America’s national parks are both a treasure and a wonderland so it’s no surprise that quite a few books have featured these iconic places. The national park stores tend to have excellent curated selections of books so be sure to check those out when you visit. From nonfiction to mysteries, here are just a few of my favorites.
Nonfiction
“The Power of Scenery: Frederick Law Olmsted and the Origin of National Parks“, by Dennis Drabelle – The United States couldn’t compete with Europe’s manmade wonders but it could beat them on jaw dropping nature.This book tells the story of how the national park movement arose, grew and eventually influenced worldwide preservation of natural wonders.
“Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park” by Conor Knighton – In 2020 after a broken engagement CBS correspondent Conor Knighton took to the trail and ended up going all in visiting every national park and doing CBS Sunday Morning segments tracking his progress along the way which you can watch on You Tube On the Trail.
“Desert Solitaire” by Edward Abbey – Edward Abbey’s iconic work about his time as a park ranger in Arches National Park and his reflections on the preservation of America’s wilderness and the future of civilization (all captured with his unique whimsy) is as relevant today as when it was written in 1968.
“Subpar Parks: America’s Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors” by Amber Share – A hilarious collection of true reviews of the parks by visitors underwhelmed by their majesty. Grand Canyon National Park: “A very, very large hole.” Glacier National Park: “Too cold for me.” Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: “Didn’t even get to touch lava.” Striking graphics and a good amount of real information.
“National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks” by Jon Waterman – This reference work is chock full of maps, photos and recommendations for all of the national parks and can be fun for planning your trip. Go old school and don’t just rely on AI.
Fiction
There’s something about the parks that turns one’s mind to murder. Here are two series I’ve enjoyed.
Anna Pigeon Series by Nevada Barr – Former park ranger Nevada Barr based this mystery series on her experiences as a park ranger. The 19 books in this series follow national park ranger Anna Pigeon as she solves standalone mysteries in national parks throughout the United States. The books have been adapted into a tv series “Anna Pigeon” which debuted on the USA Network in August.
Johnson and Nance Mysteries by Mark Thielman – These dual timeline mysteries (currently four in the series) focus on a current criminal investigation in a national park that is tied to a historical mystery. In “The Devil’s Kitchen: A Murder in Yellowstone” for instance, a present-day murder in Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon is linked to a famous artifact lost during the French revolution.
For more ideas on what to read check out A National Parks Reading List by the New York Public Library and Literary Tourism: US National Parks by the Modern Mrs. Darcy Blog (includes “romance in the park” titles).
For kids, take a look at Kids Books About National Parks by Penguin Randomhouse.
Again, the park shops have great selections for kids with lots of hands-on activity books to keep them busy on the car rides between stops.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the National Park Service’s instagram (@nationalparkservice) which can be not only breathtaking but also hilarious.
This post is dedicated to my friend and fellow Piedmonter Lisa Reynolds whose love of America’s national parks is both profound and infectious. As author and conservationist Wallace Stegner famously said, “National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst”.