Creator of The Big Outside, former Backpacker NW Editor, author, speaker, hiker, climber, skier, bad kayaker, adventure guru, crazy dad.
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Articles by Michael Lanza
Introducing The Big Outside’s Newest Editor, Nate Lanza
By Michael Lanza When I created The Big Outside about 15 years ago, I didn’t know whether it would ever grow into a viable business. The notion that one of my kids—then both in elementary school—would someday join me in this venture in sharing outdoor adventures with this blog’s readers never entered my mind. I’m happy to announce that my son, Nate Lanza, has joined The Big Outside as managing editor and our primary gear reviewer.
Splendor and Solitude Deep in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains
By Michael Lanza We’ve hiked just over three miles into a four-day backpacking trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains when my wife, Penny, and I cross yet another rock-strewn valley meadow below craggy cliffs of shattered granite, enter the cool shade of forest, and come to a stop. The very obvious trail we’ve been following has abruptly disappeared—exactly as we expected, because our map shows this trail terminating here. End of the road. But not really.
Review: BioLite Range 400 Headlamp
Rechargeable Ultralight Headlamp BioLite Range 400 $60, 2.6 oz./75g backcountry.com On backpacking trips of four days in August in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, six days solo through the Wind River Range in September, and five days in the Grand Canyon in early April, the rechargeable BioLite Range 400 headlamp delivered good brightness, a practical range of modes, and functionality—plus a fast recharging speed—all in a very compact, ultralight package.
Backpacking 60 Miles Solo Through the Wind River Range
It’s a just-about perfect morning, with mild temps and a gentle breeze, as I start hiking from Elkhart Park in the Wind River Range on the second day in September, carrying six days of food in my pack and a bundle of high expectations. Just as an experiment, I start counting the number of hikers I pass on the Pole Creek Trail and tally almost 40 in the first two hours, all but two of them backpackers and almost all of them heading in the other direction, back to the trailhead.
A Teton Crest Trail Permit Shouldn’t Be So Hard to Get
By Michael Lanza At precisely 8 a.m. Mountain Time on Jan. 7, many thousands of Americans logged into recreation.gov/permits/4675342 hoping to reserve a backcountry permit for backpacking sometime this year in Grand Teton National Park. That enormous virtual crowd included me and probably dozens of my blog’s readers, many of whom I’ve heard from. For many, perhaps most, the experience was confusing, frustrating, and unsuccessful.
Backpacking Glacier National Park: What You Need to Know
By Michael Lanza I remember my first backpacking trip in Glacier National Park, more than 30 years ago, feeling magical—and a little bit intimidating, which is best illustrated by the fact that I had probably carried bear spray only once before. But I’m pretty sure my girlfriend (now wife) and I did not reserve a backcountry permit months before—we just showed up and got one. (Good luck doing that today.) We did little, if any, research on a route.
16 Photos From 2025 That Will Inspire Your Next Adventure
By Michael Lanza How was your 2025? I hope you got outdoors as much as possible with the people you care about—and you enjoyed adventures that inspired you. I’m sharing in this story photos from several backpacking and hiking trips I took this year, from the Grand Canyon in March and southern Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park, Buckskin Gulch, and Paria Canyon in April to Idaho’s Sawtooths in August and again in early October and Wyoming’s Wind River Range in September.
Not a Dull Moment: Backpacking Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon
The 31 Best Deals From REI’s 2025 Holiday Sale The company that wants you to #optoutside for Black Friday is having its sale early. Gear up for next year with these great deals on packs, sleeping …
Not a Dull Moment: Backpacking Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon
By Michael Lanza We haven’t hiked far down the sandy wash from the Wire Pass Trailhead when the red rock walls start steadily rising higher on both sides and crowding in closer. And although none of the four of us has backpacked this route into southern Utah’s Buckskin Gulch before, we’re all familiar with approach hikes into slot canyons—and the unnatural and kind of thrilling sensation of descending into the Earth.
