Literary Tourism: National Parks

Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park

by Conor Knighton

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.

The Last Ranger

by Peter Heller

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.

Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon

by Melissa L. Sevigny

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. For fans of Kevin Fedarko’s The Emerald Mile and Candice Millard’s River of the Gods.

You, with a View

by Jessica Joyce

A viral TikTok sets this story in motion: Twenty-eight year old Noelle is floundering, living back at home with her parents and grieving the loss of her best friend, her grandmother. When she discovers a pile of old photos and love letters hinting at the fact that her grandmother had a great love before she married Noelle's grandfather, Noelle does the best thing she can think of: spills the story on TikTok to help her find her grandmother's mystery man. The good news: the man's grandson immediately comes forward: The bad news: he's her high school nemesis. Noelle and Theo reunite, invite Grandpa into the story, and set off on road trip on which the younger two will learn the secrets of this long-lost love—and maybe fall in love along the way. This was such fun to listen to as narrated by Kyla Garcia; I especially enjoyed the intergenerational component of this sweet and tender story. (Open door.)

A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon

by Kevin Fedarko

In this nonfiction adventure-slash-history, 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. Fedarko narrates his own audiobook: it took me a few chapters to get used to his style but once I did, I really enjoyed it.

I Am the Grand Canyon: The Story of the Havasupai People

by Stephen Hirst

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.

Letters from Yellowstone

by Diane Smith

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.

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour

by Morgan Matson

From the 2015 Summer Reading Guide. For fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han. 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 carefully-orchestrated route in favor of the scenic route, stopping to see familiar haunts, old loves, and plenty of small town America. Matson adds color to this sweet story with emails, receipts, and playlists galore. Sure to inspire wanderlust. If you like this, read Since You’ve Been Gone next.

Names for the Dawn

by CL Beaumont

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.)

Celine

by Peter Heller

Private investigator Celine is a recovering alcoholic with emphysema who specializes in finding missing persons. When a young woman asks Celine to find her missing photographer father, Celine and her partner head to Yellowstone National Park, where it becomes clear someone wants this man to stay missing. Read this for the way Heller writes about nature and explores the intersection of family, privilege, and the secrets we keep.

Desert Solitaire

by Edward Abbey

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.

Track of the Cat (An Anna Pigeon Novel)

by Nevada Barr

The Anna Pigeon series is built on a fascinating 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 killed by a mountain lion, Anna notices some discrepancies. The claw marks and paw prints are too perfect, and Anna suspects foul play. Anna treks the land to find the real killer. The author was a park ranger herself, and her experience is evident on the page.

The Power of Scenery: Frederick Law Olmsted and the Origin of National Parks

by Dennis Drabelle

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.

Literary Tourism: National Parks

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summer reading starts May 16th