There are sixty-three National Parks in the United States covering around 52.4 million acres across thirty states and two territories. While I have many acquaintances who aspire to be completists, I don’t have the same goal. (It was a real journey to be able to say that!) However, I am happy to have visited Mammoth Cave, Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, Redwood, Rocky Mountain, Mount Ranier, and Gateway Arch. (Does New River Gorge count if I visited before it officially became a park in 2020?) If I can visit a few more in the coming years, that will be grand.
In the meantime, I’ll visit our country’s beautiful National Parks through the page. Given that we have sixty-three parks to work with, there’s no way to include all the great books set there. That’s where you come in: we’d love to hear your recommendations for books about or set at one of our National Parks in the comments section! This list wound up being more focused on parks in the western half of the country so I hope you’ll help us round it out.
Whether these reads bring back good memories of previous visits to National Parks or you hope to travel to one (or several) someday, I hope this list gets you excited about your next trip or provides an accessible and affordable means of escape via armchair travel.
For more on this topic, check out What Should I Read Next episode 468: Books for an adventure out West, in which I help a reader with a big summer family trip on the horizon find both fiction and nonfiction titles to help her get educated and excited.
Literary Tourism: US National Parks
Some links (including all Amazon links) are affiliate links. More details here.
Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour
A 2015 Summer Reading Guide selection! After her family (or what's left of it) impulsively moves from California to Connecticut, Amy has to get her car cross-country. There's just one problem: because of a tragic accident, Amy doesn't drive. Enter Roger, an old family friend who volunteers to come along for the ride, and who is dealing with his own heartbreak. Before long, the two friends decide to ditch her mom's meticulously planned itinerary in favor of the scenic route, stopping to see Yosemite National Park, familiar haunts, old loves, and plenty of small town America. Matson adds texture to this sweet story with emails, receipts, and playlists galore. Sure to inspire wanderlust. More info →
Celine
In this nature-plus-noir detective novel, Celine is a 60+ private investigator, artist, and recovering alcoholic with emphysema in NYC who specializes in finding missing persons. When a young woman seeks out Celine to help her find her father, who's been missing for decades, she and her partner head to Yellowstone National Park, where it becomes clear someone wants this man to stay missing. Read this for Heller's nature writing, and the way he explores the intersection of family, privilege, and the secrets we keep. Fun fact: Heller based the character on his mother, who was also a detective and artist in NYC. More info →
Track of the Cat (An Anna Pigeon Novel)
Barr's Anna Pigeon series is built on an irresistible concept: each mystery is set in a different national park. In book one, Anna runs from her past and moves from New York to the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas to be a park ranger. When her fellow ranger and friend Sheila is seemingly killed by a mountain lion, Anna notices that the claw marks and paw prints are almost too perfect to be real. Suspecting foul play, she treks the land in search of the real killer. The author was a park ranger herself and her experience is evident on every page. More info →
Subpar Parks: America’s Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors
Proving nothing and no one is safe from a one-star review, Subpar Parks offers a hilarious look at what the grumpiest and most disappointed visitors have to say about national parks. It also includes descriptions of each park and (genuine) tips like the best time of year to visit. Not all books that started as Instagram accounts are created equal but this one is sure to delight both outdoor enthusiasts and indoorsy souls. More info →
Letters from Yellowstone
I read this epistolary novel years and years ago. When amateur botanist A.E. Bartram is invited to join a study in Yellowstone, the new national park in Wyoming, the study’s leader is shocked and displeased to learn A.E. is not a man but, in fact, a woman. The scientists eventually get over their shock and head to camp to start their research. As their work gets underway, they debate about topics like progress vs. preservation and science vs. religion. An exploration of sexism, scientific discovery, Native American displacement, and environmentalism. More info →
Desert Solitaire
Many consider this 1968 nonfiction work by the notable author and Park Ranger to be essential reading for those interested in national parks and the American West. Abbey takes us through his time working at Arches National Park outside of Moab, Utah. He reflects on nature, conservation, morality, and the future, making a strong case for the importance of caring about the earth and preserving its beauty. More info →
Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park
I bought this for my husband Will years ago as a staff recommendation at Wild Geese Bookshop in Franklin, Indiana. After weathering a broken engagement, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Conor Knighton decided to spend the year visiting every single National Park. Thinking he needed a change of scenery, Knighton quickly went overboard with his planning, resulting in wonderful stories and a news segment. Read his account and then watch the On the Trail news segments that followed. More info →
The Last Ranger