Review: Gregory Kiro 24L Daypack
Daypack Gregory Kiro 24L $120, 24L/1,465 c.i., 1 lb. 12 oz./793.8g One non-adjustable unisex size backcountry.com I can say this about Gregory’s Kiro 24L: I made a genuine effort to hike too far for its comfort limits, but I failed.
Review: Mystery Ranch Radix 57 Backpack
Backpack Mystery Ranch Radix 57 $299, 57L/3,635 c.i., 3 lbs. 11 oz./1.67kg (men’s small) Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-L backcountry.com With the Radix 57 backpack, Mystery Ranch challenges backpackers with this thought experiment: How light is just right? I had plenty of time to ponder that question, carrying the Radix 57 on backpacking trips in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains and southern Utah’s Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon, plus two classic New Zealand hut treks, the Routeburn and Milford tracks.
Hiking New Zealand’s Epic Tongariro Alpine Crossing
By Michael Lanza When we arrive at the Mangatepōpō Road end to start one of New Zealand’s most beloved dayhikes, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, the air remains cool, a bracing wind rips across the almost barren, volcanic landscape, and the cloud ceiling hangs so low you can almost reach up and swipe a hand through the fog’s underbelly. But this is New Zealand, where if you’re going to pass on a hike because of a little inclement weather, you’re going to miss out on a lot of hikes.
For the Enjoyment of Future Generations
“The service thus established shall promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments, and reservations… which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” —The Organic Act of 1916, creating the National Park Service By Michael Lanza With the widespread, deep...
It’s time to renew funding for Boise’s beautiful open spaces | Opinion
Walk down to the Boise River or bike the Greenbelt along the river at almost any time of day this summer, and you will see dozens, often hundreds of our neighbors, friends and fellow Boiseans enjoying its cool, clean water. Whether you’re floating the river or walking, bicycling or running along it — there’s no question — the Boise River is one of the things that makes Boise so special.
Backpacking the Grand Canyon: Tonto West to Boucher Trail
By Michael Lanza A thin, hazy overcast keeps the sun from frying my longtime friend and adventure partner David Ports and me as we descend the Grand Canyon’s South Kaibab Trail—a trail I’ve now hiked more times than I can immediately recall. And yet, watching how the marching, broken clouds cause the light to shift across the broad expanse of canyon visible to us, seeming to repaint and reshape the landscape every few minutes, it still feels fresh and thrilling to me.
Review: Leki Makalu FX Carbon Folding Trekking Poles
Trekking Poles Leki Makalu FX Carbon Poles $230, 1 lb. 1.9 oz./508g (per pair) One size, adjustable 110-130cm/43.3-51.2 ins. backcountry.com What qualities are you looking for in trekking poles? How about good adjustability, packability, durability, comfort, reliability, and especially versatility?
Backpacking Mount Rainier’s Wonderland Trail—A Photo Gallery - The Big Outside
By Michael Lanza On the first afternoon of a five-day, late-summer backpacking trip covering much of the 93-mile Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier, two friends and I were making a long ascent through meadows bursting with lupine when we spotted two mountain goats staring at us from rocks partly hidden by bushes—and within seconds, we counted nine goats.
Review: Leki Makalu Cork Lite Trekking Poles
Trekking Poles Leki Makalu Cork Lite Trekking Poles $160, 17.9 oz./254g (per pair) One size, adjustable 100-135cm/39.4-53 ins. backcountry.com The first detail to catch your attention with the Leki Makalu Cork Lite Trekking Poles is likely going to be the price—it’s significantly lower than many leading models of hiking poles. But look deeper into the specs and these poles grow more appealing, including a broad range of adjustability and very good durability.
Review: Deuter AC Lite 16 Daypack
Daypack Deuter AC Lite 16 $100, 16L/976 c.i., 1 lb. 14.7 oz./870g One non-adjustable size in men’s and SL/women’s models summithut.com On dayhikes of up to several miles, including a hike up and down the West Rim Trail in Zion National Park and a peak in my local foothills with 2,000 feet of vertical in just over two miles, I found Deuter’s AC Lite 16 quite comfortable with the type of loads that many dayhikers do not exceed.
