Best Adventure Books
Memoirs, How-To’s, Non-Fiction, and Poetry for any Outdoor and Nature-Loving Reader
December 7th, 2024
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Adventure books make great gifts either for friends or families who are looking for some inspiration, want to feel like they're there without having to be there, or looking to reminiscence about places they've been. And for adventurers, there's nothing like curling up with an adventure book, especially when it's too cold or dark to be on the trails, crags, or water that we love.
Gifting adventure books is a great idea because they tend to have fast shipping times (so make great last minute gifts). A book is a lot easier to gift than guessing someone's size on outdoor apparel or footwear. And books are relatively affordable gifts that can feel more profound than their dollar cost. The right book can be better than an expensive piece of gear that isn't gifted from the right place.
We asked Treeline Review writers – people who spend a lot of time adventuring outdoors – for their favorite adventure books. Here are the best adventure books, from memoirs, to mysteries, to how-to, to outdoor poetry. There are outdoor classics to newer books that inspired us to go on our own adventures.
Adventure Books Summary Table
| CATEGORY | ADVENTURE BOOK | AUTHOR | BEST FOR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adventure Memoirs | |||
| Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home | Heather Anderson | Hikers, Backpackers, Thru-hikers, Women | |
| Wild Rescues: A Paramedic's Extreme Adventures in Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton | Kevin Grange | Everyone | |
| Walk, Hike, Saunter: Seasoned Women Share Tales And Trails | Susan Alcorn | Hikers, Backpackers, Thru-hikers, Women | |
| Have fun out there or not: the semi-rad running essays | brendan leonard | Runners |
What to consider when choosing an adventure book
Whether you're buying a book for yourself or as a gift for others, here are some questions to narrow your search. Think of this as "what the librarian would ask you" when you come in saying you are looking for a book.
What type of books do they like to read?
Some people love books that are all about laying out the facts. Others, prefer an adventure book that reads like a thriller with suspense and mystery. Some people want adventure books that will lay out the steps for how they can take on their own trips. Others want a book that inspire them through a memoir format. If you have an idea of what (non-adventure) types of books, they like, then there is a good choice they'll like the same kind of outdoors book.
What's their reason for wanting to read an adventure book?
Are they looking for inspiration to do an activity that interests them? Are they looking for a compelling story that will serve as some escapism? Or are they learning to learn about a landscape they already love? Try to get an idea of what they'd want to get out of reading an adventure book.
Where should the adventure book take place?
We generally find that reading books about places we've been can help us form stronger connections with that landscape. Whether that place is Alaska, the High Sierra, or the Pacific Crest Trail, finding a book about a place you know they like can up the chance they'll love your book choice.
Do they prefer audiobooks?
Many of the books we recommend are available as audiobooks, including some of the outdoor poetry. Look for the Audible buttons for books we like with audiobook versions.
Adventure memoirs
Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home By Heather Anderson
The magic of an adventure book is to bring us to new worlds, to understand new ways of living, and to see life through new eyes. Not everyone wants to read a how-to book, especially people who cannot adventure outdoors. But we see the broad appeal in the narrative experience of a thru-hike, as told in the memoir Wild by Cheryl Strayed and now Thirst by National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and Treeline Review writer Heather “Anish” Anderson.
While Heather is the first and only person to hold Fastest Known Times on three National Scenic Trails (the Pacific Crest, Appalachian, and Arizona Trails), the memoir of her speed record on the PCT is relatable, fragile, and heartbreaking. Part adventure storytelling, she also flashbacks to show her transformation from a sedentary life to becoming one of the world's greatest athletes.
This quick read is for anyone who enjoys curling up with a book during the winter. And for anyone interested in learning more about planning a long thru-hike, check out our Pacific Crest Trail Gear List & Strategy guide.