Heller returns to the magnificent and wild Yellowstone National Park in this quietly urgent eco-thriller. Ren Hopper was born to be a ranger, but his work has grown increasingly difficult as more humans than ever flock to our nation’s national parks. Man and nature have peacefully coexisted during Ren’s tenure, but he fears that balance can’t last, given the human behavior he’s witnessed in the park lately. When a wolf researcher is nearly killed in the park, Ren suspects it was no accident—and he begins to tail his prime suspect, a local poacher involved in a dangerous grassroots militia group. This one shines for its evocative setting, lyrical commentary, intriguing science, and sympathetic protagonist. More info →
Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon
This wonderful historical narrative features two intrepid female botanists who, in 1938, embark on a grand adventure down the famously dangerous Colorado River to document the region’s plants. In lyrical prose, and relying heavily on the women’s journals and letters, Sevigny documents their harrowing 43-day voyage, crafting an account that reads like an adventure novel. She seamlessly weaves in the social and political history of the region, as well as fascinating nuggets about the Grand Canyon itself. A great choice for history buffs, nature lovers, and anyone who enjoys a good yarn about a daunting expedition. A 2023 Summer Reading Guide selection. More info →
You, with a View
This contemporary romance begins when Noelle’s TikTok about her recently deceased grandmother’s secret first love goes viral, and as a result she unexpectedly reunites with her old high school rival Theo. It turns out that Gram almost married Theo’s grandfather Paul decades ago but never told Noelle, despite how close the two were. Currently unemployed and floundering in her life, Noelle decides to go on the should-have-been honeymoon that never happened, with Paul and Theo joining her for the big adventure, including stops at Bryce Canyon, Yosemite, and Zion National Parks. Noelle and Theo have a chance to get to know each other as adults, making for a chemistry-filled, banter-laden good time. Joyce also thoughtfully explores grief and making peace with high school aspirations and expectations. More info →
The Power of Scenery: Frederick Law Olmsted and the Origin of National Parks
Have you ever wondered how national parks came to be? This historical account takes us through the birth of Yellowstone, the first national park, and the inspiration behind landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted managing Yosemite. Olmsted’s thoughts became the blueprint for future national parks. Drabelle explores how the movement changed and grew over the years, as well as its influence around the world. More info →
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
In this nonfiction adventure-slash-history (and 2024 Summer Reading Guide selection), Fedarko and his long-time photojournalist pal Pete McBride celebrate the National Park Service centennial by embarking on a 750-mile end-to-end traverse—described by many as “the toughest hike in the world”—across Grand Canyon National Park, which Fedarko calls both the most visited and least understood park. During their year in the canyon, they come face to face with the grandeur and terror of their landscape: it gets so hot the glue on their shoes melts, then so cold their boots freeze solid overnight, and the pair endure more than one (absolutely terrifying and often nauseating) near-death experience. Along the way we meet the very few intrepid explorers who know the canyons best, as well as the Native people who've known it longest. More info →
I Am the Grand Canyon: The Story of the Havasupai People
A historical nonfiction account of the Havasupai tribe who originally populated the lands now known as the Grand Canyon and their struggle to reclaim what was stolen from them in the nineteenth century. When the federal government proposed incorporating still more Havasupai land into the National Park in 1971, they fought the US Congress, the National Parks, the US Forestry Service, and even the Sierra Club. Havasupai Tribal Chairman Lee Marshall said “I heard all you people talking about the Grand Canyon. Well, you’re looking at it. I am the Grand Canyon.” His speech paved the way for the return of thousands of acres of Havasupai land in 1975, the largest return of native land in US history. More info →
Names for the Dawn
An angsty romance with a strong sense of place. Trans Park Ranger Will Avery loves the isolation of working in 1991 Denali National Park for all the ways it protects him from being hurt. He’s less than pleased to be paired with wolf biologist Nikhil Rajawat who is there to further his research. Neither expects to fall for the other and when Nikhil returns to India at the end of the summer, Will pretends like he doesn’t care. But when Nikhil returns a year later, they must figure out whether there’s a way forward together. Structure nerds will appreciate the way the story alternates between the summer they met and one year later, building to a hard-won satisfying conclusion. (Open door.) More info →
Do you have any favorite books set in a National Park? How many have you visited? Please share in the comments.
P.S. 14 books about walking and hiking, 14 books about nature to inspire your next outdoor adventure, and more literary tourism.
44 comments
I love national parks and have been to nine. I just got back from a trip to Theodore Roosevelt, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Before the trip I read Letters from Yellowstone and listened to Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith, a fun book about a couple’s quest to visit all of the parks. I started Celine on my trip, but didn’t have much time to read. So far I’m really enjoying it, and it’s fun to read about the places I recently visited. I’m a knitter and highly recommend Knitting the National Parks by Nancy Bates. I’ve been knitting the hat for each park I visit.
Also came to recommend dear Bob and Sue. Such a fun book!