Review: Patagonia Terravia 28L Daypack
Daypack Patagonia Terravia 28L $169, 28L/1,770 c.i., 1 lb. 10 oz./737.1g (medium) Sizes: unisex S-L backcountry.com On dayhikes from Capitol Reef National Park to bagging Borah Peak, Idaho’s highest, Patagonia’s Terravia 28L stood out for having the capacity for longer outings, along with good access and durability, while weighing just over 1.5 pounds—a level of capacity and versatility not often seen at that weight.
Backpacking a CDT Sampler in Colorado’s Weminuche Wilderness
By Michael Lanza Warm, summer-like temperatures and mostly sunny skies greet us as we start hiking up the Williams Creek Trail in southwestern Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. Even in mid-September, the southern Rocky Mountains sun remains intense here, at over 9,000 feet. Its surprising warmth (compared to the northern Rockies) reminds me of days on the John Muir Trail or in Yosemite in August.
Gregory Paragon 60 and Maven 58 Backpacks
Backpack Gregory Paragon 60 and Maven 58 $300, 60L/3,661 c.i., 3 lbs.
National Trails Day 2025
Trekking New Zealand’s World-Class Routeburn Track
By Michael Lanza We follow the Routeburn Track’s winding path through the dense, vibrant greenery of ferns, mosses, and ubiquitous beech trees of the forest in Mount Aspiring National Park, in the southwest corner of New Zealand’s South Island.
Learning to—Love?—the Rain on New Zealand’s Milford Track - The Big Outside
By Michael Lanza As if by some celestial act of deception, our first day on New Zealand’s Milford Track is, by far, the easiest: We hike just three nearly flat miles—five kilometers—following the track along the rain-fattened and fast-moving Clinton River. And the pleasant temperature and warm sunshine pouring onto us from partly cloudy skies almost lulls us into illusions of such relatively ideal (for this place) weather persisting throughout our four days on the Milford. But we’re not fooled.
Backpacking the High and Mighty Beartooth Mountains
By Michael Lanza “Big bull moose,” David calls to us over his shoulder, “just ahead of us.” Mark and I scan the forest, but we don’t catch even a glimpse of the moose—or for that matter, see David through the dense trees and brush, although he’s not more than 20 feet ahead of us. Then David, too, loses sight of the moose.
Review: Patagonia Fitz Roy Down Hoody
Down Jacket Patagonia Fitz Roy Down Hoody $399, 15 oz./425.2g (women’s small; men’s medium is 17 oz./482g) Sizes: men’s XS-3XL, women’s 2XS-2XL backcountry.com From backpacking trips in the Canadian Rockies and Oregon, hut treks in New Zealand, and spring and summer camping and climbing trips in Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley and Oregon’s Smith Rock State Park, to countless days of resort skiing at Oregon’s Mount Bachelor and in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, plus days of backcountry ski touring, my...
Review: Flylow Baker Bib
Skiing and Riding Bib Flylow Baker Bib $430, 2 lbs. 2 oz./952g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, with tall and short sizes backcountry.com Skiing in Utah’s Wasatch mountains virtually every single time it snows exposes me to a wide range of inclement weather conditions: from subzero temperatures and cold smoke to warm, humid clouds dumping wet snow that can soak outerwear in minutes. Moreover, skiing as often and hard as I do exposes my clothing to a serious amount of wear.
Review: Himali Men’s Endeavor Fleece Hoodie
Hooded Fleece Jacket Himali Men’s Endeavor Fleece Hoodie $180, 15.5 oz./439.4g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XL himali.com For several hours of backcountry skiing in Idaho’s Boise Mountains on a day in early January when we moved constantly between cold shade and warm sunshine, with temps ranging from the low to high 20s Fahrenheit and a cool breeze at times, I wore this hooded, full-zip fleece jacket all day: both as my outer layer while climbing uphill and under a shell while skiing downhill.