National Parks are some of the most beautiful places, but they’re also very busy and often quite isolated. The National Park Service has paramedic Park Rangers, and they are responsible for responding to a truly staggering range of medical emergencies, all falling within the broad scope of wilderness medicine. These paramedics handle everything imaginable — from hikers’ acute joint injuries to rock climbers’ open head injuries, from heart attacks to suicidal intentions, from car crashes to dangerous wildlife interactions.
The author brings us along with him through his exciting but challenging 10+ years working in National Parks. He also shares intimate stories of the passionate people working in our National Parks, struggling through isolation and budget and job cuts, with compassion and consideration. This is a fast-moving story that will grip you from start to finish.
Treeline co-founder Naomi Hudetz was honored to be interviewed for Susan Alcorn’s latest book: Walk, Hike, Saunter: Seasoned Women Share Tales and Trails. There’s a joke in the long-distance hiking community: thru-hiking is the fountain of youth. And while this is obviously not true, there is a kernel of truth to it. We believe that people don’t have to “age out” of long-distance hiking, and our repeated experiences of meeting long-distance hikers in their mid-80s still going strong provides all the evidence we need.
We also believe there’s always more to learn, so even experienced hikers will find inspiration in Susan’s book. Other reviewers agree: Susan’s book will inspire both novice and experienced hikers.
Books about running often fall into one of two camps: tried-and-true instructional manuals or documentation of superhuman feats that you will probably never, ever come close to accomplishing. Brendan Leonard’s Have Fun Out There or Not: The Semi-Rad Running Essays (so named for his popular outdoor-ish humor website, Semi-Rad) is neither of these.
My favorite thing about Leonard—and this book—is that he’s not an Olympian or even someone who wins races; he’s just some dude who likes to squeeze as much fun as possible into his life and is stoked to take you along for the ride (or run, as it were). He has a way with self-deprecating humor that makes you feel in on the joke and inspired to do some of the wacky stuff he dreams up—and boy, could I relate. I related so much that I blasted through this entire collection of 25 running-related stories during a pair of solo backpacking trips this summer, and I loved it so much that I started rereading the whole thing from the top
Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Built for Us by Alison Mariella Désir is a new book that explores the sport of running and a call to action to re-imagine running as a more inclusive space.
Désir is a marathon runner and mental health advocate who knows firsthand the benefits of long distance running and re-imagines running as a safer space for Black runners. I recommend this book for runners of all backgrounds looking to create a more inclusive outdoor community.
Every winter season in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, people die. Mt Washington and the surrounding mountains are known to have some of the worst weather in the world, and this is doubly true in winter. Sometimes these deaths are due only to sheer bad luck, but most of the time, it is through a series of bad decisions.
Risk assessment and risk management are crucial for all people recreating in the outdoors, but it can be hard to find concrete examples. The author of The Last Traverse has created a complete case study for us, taking us through the full timeline of a winter search and rescue (SAR) incident that left one person injured and one person dead, from the first decisions of the hikers involved all the way through the SAR debrief afterwards.
This is a gripping tale of how two people’s individual choices around risk lead to the involvement of multiple SAR teams, including the heroic actions of a helicopter team that risked their lives to rescue one person. This book is required reading by many Northeast outdoor educators in advance of winter classes. This is a methodical, thoughtful book for any hiker, backpacker, or runner, as an excellent tool to think about managing risk in the outdoors.
When I’m overwhelmed by the state of our world, I return to this book. It is a deep dive into the histories we have been taught to forget, a call to reawaken our collective kinship and connection to the land and all of our non-human kin.
The author fervently invites us all to remember the timeless Indigenous knowledge of kinship, divest from settler colonialism that dominates and divides us, and dwell instead on what kind of relative we each want to be to each other. This book brings me hope, centering Indigenous peoples, and invites me to imagine and then be a part of creating a kinder, more connected world.
