A visit to the pre-Incan ruins of El Fuerte de Samaipata, Bolivia.
Mt. Washington Winter Summit Day Hike
Summiting New Hampshire’s Mount Washington in winter.
One Day in London
A one-day, whirlwind tour of London with two quirky British friends.
Czech Republic Beer Breweries Road Trip
Taking a beer breweries road trip in the Czech Republic’s quirky South Bohemia.
Living Like a Local in Moscow
Finding friends in Moscow is easy when you make an effort to live like a local.
Mount Whitney Backpack
Hiking to the Mount Whitney summit, the highest point in the continental US.
Marble to Cottonwood Canyon Loop Backpack
A four-day backpacking trip through Death Valley’s Marble and Cottonwood Canyons.
Egyptian Nile Cruise
A guided, return trip to Egypt highlights the country’s growing political problems.
California Riding and Hiking Trail Backpack
How not to take my eight-year-old nephew, and other newbies, on a first-time backpacking trip.
Tiger Leaping Gorge Backpack
Trekking China’s Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world’s deepest canyons.
Splendid China Folk Village
Have you ever missed a flight and ended up at Genghis Khan horseback battle reenactment?
Japanese New Year in Tokyo
A visit to Tokyo’s Meiji Jingu Shrine during the Japanese New Year.
Catalina Island: Avalon to Parsons Landing Sea Kayak
A July 4 sea kayaking-camping trip on Catalina Island.
Ostrander Hut Ski
Skiing to remote Ostrander Ski Hut in Yosemite National Park.
Cottonwood Spring to Munsen Canyon Backpack
Learning not to attack but to revere, while searching for Joshua Tree’s eight hidden palm oases.
Knowles Coastal Trail Cycle
Bush planes, ATVs, trains, and packrafts are often the only way to get around Alaska, the U.S. state with the fewest miles of road.
Chelan Lakeshore Trail Backpack
Hiking the Chelan Lakeshore Trail before a wedding.
San Francisco and Bay Area Coast Road Trip
San Francisco day trips to Muir Woods, Point Reyes National Seashore, Año Nuevo State Reserve, and Santa Cruz.
North Kaibab Trail (halfway to Roaring Springs) Day Hike
Visiting the Grand Canyon North Rim’s Cookout Experience and Yosemite’s Wawona Hotel Lawn Barbecue.
Korean Bell of Friendship Kite Flying
Reenacting Mary Poppins at the Korean Bell of Friendship.
Seattle to Los Angeles Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip
A travel guide to three Pacific Coast Highway road trips over seven years.
Area 51 Viewpoint: Tikaboo Peak Day Hike
A travel guide to America’s most mysterious military base.
Walden Pond
An unnerving drive through rustic New England to a five-year college reunion.
San Francisco
A slapstick AirTrain comedy, ice skating, and Alcatraz in San Francisco.
The Wave Day Hike
Visiting The Wave, a sandstone formation near the Utah-Arizona border.
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an ocean in the middle of a desert, and it’s not the only sign of the world’s end there.
Aqua Peak Backpack
Hiking in Joshua Tree can be rejuvenating if you can remember to bring matches.
Pop Punk Concerts
Pop punk rock stars inspire eternal youth at their intense rock concerts.
Hollywood’s Griddle Cafe
Aspects of Los Angeles may be vapid, but some things make it palatable.
Lake Serene Day Hike
The thought of sandwiches while hiking make happiness impossible.
Mount St. Helens: Boundary Trail Day Hike
Owning a car isn’t necessarily enough to get to Mt. St. Helens.
Maps and Galleries Only
Pejibaye River: La Escuelita River Kayak
A Class III run through a tropical rainforest.
Pacuare River: Tres Equis to Siquirres Whitewater Raft
A 23-kilometer raft trip down one of the world’s best whitewater rivers.
Selway River: Shearer to Race Creek Packraft
A six-day whitewater packrafting trip in world-class Idaho wilderness.