How to Buy the Best Sleeping Bag
Find expert tips to help you get a good night’s sleep Picking the right sleeping pad, bag liner, pillow or cot How to minimize smelly sleeping bag odor To get a good night’s sleep in the cold, bring a tent suited for potential weather conditions, including winds or snow load. Pack an insulated sleeping pad or two, and bring a sleeping bag that will keep you warm.
How to Buy the Best Sleeping Bag
Find expert tips to help you get a good night’s sleep Picking the right sleeping pad, bag liner, pillow or cot How to minimize smelly sleeping bag odor To get a good night’s sleep in the cold, bring a tent suited for potential weather conditions, including winds or snow load. Pack an insulated sleeping pad or two, and bring a sleeping bag that will keep you warm.
Backpacking—and Sandbagging—Utah’s Uinta Highline Trail - The Big Outside
By Michael Lanza The strongest signal that late afternoon has begun its inexorably precipitous October slide into a freezing evening comes as my son, Nate, and I step from almost-warm sunshine into the deep shade of a peak whose shadow tops out at over 13,000 feet in eastern Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness.
Review: Hoka One One Speedgoat 6 Trail Running Shoes
Trail Running/Hiking Shoes Hoka One One Speedgoat 6 $155, 1 lb. 3 oz./539g (US men’s 9) Sizes: US men’s 7-15, women’s 5-12 backcountry.com Hoka’s popular trail-running shoe, the Speedgoat, has passed through several updates since it first emerged on the scene in 2015, named for the American phenom ultrarunner Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer.
How To Buy a Good Rain Jacket for Outdoor Activities
Rain doesn’t have to ruin your fun. A good rain jacket will help keep you dry and comfortable, whether you’re caught in a sprinkle or hiking for days in a steady rain. Get a jacket that’s made for outdoor sports, meaning it’s both waterproof and breathable. Wearing a rain jacket that’s not breathable is a little like wearing a trash bag: You’ll get wet from your sweat on the inside. You’ll also want one that’s packable.
Review: Sea to Summit Spark Pro -9C/15F Sleeping Bag
Ultralight Sleeping Bag Sea to Summit Spark Pro -9C/15F Bag $649, 1 lb. 11 oz./765.4g (regular) Sizes: unisex regular and long ($689) seatosummit.com We woke up from our first night in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains in mid-September, at well over 10,000 feet beside a creek that sang soft lullabys to us all night, to find ice crystals in our water bottles and one full water bladder that had been left outside the tent partly frozen.
Review: Black Diamond First Light Stretch Hoody
Hooded, Breathable Insulated Jacket Black Diamond First Light Stretch Hoody $295, 14 oz./397g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-XL blackdiamondequipment.com Mornings and evenings with temperatures around 40° F in campsites in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains proved the warmth of BD’s First Light Stretch Hoody.
Review: Rab Downpour Light Waterproof Jacket
Ultralight Rain Jacket Rab Downpour Light Waterproof Jacket $165, 7.7 oz./219g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL (8-16) backcountry.com Two startingly loud, sharp, and sustained crackles of thunder and a flash of lightning gave us about a two-minute warning before the skies opened up while we hiked at well over 11,000 feet on the Continental Divide Trail in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains in mid-September.
The Best Hikes in Capitol Reef National Park
By Michael Lanza Chances are, when you think about hiking in southern Utah, Capitol Reef National Park does not come to mind first. Or maybe even second or third. Ask many hikers and national parks fans to list Utah’s Big 5 parks—the others being Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and Canyonlands—and Capitol Reef will probably bring up the rear on most people’s list. If they even remember it.
‘Let’s Talk Water:’ Backpacking the Grand Canyon’s Gems
By Michael Lanza The April sun seems to dangle just over our heads like a giant grow light—or perhaps a very, very big and hot interrogation lamp—as we hike down the Grand Canyon’s South Bass Trail, a steep path littered with enough ankle-rolling stones to keep pulling our eyes from the unfathomable expanse of canyon beyond us back to the unstable ground at our feet.