As a veteran writer for outlets like National Geographic, Doug Chadwick draws his readers into a whirlwind narrative about the human connection with one of the most feared apex predators — the grizzly bear. Chadwick draws from personal field research over decades spent along the Pacific Northwest Coast, trekking through Montana, and traveling the globe studying different mammals. He also incorporates information about the impact that environmental issues have on the awe-inspiring brown bear. Through these, Chadwick shows us that these animals are closer to humans than we may think — in more ways than we would imagine.
This book produces a beautiful marriage between the factual and interpersonal world between outdoor adventurers, enthusiasts, and the creatures we marvel at in the wild. It’s sure to stir up worthwhile conversations around the holiday dinner table — and it sure won’t sit in the back of your friend’s closet for the rest of the year!
The dark of the end of the year has always seemed to me a time for stories. I spend more time reading, yes, but I also think about what stories I want to dream into reality for myself once the days get longer. If you’ve got an outdoorsy reader and dreamer in your life, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer is an excellent book to while away the dark with. Kimmerer is an Anishinaabekwe botanist and professor whose essays work to:
“[intertwine] science, spirit, and story—old stories and new ones that can be medicine for our broken relationship with earth, a pharmacopeia of healing stories that allow us to imagine a different relationship, in which people and land are good medicine for each other.”
At the center of each essay sits Land as a teacher, as a healer, as its own being with rights—and understanding land as a gift, Braiding Sweetgrass asks each of us what we’re willing to give in return.
Braiding Sweetgrass isn’t a book for anyone looking for a quick read, and I’d even go as far as to say that those who speed through are missing the point. If you let them, the ideas seep into you and grow in their own time. I’d also say that it’s not for the faint of heart.
This book holds a mirror up to our collective behaviors and individual thoughts, values, and actions, showing the neglect of our relationship to the more-than-human world. But it’s only by becoming aware of these ruptures in the relationship that we can hope to shift them, and Braiding Sweetgrass centers the hope that helps us dream a better world into being. In these dark times, what a gift that is.
I've read a lot of non-fiction outdoor adventure books but none sticks with me like the mystery behind the Last Season. Now considered an adventure book classic, the book follows the search for the body of Sierra backcountry ranger Randy Morgenson. Now, every time I visit the Sierra, I think about this book. It's given me a deeper appreciation for a place that I already love.
Anyone who has a soft spot for the High Sierra (or loves a good mystery) will appreciate this well-researched and engaging story.
If you are an outdoors person who hasn't read this, drop what you're doing and pick up a copy.
Another adventure classic, the Big Burn follows the giant wildfire that inspired the creation of the Forest Service. Told through stories of rangers and firefighters, this is a story not just of a fire and a forest, both of the creation of land management agencies. For as wonky as this book could be, it's non-fiction at its most relatable. This is another one of my favorites of all time. It's a book that sticks with me, especially as I hiked through Idaho and Montana past fires this last year. That's the power of books: to connect us more to the landscapes we adventure in.
Among water sports enthusiasts, it doesn't get any more classic than the Emerald Mile: the Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History through the Heart of the Grand Canyon.
For any fan of the Grand Canyon, this adventure book tells the story of speed, wilderness, and the power of water and humans. A truly epic tale, this book will knock your socks off.
How-To Instructional Books
Long Trails: Mastering The Art Of The Thru-Hike By Liz Thomas
Have a friend or colleague who dreams of the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, or John Muir Trail? No matter the length of the trip, Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike by Treeline Review’s own Liz “Snorkel” Thomas, is the step-by-step how-to book to take a backpacking trip from dream to reality.
The winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for Best Instructional Book, judges said it was “destined to become the bible of the sport.” By getting Long Trails for a friend, it shows that you’ve heard their interest in distance hiking and want to maximize their fun (and safety) out there.
—Treeline Review Team
How to Survive Your First Trip in the Wild is the newest book by the master hiker, guide, and explorer Paul “Mags” Magnanti.
It seems fitting that famed budget hiker Paul “Mags” Magnanti would write a book with a price tag that won’t break the bank.
