The origin story of America’s national parks goes like this: during the Lincoln administration, fearing that the recently “discovered” wonders of Yosemite Valley would be defiled as Niagara Falls had been, and the “Mariposa Big Tree Grove” logged, federal legislation created what would eventually become Yosemite National Park, though as author Dennis Drabelle notes, the word “park” never appeared in the law.

Rick Ridgeway started his life of adventure at 18, when he joined a group of friends to sail a small boat to Tahiti. Over the next half-century, he enjoyed (and survived) more adventures across the world than most of us can even conceive of.

The bear literature is rich, but with threats to bears proliferating today, writers and photographers are shining their lights on the plight of these charismatic megafauna. Several excellent books about bears have appeared that deserve our attention. Thankfully the news is not all bad, but as I’ve read through these recent publications, a sense of urgency grows – their prospects are not good.

There is a guidebook out there to help you navigate, and enjoy, the 20,000 square miles of landscape ranging from the top of the High Sierra east into Death Valley National Park.

Businessman, entrepreneur, rock climber, kayaker, pilot, conservationist, exceptionally accomplished and successful in all these endeavors, Doug Tompkins lived several lives in his 72 years, most notably one in the business world, the other in the realm of conservation. And despite the title, he had more than one wild idea – his is a story of one wild idea after another.

Running Out could not be more timely, as people worldwide face what many call the existential crisis of climate change that is exacerbating the long process of depleting the Ogallala Aquifer lying beneath the United States from southern South Dakota to West Texas.

Labor Day Weekend is in sight, which means there soon should be a big drop off in visitation to Rocky Mountain National Park and other parks in the National Park System, which means folks not tied to the school calendar should be getting ready to head out into the parks.

Mountains and Desire and The Third Pole happened to land in my reading pile together and have given me rich food for thought about mountains, mountaineering, and “the end of the world.” One takes work to understand and one captivates with mystery and adventure, but they are complementary and both are well worth the effort required to glean insights into some of our often inexplicable desires.

This beautifully written and designed book is pure advocacy - of the idea that we humans are nature, and our future depends on accepting this fact. This seems obvious to many of us, but as a species we don’t act as though we understand its implications. We are special. We are exceptional. The laws of nature do not apply to us. The Earth is made for us, and we can do whatever we want to it with impunity, like remove the forests, kill the coral reefs, and drive myriad fellow travelers to extinction, among other things.

In an absorbing and compelling new book, Philip D’Anieri presents the country's most iconic footpath, the Appalachian Trail, as a human, as much as geographical, story.

A Window to Heaven is a valuable addition to the extensive literature on the history of Denali. It is a meticulously researched “window” through which we can gain insight into the unusual man who made the first ascent possible, into the lives of those who joined him on the climb, and into the ways that cultural conflict in early Alaska played in the ascent and its aftermath.

The National Park System and the National Park Service need your help. All Americans who profess to love the national parks need to get to work to bring change, to demand it.

What, more books on Bears Ears? Yes, and there cannot be too many books on this remarkable landscape at this moment when there is a chance that protection for this wonderful and sacred place will be restored. Trump took much of it away, now maybe Biden will bring it back.

It's well known how inspired John Muir was by Yosemite National Park, and how the majesty of the park impacted him. With a small book in your back pocket you can explore the park as Muir did and appreciate how the settings affected him.

Some people have really tough jobs, like photographer and writer Tim Palmer, author of award-winning books about rivers, conservation, and adventure travel.