100 Best National Parks Books of All Time
We've researched and ranked the best national parks books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more
Through prose that is by turns passionate and poetic, Abbey reflects on the condition of our remaining wilderness and the future of a civilization that cannot reconcile itself to living in the natural world as well as his own internal... more
Robert MacfarlaneAbbey is full of passion, fury and contempt – a fiery fighter to shake up the sometimes over-tranquil atmosphere of nature writing. (Source)
Hari KunzruHe has a deep love for this place and he’s amusing to read because he’s such a strong personality. His writing is extraordinary. (Source)
At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State —... more
Nancy GoldstoneI found the narrative honest and riveting. The author used the journey through the hiking trail to work out her problems. (Source)
America’s national parks spring from an idea as radical as the Declaration of Independence: that the nation’s most magnificent and sacred places should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. In this evocative and lavishly illustrated narrative, Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan delve into the history of the park idea, from the first sighting by white men in 1851 of the valley that would become Yosemite and the creation of... more
Beneath the soaring doorways of stone,
and peaks that pierce the ceiling of clouds,
from every river, star, and stone
comes the eternal refrain:
you are home.
In simple, soaring language and breathtaking art, acclaimed author-illustrator Evan Turk has created a stirring ode to nature and nation. From the rugged coast of Maine to the... more
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Seth HaberWhen we first encountered this book we immediately knew it was one of the best children's books about the great outdoors that we had ever seen. Find it under the books section in our shop. Photo by @audreyburk #treklightgear https://t.co/0FkxFgeP3f (Source)
For twelve years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon. She won arguments with bears. She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes.
Hell yeah, it was the best job in the world! Fortunately, Andrea survived it.
In this graphic and... more
Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, she is on administrative leave, per her superintendent's urging. Anna wonders if the leave might not be permanent, either by her own choice or that of the National Park Service. The one bright spot in Anna's life is Paul, her husband of less than a year. Hoping the warmth and the adventure of a raft trip in Big Bend National Park will lift her spirits, Paul takes Anna to... more
On the eve of turning fifty and a little burned-out, Mark decided to reconnect with the great outdoors. He'd spend a year visiting the national parks. He planned to take his mother to a park she'd not yet visited and to re-create his childhood trips with his wife and their... more
Two veterans of decades of adventuring in Grand Canyon chronicle the first complete and comprehensive history of Canyon misadventures. These episodes span the entire era of visitation from the time of the first river exploration by John Wesley Powell and his crew of 1869 to that of tourists falling off its rims in Y2K.
These accounts of the 550 people who have met untimely deaths in the Canyon set a new high water mark for offering the most astounding array of adventures,...
moreDon't have time to read the top National Parks books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
The quiet beauty of autumn on Mississippi's Natchez Trace is swiftly shattered when Anna answers a call to Mt. Locust, once a working plantation and inn, now a tourist spot. But the man Anna finds in an old bedroom is no tourist in distress. He's nearly naked and very dead-his body bearing marks consistent with sex games gone awry. On a writing table nearby is an open Bible with ominous passages circled in red.
There... more
When Anna Pigeon left New York City after her husband was killed, she hoped it would be forever. But now her sister Molly is clinging to life in an uptown hospital ICU, so Anna has reluctantly returned. Rooming with a friend and fellow park ranger in close quarters on Liberty Island—the small strip of land that is home to Lady Liberty—Anna spends her free time exploring the grand monument and the crumbling, overgrown, and eerie ruins in the unrestored sections of nearby Ellis Island. But the peace she seeks here is shattered when... more
From the Grand Tetons in Wyoming to Acadia in Maine to Big Bend in Texas and more, Williams creates a series of lyrical portraits... more
Here, on this last lick of the United States, in a giant crumbling... more
America's national parks are full of timeless marvels that still rejuvenate the soul: the world's largest trees in Sequoia; its most spectacular geothermal site in Yellowstone; the grandest canyon.
From Acadia to Zion, this... more
Don't have time to read the top National Parks books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Coverage of all 59 national parks, from the misty mountains of the east and the redwoods of the west, to the glaciers of Alaska and volcanoes of Hawaii, organized by region
Strategic lists and itineraries: Choose from lists of the best parks for hiking, wildlife, families, and scenic drives, or make your way down the list of the top ten national parks... more
The enthralling story of the rise and reign of O-Six, the celebrated Yellowstone wolf, and the people who loved or feared her
Before men ruled the earth, there were wolves. Once abundant in North America, these majestic creatures were hunted to near extinction in the lower 48 states by the 1920s. But in recent decades, conservationists have brought wolves back to the Rockies, igniting a battle over the very soul of the West.
