Adventure Travel Guides | Switchback Travel

A Year on the Road

Adventure travel (van camping in northern British Columbia)

A Year on the Road (Part 1): Northern British Columbia

Brian and I were less than a week into our adventure north when, during a brief phone call, my dear friend’s children insisted I read their favorite poem, "the Yukon Song." Though written for children extolling the virtues of leaving civilization and...

Canada's Yukon Territory (hiking on King's Throne in Kluane National Park)

A Year on the Road (Part 2): Canada's Yukon Territory

With the Stewart-Cassiar Highway in our rearview mirror, we had finally reached the Yukon. This was our third trip to Canada’s westernmost territory in a calendar year, and we knew that it would feel incomplete without...

A Year on the Road (Autumn hiking in Tombstone Territorial Park)

A Year on the Road (Part 3): Tombstone Territorial Park

Brian and I had spent four days hiking in Tombstone Territorial Park the previous summer on a trip that just scratched the surface and whet our appetites for more. Throughout the past year, we dreamed of returning to see the classic spires and tundra...

A Year on the Road (Driving 4x4 Sprinter van along Dempster Highway in Northwest Territories)

A Year on the Road (Part 4): The Dempster Highway

The arctic landscape has an allure that is difficult to describe; not only is it reminiscent of being in the alpine—stunted trees, big skies, and unimpeded vistas—but the utter remoteness and rawness is palpable...

Our "On Location" Series

Great Ocean Walk (hiking along bluff above ocean)

Australia's Great Ocean Walk

In a rolling grassy landscape reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands, I stop and let out a startled gasp. Just 20 feet in front of me, a kangaroo stands on the trail and looks casually at my hiking partner and me. Then, as if slowly transposed upon...

Bikepacking in Colorado's San Juan Mountains

Hut-to-Hut Bikepacking from Durango To Moab

“Remember: sea level is for sissies,” we call out, referring to a sticker we’d purchased the previous day as a nod to our North Vancouver home that sits across the street from the ocean. We repeat this mantra...

Among Giants: Climbing and Packrafting the Alaska Range

“No!” I groan, a wince breaking across my face. I’m in the middle of a swiftly flowing river, but my raft sits immobile as water rushes past me on both sides...

A Guide to Peru's Ausangate Trek

Peru’s Ausangate Trek is epic, and we aren’t throwing that term around lightly. The region is loaded with glacier-capped peaks that reach over 20,000 feet in elevation, yet despite good infrastructure...

Trekking Mongolia's Altai Mountains

Don’t undo your bootlaces until you have seen the river. As we sit in dusty, windswept Ulgii, one of Mongolia’s westernmost cities, and await our delayed flight back to the capital city of Ulaanbaatar...

In the Shadow of Manaslu

Beams of light shine through the musty windows at the Seven Sisters Tea House in Tilje, Nepal, illuminating tendrils of smoke wafting about the room. The glowing dust and particulates move like an indoor aurora borealis. I momentarily...

New Zealand's Ball Pass Crossing

I wake at the crack of dawn. Only the faint outline of Aoraki/Mount Cook is visible from my bunk, but its sheer volume is enough to pull me from my sleeping bag. I eagerly nudge Brian awake and we tiptoe outside...

Bikepacking Mongolia’s Khangai Mountains

“Do you think that rain is coming our way?” We pedal under the bright sun, constantly glancing nervously over our shoulders as if being chased by a predator. Behind us, dark gray streaks stretch vertically from ground to sky. Ahead, a rainbow frames...

On Location: El Chaltén

We wake at 6am to the faint jingle of Lorna’s watch muffled by her sleeping bag. My body creaks as I pull my sore arms from my sides, grab my headlamp, and light the JetBoil that I had carefully placed outside our tent the night before...

Fall Backpacking in Salt Creek Canyon

Tracing canyon bottoms and following passageways carved by water and time, Utah’s trails meander across the state, connecting one dramatic landscape to the next...