Review: Deuter Aircontact Ultra 50+5 and 45+5 SL Backpacks
Ultralight Backpacks Deuter Aircontact Ultra 50+5 $250, 55L/3,356 c.i., 2 lbs. 15 oz./1.33kg Deuter Aircontact Ultra 45+5 SL $250, 50L/3,051 c.i., 2 lbs.
Review: Outdoor Research Shadow Wind Hoodie
Ultralight Wind Shell Outdoor Research Shadow Wind Hoodie $129, 5.8 oz./164.4g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XXL backcountry.com We ask a lot of ultralight wind shells, these wispy jackets that often weigh no more (and sometimes less) than your hiking shorts. We want them to breathe well when we’re hiking or running uphill while, of course, blocking the wind effectively—and not feel like a kitchen trash bag with sleeves and a hood.
Backpacking Southern Utah’s Owl and Fish Canyons
By Michael Lanza The wind blows a steady warning blast heralding the meaner gusts forecast for tonight as we begin backpacking down the rugged “trail,” such as it is, into Owl Canyon, in the Cedar Mesa area of southern Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument. In the first week of May, the four of us wear pants and shell jackets over a couple of top layers—it feels that chilly. Beginning in a dry draw on the nearly flat desert plateau, the route soon reaches the canyon rim and plunges downward.
Review: Montem Ultra Light 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles
Trekking Poles Montem Ultra Light 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles $90, 14 oz./396.9g $One size, adjustable 105-135cm montemlife.com The biggest question with inexpensive gear is always: Will it work? And best way to answer that question is to field test it in places that are hard on gear.
Review: Marmot Hydrogen 30 Sleeping Bag
Ultralight Sleeping Bag Marmot Hydrogen 30 $399, 1 lb. 9.4 oz./720g (regular) Sizes: unisex regular and long ($419) backcountry.com For backpackers prioritizing low gear weight who don’t tend to get cold very easily, a sleeping bag rated 30 degrees Fahrenheit can function as their go-to for most three-season trips.
The 10 Best Backpacking Trips in the Wind River Range
By Michael Lanza It’s hard to frame the experience of walking for days through Wyoming’s Wind River Range in words. The usual superlatives seem inadequate for describing a constant parade of sharp-edged, granite peaks soaring to over 13,000 feet, all reflected in thousands of crystalline alpine lakes.
Review: Outdoor Research Helium Down Hoodie
Water-Resistant Down Jacket Outdoor Research Helium Down Hoodie $299, 15.4 oz./437g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-3XL, women’s XS-XL, plus sizes 1X-4X backcountry.com The wind blew strong and steady and the temperature sat just several ticks above freezing on our mornings and evenings backpacking the three-day loop through Owl and Fish canyons in southern Utah in early May.
Review: Gregory Zulu 24 LT and Jade 24 LT Daypacks
Daypack Gregory Zulu 24 LT and Jade 24 LT $150, 24L/1,465 c.i., 2 lbs.
The Best Backpacking Trip in the Wind River Range? Yup
By Michael Lanza As my friend Chip Roser and I reach Pyramid Lake, in a magnificent stone bowl at 10,571 feet in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, nestled below its namesake peak and the attention-grabbing, soaring face of the 12,000-footer Mount Hooker, the overcast grows increasingly darker.
Review: Black Diamond Pursuit 15 Daypack
Daypack Black Diamond Pursuit 15 $150, 15L/915 c.i., 1 lb.
Backpacking the Arizona Trail’s Passage 16 in a Superbloom
By Michael Lanza We’re not even five minutes into our backpacking trip when a sound all too familiar startles us: a long, scratchy rattling noise. We stop abruptly and Pam says, “There it is,” pointing at the rattlesnake lying along the railroad tracks that our trail briefly follows before it moves away from the tracks to trace a winding route down the desert valley of the brown, silted Gila River in southern Arizona.
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