I am also on a quest to visit all the National Parks. I have been to 38. Had not heard of this book and look forward to listening to it!
Dear Bob and Sue also have an entertaining podcast about the national parks and public land.
Came to the comments for book suggestions and to also recommend Dear Bob and Sue as we have found it very informative and entertaining. My husband and I have visited a little over 1/2 of the NPs, and (him more than me) are completists (I love this term). We were inspired by a family friend that started his National Park journey in his 70s after his wife passed away and has visited all of them. We have taken two epic summer road trips that have included my aging father and stepmom – last summer was mostly California – visiting as many parks as we could. I am so grateful to have experienced this beauty with them.
Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith is a fabulous trip through our national parks described in a series of letters hom from the Smith’s travels.
Yes! I love the entire series of these books!
I just finished newly-published Capture the Moment by Suzanne Woods Fisher, the first installment of her National Parks Summers series. I enjoyed this lighthearted read, with a bit of mystery and a bit of romance thrown in, set in Grand Teton National Park.
Thank you for the shout out, Jennifer G.!
This sounds great! I just visited Grant Teton a few years ago. Adding to my TBR!
What a great reading topic!
I really enjoyed Chasing the Thrill which most notably took place in and around Yellowstone, although many states and natural areas were explored as part of this modern day treasure hunt. If you enjoy adventures and a quirky cast of characters, this non-fiction will keep you guessing and also questioning whether this treasure hunt went too far.
This is a tender memoir about a daughter and her mother, who has dementia, as they camp throughout Montana: “Everything Left to Remember: My Mother, Our Memories, and a Journey Through the Rocky Mountains.” I’m fascinated by the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) which goes through National Parks in California – “Wild” and “The Great Alone: Walking the Pacific Crest Trail” are two books about the PCT that I’d highly recommend to any fellow PCT armchair travelers.
Another one for the list – America the Beautiful?: One Woman in a Borrowed Prius on the Road Most Traveled by Blythe Roberson.
Yes! This was so good! And now I ask for the junior ranger book at every park I visit and they are so much fun to do!
YES! This book his hilarious and wonderful. Although I do not approve of how sometimes she just shows up in the park for an hour or two… she doesn’t always explore like I wish she would!
Lassoing the Sun by Mark Woods is part memoir, part travelog, part just good writing and storytelling. Mark spent a year visiting national parks, some he’d been to before. Along the way, some twists and turns altered his plans but the result is worth it.
Agree about the Nevada Barr Anna Pigeon books. Each one is set in a National Parks property that becomes another character in the book.
I also enjoyed “The Hour of Land” by Terry Tempest Williams. It’s a set of essays about a handful of parks and what they mean to her, both intimately and as a part of the greater whole of public lands in the US.
Claire Kells has written three very enjoyable mysteries set in some of the less visited national parks, Sequoia, Gates of the Arctic and Pinnacles. Highly recommend.
Yes!
I came to the comments to recommend these. Loved reading them this past year!
I just got back from Acadia for the first time. SO beautiful!!!
This is such great timing — I just got home from Rocky Mountain NP and have parks on my mind! I’ve read a few of these but I see some I definitely plan to check out. 🙂
Ooh, big Anna Pigeon fan here although I did not love the latest. I just finished Kevin Fedarko’s Emerald Mile which was a fascinating dive into geopolitics, environmentalism, hydrology, and more surround the Grand Canyon and the Glen Canyon dam. A fun light read set in the Smokies is Bear in the Back Seat, a park ranger’s memoir.
Emerald Mile was not at all what I was expecting when my husband recommended it to me, but it was fabulous and I learned a lot!
So happy to see you included Nevada Barr in your list. Yes, there’s always a murder/dead body BUT there is always a National Park.
Something Wilder by Christina Lauren was a delight and is set in Canyonlands NP!
Highly recommend Desert Solitaire by Edward Abby in Audio. Then listen to Mr Powell by The Ozark Mountain Daredevils on Spotify! Make sure to listen before going to both and stand by the Colorado Rive and listen to the song again! Powerful Song about a beautiful river, the book describes Arches National Park area in the 1950’s from a rangers experiences.
I have to recommend the Christine Carbo mystery series set in (and around) Glacier National Park! Book 1 is The Wild Inside and the four-book series follows the Tana French Dublin Murder Series model with interconnected stories and characters.
Thanks for mentioning the Nevada Barr/Anna Pigeon books. I’ve read all of the and loved most of her books. She creates a real sense of the physicality of her locations. Had a chance to meet her in Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite at a talk and book signing for the Yosemite Conservancy many years ago. (Ironically, her Yosemite book is one of my least favorites.) Another Yosemite read which I absolutely loved is “The View from Half Dome” by Jill Caugherty.