Exploring Utah's Dark Canyon Wilderness

I was poking around the internet, wasting time as usual, getting too steamed about a world too far beyond my control. Bears Ears. Politics. Scanning through an uplifting article...

Bikepacking Peru's Huascarán Circuit

Peru has always peaked our interest, with towering whitewashed mountains, the Amazon rainforest, and more ancient history than we Canadians know what to do with. However, after seeing a few pictures...

A Winter Float of the Grand Canyon

Millions travel just to stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon, gaze across the expanse, and peer into the abyss. When you’re lucky enough to see the river far below, it seems like...

The West Coast Trail: Vancouver Island's Iconic Hike

I can’t think of a better way to experience a unique coastal landscape of crashing waves, tide pools, rock formations, old growth forest, birds, and wildlife...

Trekking Peru's Cordillera Huayhuash

From our campsite, the green valley rises, steepens, and becomes rocky and cold. Eventually it turns to glacier and then vast, snow-blanketed mountain. I pull the hood of my down jacket tight...

Ski Portillo: Chasing August Turns in Chile

It’s summer in Colorado, and we’re smack dab in the middle of a heat wave. The mountain bike trails are dry and cracking, and monsoonal rains provide only a short relief on most afternoons. For dedicated skiers like myself, there are...

On Location: Valle Cochamó

A shadow passes over. “What was that?!” “I don’t know. But it was big. Not big. HUGE. And it was close.” “Did you hear that rush of wind?” “Yeah… like a parachute opening!” “But where did it go?” Megan and I look around...

Norway

Lofoten Islands, Norway

Norway’s Lofoten Islands are referred to as the Lofoten Wall because, quite literally, they are vertical rows of granite shooting out of the Arctic Sea. A number of colorful fishing villages hug the shoreline and a majority...

Hardangervidda, Norway

The Hardangervidda Plateau is one of Norway’s and Europe’s most wondrous open spaces, encompassing nearly 10,000 square kilometers of varied Arctic wilderness—bigger than Yellowstone...

Dovrefjell, Norway

The Dovrefjell-Rondane corridor is Norway’s closest approximation of Montana’s Big Sky Country in the United States: a supreme stretch of wide-open, rolling mountainous terrain. The area is home to the mighty musk ox...

Northern Norway

Europe’s true wilderness is found in Norway, and some of the country’s wildest terrain is in its northern reaches. Above the Lofoten Islands are the Arctic regions of Troms (home to the bustling island city of Tromsø)...

Fjords of Norway

It’s nearly impossible to envisage the scope of Norway's fjords. Many of us have seen photos of the country’s most famous fjords—the Geirangerfjord, Sognefjord, and Hardangerfjord—but even the best images can’t do justice...

Jotunheimen, Norway

The Jotunheimen Mountains are a place of superlatives. Translating to the “home of the giants,” they are the highest mountains in Norway and Northern Europe, Jotunheimen National Park is the country's...

Geirangerfjord, Norway

The UNESCO World Heritage Geirangerfjord may be Norway’s single most dramatic stretch of water. It’s particularly narrow and steep with tall surrounding mountains—the closest thing in the country to a “box” fjord. The walls...

Finnmark: Norway's Far North

Finnmark is vast and barren country—it's the coldest and least populated region in Norway. The Finnmarksvidda Plateau dominates the interior, while the coastal areas on the Barents Sea...

New Zealand

Fiordland, New Zealand

When people imagine New Zealand, the scenery of the Fiordland Region often comes to mind. Situated in the southwestern corner of the South Island, Fiordland is dominated by the verdure of rainforests blanketed in ferns, the snow...

Otago, New Zealand

Otago on the South Island is one of New Zealand’s most varied regions, from high alpine terrain to remote coastline and almost everything in between. The outdoorsy towns of Queenstown and Wanaka are most popular...