Created by the outdoor explorer behind the popular blog Pmags.com, How to Survive uses easy-to-understand language to inspire people to get outdoors without fear. Although written for a beginner audience, Mags is one of the most respected outdoors people out there today, and even advanced backpackers will get a kick out of his fun writing and outdoor wisdom. Our editors enjoyed this book for its witty explanations, fun illustrations, and succinct thoroughness.
If they’re already a Pmags fan, top the book with one of his signature hats, stickers, magnets, drinkware, and more.
—Treeline Review Team
Outdoor Poetry Books
The Hurting Kind by Ada Límon
One of my favorite activities to enjoy in nature is reading. I rarely don’t have room in my pack for a book to read while resting or at my destination. In the Spring of 2022, Ada Límon’s book of poetry entitled The Hurting Kind was gifted to me by a friend, and it has been the most cherished gift I’ve been given this year. I have read all 91 pages at least twice, revisiting poems from the comfort of my hammock or sitting beside the creek eating a sandwich.
Límon, named the Poet Laureate of the United States by the Library of Congress this year, is a poet who asks nature questions. She sees beauty in the flowers, trees, and hawks. I fell deeply into her words, finding meaning and sense in my own questions and values through her poems.
The poem “Too Close” is rich with the image of a Callery pear tree split in two during the winter. She asks questions I never knew I needed the answer to until I read it:
“Pyrus calleryana breaks
easily because it keeps
its leaves and is known
to split apart in storms.
But haven’t we learned by now
that just because something
is bound to break
doesn’t mean we shouldn’t
shiver when it does?” - “Too Close”
Límon’s 57 poems, divided into sections based on the seasons (starting with Spring and ending with Winter), are tender and observant.
The poems grapple with infertility, loss, pain, love, and all the shades of emotions in between, interwoven with landscapes and images of the natural world and our place in it.
Ada Límon’s latest poetry collection is a gift for not just those who are poetry lovers but for any friend or loved one who pays attention, asks questions, and appreciates the beauty in every day.
As the speaker asks in “In the Shadow,” “Why / can’t I just love the flower for being a flower?”
As a poet who spends a lot of time swimming in a delightful pool of ecopoetry and nature poetry, I’d be remiss not to recommend some environmentally-conscious collections. Here are four of my current favorites:
Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
Natalie Diaz is a Mojave American poet whose book Postcolonial Love Poem earned a Pulitzer Prize. This book explores themes of one’s relationship to the land and water, as well as interpersonal connections to lovers, family, and herself. The collection as a whole is a journey through grief and how the speaker attempts to heal, reconcile, simply survive, and find joy or relief despite the pain.
An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo, who served as our 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate and was the first Native American poet to hold that title, writes gorgeous nature-related and climate-conscious poetry. An American Sunrise is Harjo’s dialogue with her homeland as she confronts the history of the removal and disappearances of Indigenous people, including her ancestors. The poems are full of heartbreak and celebration; they look to the land and people for beauty and blessings.
M Archive: After The End Of The World by Alexis Pauline Gumbs
This sci-fi poetry collection imagines the future of our planet after climate change drastically changes life on Earth as we know it. The writing and the world Gumbs imagines are heavily infused by Black feminist theory and tell the story of the persistence of Black life in the face of major climate disasters.
Good Bones by Maggie Smith
The poems in Good Bones look at nature and our relationship to it with a critical eye and a path for hope. The title poem looks at the world like an old house you’re trying to sell your children. Ultimately, we have to believe it has good bones, that we can fix the damage and make this place beautiful.
The Trailhead by Kerri Webster
Kerri Webster’s The Trailhead is a collection of poetry that explores–and often compares–ecology and womanhood. The book plays on the juxtaposition of the ugly and beautiful sides of both nature and the human condition. Her collection describes natural settings, often from a woman’s perspective, and imagines greater agency and autonomy for both women and the natural world. Some of the poems have a delightful snark to them, too.