The Language of the Birds by K.A. Merson is a debut that came out in May that takes place in a National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountains – I’d say it was YA, although it wasn’t promoted that way. It was a 3 star read for me, but it may be perfect for someone.
Thanks for the list! I am trying to ‘bag’ as many national parks as possible and I enjoy reading about places I travel. And, Anne, yes, you can definitely count places you visited before they were named a national park. I read ‘Through Glacier Park in 1915’ by Mary Roberts Rinehart who was a mystery writer. She traveled with a group on horseback as a journalist and I found her account very interesting.
The Dear Bob and Sue series by Matt and Karen Smith are very funny and informative as they travel the NPs and write back to their friends Bob and Sue relating their adventures. I loved them on audio!
This subject, book lists & comments are so fun to read. Grateful my parents hauled my sister & me to national parks all over the U.S. White Sands & Bandolier in New Mexico as well as Big Bend in west Texas are fabulous, Denali is majestic. I enjoyed Nevada Barr’s series, & Edward Abby, thanks for all these suggestions! I just returned from a “subpar” cruise & decided that national parks are all I need to see.
We love visiting National Parks and last year went to Glacier in Montana. During and after the trip, I read two mysteries that take place in and around the park. They are “The Wild Inside” and “Mortal Fall” by Christine Carbo. They are fun, easy reads, and I enjoyed being able to recognize the settings. (And the bear attacks didn’t bother me too much, just made me more bear aware!)
The book Grand Ambition by Lisa Michaels is a historical fiction, based on the newlyweds Glen and Bessie Hyde, who set off from Green River Utah with the plan to run both the Green River, and then the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. This was in 1928, and this book tells of that harrowing trip both two points of view. One is Bessie’s, as they make this journey, the other is from the rescue efforts to find them. Bessie was hoping to be the first women to successfully make this trip through the Grand Canyon. The book is excellent and spell-binding.
Another Nation Park series I have enjoyed is the one by Christine Carbo, set in and around Glacier Park in Montana. The first book in that series is The Wild Innside (Glacier Mystery #1),
I enjoyed Wild Rescues: A Paramedic’s Extreme Adventures in Yosemite, Yellowstone and Grand Teton by Kevin Grange.
For a different perspective on the Grand Canyon, ‘There’s This River’ by Christa Sadler is a collection of stories from boatmen (men and women) who guide river trips down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. Having done multiple river trips myself through the Grand Canyon, I highly recommend this book, but I’m a little biased 🙂
I recently enjoyed the novel Beartooth by Callon Wink. A totally different perspective on Yellowstone from a quirky family living on the edge of for generations. Family drama, adventure, and a bit of mystery.
I’m from Australia, where we also have some pretty spectacular national parks. In the US I’ve only ever visited Yosemite, which was a memorable experience. Of the books mentioned, I can’t recommend Celine highly enough – it was definitely in my top ten of last year, and possibly number one!
Oh I will need to read You, with a View! My favorite places on earth are Bryce Canyon and Zion’s National Park. So beautiful! Thank you for the list.
Heartwood, by Amity Gaige, is a wonderful book which takes place in Acadia National Park. Acadia is my favorite NP and Gaige captures the unique scenery so well within this story.
Tim Kaine, one of our Senators from Virginia, wrote a book called “Walk, Ride, Paddle” which is about his enjoyment of the natural world during COVID. While the book ranges throughout the state, he does spend time on the Appalachian Trail where it passes through Shenandoah. While the main focus is on the glory of nature, there are some political elements involved as well in terms of the responses to COVID and governmental policy around this country’s natural areas.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson includes hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Future National Park completist here! (Only 18 more to go! And yes, Anne- it DOES count if you went there before it was declared a national park!) My favorite book of all time is The Last Season by Eric Blehm. It is narrative non-fiction and takes place in Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon. It’s about an incredible backcountry ranger named Randy who grew up in Yosemite and spent over 25 seasons as a seasonal ranger helping others and the land, and then he goes missing. I won’t say more, but it is so beautifully written you feel like you’re in the parks the whole time.
Although not exactly about the National Parks, I know the actual books written by John Wesley Powell are everywhere in the Southwest. The Grand Canyon Expedition: The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons (Wilderness) by John Wesley Powell (Author). He was kind of a bad ass. A civil war veteran with one arm, his description of exploring the Grand Canyon and the CO River receive kudos both for the lyrical writing and all the really good scientific details. At the time of his journey, the Grand Canyon was one of the last unexplored places in the contiguous US.
Subpar Parks is hilarious. I kept calling my sister to read excerpts to her – a clear sign its a winner. Add to the fun – I found a batch of postcards at a gift shop in the middle of King’s Canyon NP. So fun!
Comments are closed.