While there are many courses and tutorials online, learning from a book is still one of the best ways to greatly improve your skills. Below I have selected top Hiking Guide books.
- The Backpacker’s Field Manual, Revised and Updated: A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Backcountry Skills (2005)
- Moon USA National Parks: The Complete Guide to All 59 Parks (Travel Guide) (2018)
- Moon California Hiking: The Complete Guide to 1,000 of the Best Hikes in the Golden State (Moon Outdoors) (2016)
- White Mountain Guide: AMC’s Comprehensive Guide to Hiking Trails in the White Mountain National Forest (2017)
- The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide, Second Edition: Tools and Techniques to Hit the Trail (2017)
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Backpacking and Hiking (2010)
- Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park: The Essential Guide (2019)
- Hiking North Carolina: A Guide to More Than 500 of North Carolina’s Greatest Hiking Trails (State Hiking Guides Series) (2016)
- Oregon’s Ancient Forests: A Hiking Guide (2019)
- Great Sedona Hikes: Revised 5th Edition (2018)
- Hiking Yosemite National Park: A Guide to 61 of the Park’s Greatest Hiking Adventures (Regional Hiking Series) (2016)
- Alpine Lakes Wilderness: The Complete Hiking Guide (2019)
- 100 Hikes / Travel Guide: Southern Oregon & Northern California (2017)
The Backpacker’s Field Manual, Revised and Updated: A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Backcountry Skills (2005)
When it was first published in 1998, The Backpacker’s Field Manual set the standard for comprehensive backpacking books.
Moon USA National Parks: The Complete Guide to All 59 Parks (Travel Guide) (2018)
For more in-depth information on a specific park, check out Moon’s national parks travel guides.
Moon California Hiking: The Complete Guide to 1,000 of the Best Hikes in the Golden State (Moon Outdoors) (2016)
Exploring more of the Golden State? Try Moon California Camping. Hitting the road? Check out Moon California Road Trip.
White Mountain Guide: AMC’s Comprehensive Guide to Hiking Trails in the White Mountain National Forest (2017)
Now in print for 110 years, hikers have relied on AMC’s White Mountain Guide for two centuries. This guidebook is the most trusted resource for the hiking trails of the magnificent White Mountain National Forest and surrounding regions. The thirtieth edition has been thoroughly updated and revised with accurate descriptions of over 500 trails, six topographic maps with trail segment mileage, trip planning and safety information, and a checklist of New England’s Four-Thousand Footers.
The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide, Second Edition: Tools and Techniques to Hit the Trail (2017)
Whether you’re a first-time backpacker, an occasional weekend warrior, or a seasoned long-distance trekker, this guide is a must for any backpacking, hiking, or camping trip. Supreme long-distance hiker Andrew Skurka—accomplished adventure athlete, speaker, guide, and writer—shares his knowledge in this essential guide to backpacking gear and skills.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Backpacking and Hiking (2010)
Chapter 1: Get Started with Day-Hiking Getting started with shorter hikes that allow you to sleep in your own bed at night. Chapter 2: Hiking for All Ages and Types Finding a satisfying trail whether you hike by yourself, with a partner, or in a group. Chapter 3: Camping Overnight The complete guide to a comfortable night’s sleep at parks, campgrounds, and backcountry tent-sites.
Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park: The Essential Guide (2019)
If you are heading to Rocky Mountain National Park, you’ll definitely want to get your hands on this hiking guide. Written by professional photographer and avid outdoorsman who has spent the last 15 years hiking every trail in the park, this guide covers everything you need to know to have a safe and amazing experience in one of our nation’s most beautiful national parks.
Hiking North Carolina: A Guide to More Than 500 of North Carolina’s Greatest Hiking Trails (State Hiking Guides Series) (2016)
With full color photographs and maps, this thoroughly updated and revised 2016 third edition is a guide to more than 500 hiking trails in all regions of the state, from the Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Piedmont and the Outer Banks.
Oregon’s Ancient Forests: A Hiking Guide (2019)
Dripping coastal forests of giant Douglas-firs, high desert groves of massive ponderosa pines, and lush mixed conifer forests surrounding jagged Cascade peaks–Oregon’s ancient forests are one of the region’s most precious treasures, providing not only vital habitat for fish and wildlife but also some of the most amazing hiking experiences in the state.
Great Sedona Hikes: Revised 5th Edition (2018)
This Fifth Edition is a complete update and expansion of Great Sedona Hikes, Fourth Edition. We’ve added 25 new trails and many loop hikes. It now and includes many new photos, updated trail descriptions, detailed maps including cumulative ascent data and trail elevation profiles.
Hiking Yosemite National Park: A Guide to 61 of the Park’s Greatest Hiking Adventures (Regional Hiking Series) (2016)
Lace up your boots and sample sixty-one of the finest trails Yosemite National Park has to offer.
Alpine Lakes Wilderness: The Complete Hiking Guide (2019)
The lush Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington’s Central Cascades contains a plethora of trails, rugged glacier-carved mountains, and more than 700 sparkling alpine lakes and ponds. Accessed via nearly 50 trailheads, more than 600 miles of trails offer hikers leisurely strolls along wooded creeks, climbs up mountain passes, or lunch spots next to glassy tarns. It is one of the most popular and beloved places for hikers in this region.
100 Hikes / Travel Guide: Southern Oregon & Northern California (2017)
The most reliable, detailed trail guide to Southern Oregon and adjacent Northern California now includes travel tips to towns, campgrounds, parks, museums, wildflowers, hot springs, fire lookouts, and quaint hotels, proving there’s more to this scenic region than just Crater Lake, the Rogue River, and Mt. Shasta.
Best Hiking Guide Books That You Need
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some hiking guide books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Fat Girls Hiking: An Inclusive Guide to Getting Outdoors at Any Size or Ability
Author(s): Summer Michaud-Skog
ID: 3242347, Publisher: Timber Press, Year: 2022, Size: 54 Mb, Format: epub
Outdoor Minimalist: Waste Less Hiking, Backpacking and Camping
Author(s): Meghan Carney
ID: 3383541, Publisher: Falcon Guides, Year: 2022, Size: 6 Mb, Format: epub
Hiking Is Fundamental
Author(s): Barbara Ann Kipfer
ID: 3384406, Publisher: Falcon Guides, Year: 2022, Size: 9 Mb, Format: epub
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are truly chart-busters according to The New York Times, others are composed by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant resources you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.