Trails Magazine

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Trails Magazine

A new type of independent, print magazine for backpackers and people who sleep in the dirt.

09/09/2026

Coming up this fall: New Trails Mag swag! And we're taking requests! Got a piece of gear that you'd love to see with some Trails branding on it? Let us know and we'll see if we can make it happen!

09/04/2026

Our magazine has always been full of in-depth features and longform reporting, but Issue 15 pushes the emphasis even more on true storytelling. Without sacrificing the shorter, quick-hit stories you like (like the Outhouse Review, Places, and Blazes section), this issue includes more feature stories than any issue we've previously published. We fill the magazine with the kinds of stories you only want to read in print, the ones that make you think, and the ones that give you all the info you need to know.

09/03/2026

Has your copy of Issue 15 landed on your coffee table yet?! Post a photo and tag us so we can keep track of where they're arriving!

08/31/2026

"We had just suffered through a hailstorm atop a mountain pass. We were welcomed with a small reprieve of sunshine before another story battered us the rest of the evening and into the night." In this Issue 15 Vantage Point, Brian Chorski () sets his pack down to revel in a little hard-earned sun.

08/28/2026

What can you expect in Issue 15? Take a sneak peak of of the Table of Contents in our next issue—coming to your mailboxes soon!

08/26/2026

Issue 15 features our first night-sky cover photo, shot by Clayton Herrmann (). "This was the first night of a weeklong climbing trip to the Bugaboos," he writes in this issue. "We hiked in and set up camp beneath the clouds and rain of an afternoon thunderstorm." But when the weather parted, he was treated to a view he won't forget.

Get your copy at the link in our bio.

08/25/2026

Issue 15 is here! 🚨 Our latest issue is officially off the printer, bound, and in the mail to your coffee table.

Trails Magazine Issue 15 is our most feature-heavy edition yet, packed with deeply-reported and richly-written features and stories capable of transporting you to backcountry destinations the world over. It includes a profile of a Mexican woman bringing thru-hiking to her home country and a photo essay from a bikepacking trip across the state of Washington. There's a look at the little-known twin sister to Yosemite Valley and how a group of hikers are hoping to change it.

There are reports from adventures to Maine's Cutler Coast and the red rocks of Nevada's Gold Butte National Monument, and the story of a a homemade route paying homage to the Southern California steelhead. There's the story of Adrian Hayes' dramatic descent off the world's third highest peak. And, finally, photos from Japan's Michinoku Trail. Plus all the maps, recipes, book reviews, and more that you expect from Trails, under a night sky cover image from photographer Clayton Herrmann.

If you subscribed prior to August 1, your magazine is in the mail. Allow it up to two weeks to be delivered.

If you're not a subscriber yet, we still have a few copies of Issue 15 left and you can order one alongside a subscription. As always, we don't do reprints and once these magazines sell out, they're gone forever. Become a subscriber to get your copy, as well as support the only 100% independent magazine for backpackers.

08/20/2026

Don't forget: There's still time to take our annual reader survey and get the chance to win some sweet Trails swag!

Our annual Readership Survey is a critical tool for us to better understand who you are and what you're looking for from a backpacking magazine. By filling it out, you have a say in the direction we take Trails, the stories you'll find in our pages, and the topics we choose to focus on. On top of that, we're giving away a free piece of Trails swag to one survey participant every week! Complete the survey (check the link in our bio) and enter the giveaway at the end for the chance to win.

08/17/2026

There are less than 30 copies of Issue 13 remaining.

You know the drill: Once these magazines are gone, they're gone forever. We don't do reprints. And Issue 13 is pretty much gone. As of today, there are only a few dozen copies of our Spring 2026 issue remaining. That means these stories—our second annual Editors' List, focusing on desert backpacking, a feature about the plethora of new long-distance routes, a photo feature about on-trail geology, a profile of peakbagger Eric Gilbertson, and more—are almost gone for good.

Want to grab a copy? You're in luck. Until this issue sells out, it's available even without a subscription. Normally, back issues can only be purchased alongside a subscription. Now is your chance to sample Trails Mag without committing to a full year. But again: Only while supplies last. Order your copy before it's too late.

08/12/2026

We're giving away a FREE piece of Trails gear every week, through August 21. All you need to go? Let us know what you think of Trails. Head to the link in our bio to fill out our Annual Reader Survey to enter, and to help us build the magazine you want to see.

This survey is a critical tool for us to better understand who you are and what you're looking for from a backpacking magazine. By filling it out, you have a say in the direction we take Trails, the stories you'll find in our pages, and the topics we choose to focus on.

Help us out and you might just get a new piece of swag.

Address

Ridgway, CO
81432

Website

http://trailsmag.net/

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