With novelistic detail,... more
The introverted Morgenson was more comfortable with the natural world than with people. A gifted photographer and a lyrical writer, he dropped out of college to begin a career that would send... more
Propelled by his boyhood passion for the Civil War, Horwitz embarks on a search for places and people still held in thrall by America's greatest conflict. The result is an adventure into the soul of the unvanquished South, where... more
Robert MaguirePlease take this sad news as an opportunity to read, or re-read, Confederates in the Attic. It is a remarkable book that is sadly still very relevant 20 years later https://t.co/zAyPfq8xBK (Source)
When Conor Knighton decided to spend a year wandering through "America's Best Idea," he was worried the whole thing might end up being his worst idea. But, after a broken engagement and a broken heart, he desperately needed a change of scenery. The ambitious plan he cooked up went a bit overboard in that department;... more
In the tradition of The Perfect Storm and Seabiscuit, the engrossing tale of the fastest boat ride ever down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
In the winter of 1983, the largest El Niño event on record—a chain of “superstorms” that swept in from the Pacific Ocean—battered the entire West. That spring, a massive... more
The story centers on Vietnam veteran George Washington Hayduke III, who returns to the desert to find his beloved canyons and rivers threatened by industrial development. On a rafting trip down the Colorado River, Hayduke joins forces with feminist saboteur Bonnie... more
Mark BoyleThe book itself is hilarious, and brilliant in its own right. It’s importance, however, in part stems from the wider impact it had in the years following its publication. It’s widely understood that the book gave rise to radical environmental groups across the world from the 1980s onwards. (Source)
What none of them could have known was how transformative both the trip and the bonds that develop between them would prove, driving each to create a new destiny... more
Tie Sing was born in the mountains. The mountains were in his blood. But because he was of Chinese descent at a time in America when to be Chinese meant working in restaurants or laundries, Tie Sing’s prospects were limited. But he had bigger plans. He began cooking for mapmakers and soon built a reputation as the best trail cook in California.
When millionaire Stephen Mather began his quest to create... more
Don't have time to read the top National Parks books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Illustrated Features: Rich full-color features help travelers to the National Parks of the West make the most of top experiences, from white-water rafting on the Colorado River and understanding Yellowstone's geothermal features to choosing a historic lodge and stargazing. The illustrated field guides to wildlife and geology make identification a snap.
Indispensable Trip Planning Tools: This book is not... more
With the stories behind the first female park ranger, a decidedly amateur... more
"...Mr. Muir brings... more
First published in 1911, My First Summer in the Sierra incorporates the lyrical accounts and sketches he produced during his four-month stay in the Yosemite River Valley and the High Sierra. His record tracks that memorable experience, describing in picturesque terms the majestic vistas, flora... more
But Chief Ranger Ford Brayden is still haunted by his father’s death on the mountain, and the ranger takes his work managing the park and its crowd of visitors seriously. The job of watching over an... more
—Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals
A vast, inspiring, and enormously entertaining book.”
— New York Times Book Review
From New York Times bestselling historian Douglas Brinkley comes a sweeping historical narrative and... more
Watercolorist Olivia Rutherford fashioned her image as an avant-garde artist to appeal to the region's wealthy art-collectors. When she lands a lucrative contract painting illustrations of Yosemite National Park for a travel magazine including its nightly one-of-a-kind Firefall event, she hopes the money will lift Olivia and her sisters out of poverty.
After false accusations... more
Don't have time to read the top National Parks books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
In the sequel to the best-selling 50 States, 5,000 ideas, National Geographic turns to the United States' and Canada's most pristine--and adventure-filled--national, state, and city parks with 5,000 ideas for the ultimate vacation. Showcasing the best experiences, both obvious and unexpected, each entry in this robust guide provides an overview of the park, detailed travel... more
On their second night out, Anna goes off on her own for a solo... more
Willow, however, has been in love with Sam Brooks for as long as she can remember. But she wants her sister to... more
Joe Pickett s been hired to investigate one of the most cold-blooded mass killings in Wyoming history. Attorney Clay McCann admitted to slaughtering four campers in a back-country corner of Yellowstone National Park a free-fire zone with no residents or jurisdiction. In this remote fifty-square-mile stretch a man can literally get away with murder. Now McCann s a free man, and Pickett s about to discover his motive one buried in Yellowstone s rugged terrain, and as dangerous as the man who wants to keep it hidden." less
Senator and former attorney Ella Blair spends much of her time in the limelight as the second-youngest senator in the country. But she has a secret--one that cost Gage his career. More than anything, she wants... more
Don't have time to read the top National Parks books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
In April, 1992, a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, a party of moose hunters found his decomposed body. How... more
Holger SeimWhen it comes to adventure stories, Into the Wild. (Source)
Get ready for a journey like no other! Follow the park animals as you find your way through a seemingly never-ending maze, spot the difference between some amazing creepy crawlies, complete a ferocious crossword full of hungry predators, find your feathered park friends in a bird... more
Every American is a public-land owner, inheritor to the largest public-land trust in the world. These vast expanses provide a home to wildlife populations, a vital source of clean air and water, and a haven for recreation.