Canyonlands 8 Packraft
A seven-day hiking and packrafting trip on the Colorado and Green Rivers in Canyonlands National Park.
Baja, California Road Trip
A 1,020-mile road trip to Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada, and San Felipe.
Costa Brava Road Trip
A Spanish roadtrip to coves of deep blue sea, beaches of golden sand, and medieval towns.
Shi Shi Beach to Ozette Lake Backpack
A seemingly prehistoric coastal backpack, worlds away from civilization, with only the pounding surf and rugged coastline as a backdrop.
Wrangells Traverse: Goat Trail to Nizina Lake Backpack
A seven-day backpacking and packrafting trip across the rugged Wrangell Mountains, home of two of the highest volcanoes in the US, Mount Blackburn and Sanford.
McCarthy Creek Packraft
An intense creek packrafting day in Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Ubehebe Country Loop Backpack
A three-day backpack through Ubehebe country in Death Valley.
Cueva del Puente Day Hike
A three-level chamber with stalactites, stalagmites, Taino pictographs, and numerous bats.
Montaña Redonda Day Hike
A lush mountain hike with 360-degree panorama views, swings, flying brooms and hammocks.
Mount Baldy Day Hike
An 11-mile hike to the highest point in Los Angeles with sweeping views from the Pacific Ocean to the Mojave Desert.
Flathead River North Fork Packraft
A five-day packraft trip on the North Fork of the Flathead River.
Eagle Peak Backpack
A hike to the top of Eagle Mountain in Joshua Tree National Park.
Waimanu Valley Backpack
A strenuous, 9-mile switchback trail with stunning views of the Waipio Valley.
Hilina Pali Trail to Halape Beach Backpack
A Hawaii Volcanoes National Park southern seacoast hike to a beach with swaying coconut trees.
Kalalau Trail Backpack
A 22-mile backpack from Ke’e to Kalalau Beach on Kauai’s Napali Coast.
Bear River: Oneida Narrows River Kayak
A scenic canyon river paddle with easy rapids.
Foothills Trail Backpack
A 7-day backpack through lush foothills in North and South Carolina.
Broughton Islands Expedition Sea Kayak
An epic, 5-day kayak-camping expedition in remote Canada.
Escalante River: Fence to Coyote Canyon Packraft
A five-day packrafting and hiking trip on Utah’s Escalante River.
Romero Canyon Trail to Blue Canyon Camp Backpack
An easy, out-and-back trail above Santa Barbara.
Mineral King: Black Rock and Sawtooth Pass Backpack
A four-day hike through Sequoia National Park’s Mineral King area, over Black Rock and Sawtooth Passes.
Joshua Tree Oases Backpack
A 2-day hike to all of Joshua Tree’s backcountry oases, including Fortynine Palms Oasis, Lost Palms Oasis, Munsen Oasis, Summit Springs Oasis, and the Last Oasis.
Sandstone Peak Day Hike
The most beautiful day hike in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Ry to Kongesbro River Kayak
A two-day kayaking trip starting in Ry and ending in Kongesbro.
Angel Island: North Ridge Trail Day Hike
A scenic coastal hike with steep, forested climbs.
Panorama Trail Day Hike
Panorama Trail Hike Details Day Hike: Alpine, Forest Yosemite National Park, Northern California 8.7 miles 986 ft gain — 4,031 ft loss 4,179 ft min — 7,280 ft max
Mt. Williamson Plane Crash Day Hike
A hike to the wreckage of two plane crashes, a Fairchild C119 Flying Boxcar and a Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando, near Mount Williamson in the Los Angeles National Forest, starting from Islip Saddle.
Thousand Island Lake Backpack
A top-tier backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Reef Bay Trail Day Hike
Danish sugar plantation ruins, stone walls from cattle grazing, and ancient rock carvings left behind by the pre-Colombian Taino.
Big Four Ice Caves Day Hike
A scenic, easy trail with waterfalls, towering cliffs, and ice caves.
Arthur’s Seat Day Hike
360-degree views of both Edinburgh and the Lothians in Holyrood Park.