West Coast, New Zealand

The West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island has a way of sneaking up on travelers and becoming one of their favorite destinations in the country. Just up the road from Queenstown, Fiordland, and Milford Sound...

Abel Tasman, New Zealand

On the northern end of New Zealand’s South Island is the warm coastal region of Abel Tasman. Abel Tasman National Park is one of New Zealand’s smallest and most visited parks, renowned for pristine beaches, turquoise...

Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand

Located at the top of the South Island east of Abel Tasman National Park, the Marlborough Sounds are as easy going as anywhere in New Zealand. Most of the wooded hillsides and peaceful bays are inaccessible by road...

Tongariro, New Zealand

Tongariro National Park on the North Island is a place far removed from the lush rainforests of the South Island, yet this volcanic wonderland is among New Zealand’s most striking landscapes. Established in 1887...

Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

The laid-back Coromandel Peninsula juts out east of Auckland separating the Hauraki Gulf and Pacific Ocean. It is known for white-sand beaches, lush native forests, and small towns with...

Northland, New Zealand

New Zealand’s Northland region, often referred to as the Far North, stretches to the uppermost tip of New Zealand’s North Island. Bordered to the west by the Tasman Sea and to the east by the Pacific Ocean, this slender sub-tropical peninsula...

Bay of Islands, New Zealand

The Bay of Islands is a peaceful subtropical micro-region located on the northern tip of the North Island. All together, the area is home to 150 islands, over 800 kilometers of coastline, countless bays and inlets, and plentiful...

New Zealand's Best Adventure Towns

New Zealand firmly has established itself as one of the world’s top adventure destinations. Queenstown receives much of the attention—it is indeed chock-full of adventure opportunities—but a host of other...

Queenstown's Best Hiking Trails

For those visiting Queenstown, hiking is a great way to stretch your legs, see the famous South Island scenery, and spend far less than you would on any of the area’s many adrenaline activities. A number of trails...

Fox Glacier's Best Hiking Trails

Many visitors to Fox Glacier pay for a guided walk on the ice, but there also are a number of free hiking trails that lead to excellent viewpoints. All of the trails listed below are within close proximity to the Fox Glacier...

New Zealand Adventure Directory

Choose an adventure activity and New Zealand likely has world-class terrain to match. From Milford Sound at the bottom of the South Island to Ninety Mile Beach at the top of the North Island...

Nepal

Nepal’s Three Passes Trek and Everest Basecamp

Exhausted and oxygen-deprived, we high-fived as frigid winds took our already limited breath away and whipped at the prayer flags that marked the summit. We were about an hour early for sunset, and the extra time allowed us to bundle up, look around...

Everest Base Camp Trek

The Everest Base Camp trek passes through the land of the Sherpas to the foot of the world’s highest mountain, Sagarmatha, Nepalese for Mount Everest. The fullest views of Mt. Everest actually are from the Tibetan side, but...

Annapurna Circuit Trek

The Annapurna Circuit was once a three-week journey through the pristine valleys and villages of the Annapurna range, but the construction of two roads encroaching up both sides has shrunken the route significantly. When...

Annapurna Sanctuary Trek

The Annapurna Sanctuary trek, also known as Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) trek, is a powerhouse—it’s one of the shortest major treks in Nepal and gets up close and personal with some of the biggest mountains. The trek begins with...

Manaslu Circuit Trek

The Manaslu Circuit is the trekking jewel of Nepal. Bordering the Annapurna Conservation Area to the west and the Tibetan Plateau to the north and east, the region was closed to foreign tourists until 1991, effectively blocking the...

Great Himalaya Trail: One Trail to Rule Them All

For those looking for the cutting edge of adventure travel, Nepal’s Great Himalaya Trail presents the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s one of the longest and highest footpaths on earth...

Trekking Seasons in Nepal

With the highest mountains in world and latitude similar to the state of Florida, Nepal has tremendous variation in climates. The lowland plains are tropical, the midland hills are temperate, and the high mountains have sub-arctic and arctic conditions...