Since its inception, however, America’s public land system has been embroiled in controversy—caught in the push and pull between the desire to develop the valuable... more
The journey began as a desperate escape from urban isolation, heartbreak, and despair, but became an adventure beyond imagining. Chronicling their colorful escapade, Almost Anywhere explores... more
Don't have time to read the top National Parks books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Flexible Itineraries: Adventure-packed ideas ranging from one day in each national park to a week-long road trip covering both, designed for wildlife watchers, geology buffs, snow-seekers, and more
The Best Hikes in Yellowstone & Grand Teton: Detailed descriptions, individual trail maps, mileage and elevation gains, and backpacking options
Experience the Outdoors: Marvel at the... more
While they try to deal with the fragile state of affairs---and find... more
But her mistakes aren't so easily forgotten. Because Ben King is also back in town.
Country music star Ben King abandoned his past when... more
Fire Season is Connors's remarkable reflection on work, our place in the wild, and the charms of solitude. The landscape over which... more
When Papa Pilgrim appeared in the Alaska frontier outpost of McCarthy with his wife and fifteen children in tow, his new neighbors had little idea of the trouble to come. The Pilgrim Family presented themselves as a shining example of the homespun Christian ideal, with their proud piety and beautiful old-timey music, but their true story ran dark and deep. Within... more
From her outpost in an isolated mountain cabin, Deanna Wolfe, a reclusive wildlife biologist, watches a den of coyotes that have recently migrated into the region. She is caught off-guard by a young hunter who invades her most private spaces and confounds her self-assured, solitary life. On a farm several miles down the mountain, Lusa Maluf Landowski, a bookish city girl turned farmer's wife, finds... more
Don't have time to read the top National Parks books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Our Great Big Backyard follows Jane, whose plans of spending the summer playing video games with her friends are dashed when her parents announce that her family is going on a road trip to national parks around the country. Yet somewhere between the Everglades and Big Bend National Park,... more
This extensive travel planner covers not just the 58 official National Parks but also the nearly 350 additional properties in the Park Service's domain. The premier Parks are described in detail, but equal attention is given to the National Monuments, Memorials,... more
Ever since Jack can remember, his mom has been unpredictable, sometimes loving and fun, other times caught in a whirlwind of energy and "spinning" wildly until it's over. But now she is gone, leaving him all alone on a campsite in Maine. Can he find his way back to Boston before the authorities realize what happened? With nothing but a small toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins a journey that will test his wits and his loyalties -- and his trust that he may be part... more
In this well-constructed narrative, Ambler reveals a hidden Yellowstone, a place where delight and danger are separated by the slimmest of margins: a degree of pitch on an avalanche slope, a few inches of a buffalo’s horn, a moment... more
Moon Travel Guides: Find Your Adventure
Incredible wildlife, stunning glaciers and waterfalls, and unforgettable adventure awaits you in Moon Rocky Mountain National Park.
Moon Rocky Mountain National Park features:
Itineraries for every timeline and budget, ranging from one day in the park to a week-long trip, including: Family Fun, Day Hikes, Winter Adventures, and Gaga for Glaciers
Strategies for getting to Rocky Mountain National Park, avoiding crowds, and exploring its less-visited areas more
-- Nationally known as the first lady of conservation, the woman who "saved" the Florida Everglades
-- Founder of the Friends of the Everglades, a feminist, a fighter for racial justice, and always a writer
-- Her intelligence, wit, and insight mirror an indomitable spirit
-- A must-have for anyone interested in conservation, the environment, or biographies of fascinating people
-- Now in its 7th printing less
Don't have time to read the top National Parks books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
What caused the stone arches in Arches National Park? Why are Yellowstone's geothermal pools such wild colors? How did the Badlands get their name? America's sixty National Parks are some of the most beautiful unique, and biodiverse places on earth, and are visited by millions annually. Home to some of our most treasured species of animals and plants, as well as some of the most striking... more
Twenty-three essays from contributing authors with deep personal and professional connections to the national parks serve as expert guides to places in the park system where:
more
In these rich and informative pages, the travel pros at National Geographic bring you the premier guide to 460 national parks of Europe. Find your way to Snowdonia in Wales, offering more than 1,490 miles of walking trails through thick forests, coastal beaches, deep lakes, and jagged mountains. Catch a glimpse of more than 10,000 species inhabiting Germany's Bavarian Forest. Explore the flora and fauna... more
Lonely Planet Zion & Bryce Canyon& National Parks is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Hike the Cable Mountain trail in Zion, ride a horse or mule through Bryce or go swimming or tubing in Zion's Virgin River -all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Zion & Bryce Canyon& National Parks and begin your journey now!
Inside the Lonely Planet Zion & Bryce Canyon... more
Principally set on the wild and sparsely inhabited Channel Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara, T.C. Boyle's powerful new novel combines pulse-pounding adventure with a socially conscious, richly humane tale regarding the dominion we attempt to exert, for better or worse, over the natural world. Alma Boyd Takesue is a National Park Service biologist who is spearheading the efforts to save the island's endangered native creatures from... more
Don't have time to read the top National Parks books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.