Features hiking, skiing, paddling, biking, and more New and substantially revised trips with all new full-color photos and maps throughout Emphasis on traverses and loop trips for both summer and winter, always with simpler and shorter options Originally published in 1972, the classic guide known as 55 Ways to the Wilderness in Southcentral Alaska has been fully updated and reinvented as Alaska Adventure 55 Ways. This robust reboot covers a diverse range of activities for year-round fun, from quick day trips to adventures that could extend to a week or longer, including canoe trails, wilderness cabins, easy summits, forest walks, cross-country ski routes, summer mountain biking and winter fat bike trails, wild skating, and more. John Wolfe Jr. and Rebecca Wolfe, a father-daughter team, describe activities spanning the broad swath of Southcentral Alaska, 300 miles north to south and 350 miles east to west. The guide features activities on the lakes and peaks of the Kenai Peninsula, the Anchorage front range, the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys, and the Copper River basin, taking in Chugach and Denali State Parks, Chugach National Forest, Kenai Fjords and Wrangell St. Elias National Parks, several wildlife refuges, and portions of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. With an emphasis on adventures regular people can enjoy and destinations that don’t require highly technical skills, expensive flights to remote locations, or demanding levels of athletic fitness, this guide appeals to all ages, with family-friendly shorter options and trip extensions adding up to more than a hundred "ways" to adventure.

For fans of Cheryl Strayed, the gripping story of a biologist's human-powered journey from the Pacific Northwest to the Arctic to rediscover her love of birds, nature, and adventure. During graduate school, as she conducted experiments on the peculiarly misshapen beaks of chickadees, ornithologist Caroline Van Hemert began to feel stifled in the isolated, sterile environment of the lab. Worried that she was losing her passion for the scientific research she once loved, she was compelled to experience wildness again, to be guided by the sounds of birds and to follow the trails of animals. In March of 2012, she and her husband set off on a 4,000-mile wilderness journey from the Pacific rainforest to the Alaskan Arctic, traveling by rowboat, ski, foot, raft, and canoe. Together, they survived harrowing dangers while also experiencing incredible moments of joy and grace -- migrating birds silhouetted against the moon, the steamy breath of caribou, and the bond that comes from sharing such experiences. A unique blend of science, adventure, and personal narrative, The Sun is a Compass explores the bounds of the physical body and the tenuousness of life in the company of the creatures who make their homes in the wildest places left in North America. Inspiring and beautifully written, this love letter to nature is a lyrical testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Winner of the 2019 Banff Mountain Book Competition: Adventure Travel

"A staple for paddlers.... [The Packraft Handbook has] now become the bible for outdoor recreators taking their inflatable rafts into the backcountry." ― Anchorage Daily News 2021 National Outdoor Book Award Winner in Outdoor Adventure Guides 2022 Banff Mountain Book Competition Guidebook Winner Alaska-based author is a leading expert on wilderness travel Emphasis on skill progression and safety applies to wide range of outdoor water recreation Vibrant illustrations and photos inform and inspire The Packraft Handbook is a comprehensive guide to packrafting, with a strong emphasis on skill progression and safety. Readers will learn to maneuver through river features and open water, mitigate risk with trip planning and boat control, and how to react when things go wrong. Beginners will find everything they need to know to get started--from packraft care to proper paddling position as well as what to wear and how to communicate. Illustrated for visual learners and featuring stunning photography, The Packraft Handbook has something to offer all packrafters and other whitewater sports enthusiasts.

* Guidebook details 80 climbing routes throughout Alaska * Includes photos, many with route overlays, topo route maps, climbing difficulty and time information, ratings, and more Alaska mountain guides Mike Wood and Colby Coombs have teamed up to write this definitive climbing guidebook targeting the more experienced climber. This is the ultimate guidebook for every climber intending to scale the mountains of one of the nation's last best wild places. Alaska: A Climbing Guide offers climbers a range of routes in the Chugach Range, the Alaska Range, the Fairweather Range, and more. Each of the routes has been climbed, documented, checked, and double-checked by the authors to ensure accuracy and safety. Interesting personal experiences are included as are accounts of first ascents from Fred Beckey, John Krakauer, and David Roberts.

* The first hiking guidebook devoted to Alaska's Chugach State Park* Includes great hikes for families as well as serious backpackers* Both authors are avid Alaska hikers and know these trails intimately Attracting over a million visitors each year, Alaska's Chugach State Park spans a half-million acres and eight distinct environments - all within easy reach of Anchorage. This is the most comprehensive trail guidebook to the region.50 Hikes in Alaska's Chugach State Park includes nearly all the hikeable trails and peaks in the park, from popular Flattop Mountain to rarely seen valleys. With a mix of hikes for all ages and abilities, you'll be able to find exactly what you're looking for, whether it's a two-mile week-night stroll or a multiday backpacking trip or scramble.For each hike you'll get detailed driving directions to the trailhead; complete information on elevation, hiking time, difficulty, distance, and terrain; and helpful maps and photos. Rounding out theguidebook is information on flora and fauna, history, and geology of Chugach State Park.

Award-winning nature writer Jack Turner directs his attention to one of America's greatest natural treasures: the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Comprised of two national parks, three national wildlife refuges, parts of six national forests, and eleven wilderness areas, Greater Yellowstone is a vast array of differing environments and geographies. In a series of essays, Turner explores this wonderland, venturing on twelve separate trips in all seasons using various modes of travel: hiking, climbing, skiing, canoeing lakes, floating rivers, and driving his way across the landscape. He treks down the Teton Range, picks up the Oregon Trail in the Red Desert, and floats the South Fork of the Snake River. Along the way he encounters a variety of wildlife: moose, elk, trout, and wolves. From the treacherous mountains in the dead of winter, to lush river valleys in the height of fishing season, his words and steps trace one of the most American of experiences---exploring the West. Turner, who has lived in Grand Teton for three decades, designates Greater Yellowstone as ground zero for the country's conflict between preservation and development. At a time when the battle to preserve a wild and natural environment is relentless, his accounts of the areas conflicts with alien species, logging, real estate, oil, and gas development are alarming. A mixture of adventure, nostalgia, and Americana, Turner's rare experiences and evocative writing transform the sights and sounds of Greater Yellowstone into an intimate narrative of travel through America's most beloved lands. Praise for Teewinot: "Bursting with a sense of place...a rewarding reading experience replete with ravishing observations of nature." - Publishers Weekly "...a measured luxuriance in the landscape, a love song to the natural history of a place...Turner's writing is muscular, never swaggering, and almost lyrical, summoning a Teton Range in its rightful, sublime austerity." - Kirkus Reviews "Teewinot is a rare book. The wonderful accounts of mountaineering serve as armature not only for Turner's meditative reverence for the Grand Tetons and his often evocative prose but also for an uncommon density of knowledge of place..." - Peter Matthiessen, author of Tigers in the Snow "This is, simply stated, a wonderful and utterly engaging book." - Jim Harrison, author of Dalva and The Road Home "Each place must find its muse. The Tetons have found theirs and his name is Jack Turner." - Terry Tempest Williams, author of Coyote's Canyon

An indispensable resource for hiking, skiing, paddling, and climbing the backcountry of Southcentral Alaska

Hikes within driving distance of Anchorage and its environs 100 day hikes, from iconic to beginner to lung-burner! Day Hiking: Southcentral Alaska features 100 day hikes in the populous region around the Greater Anchorage area. Starting with the immense and accessible Chugach State Park, the guide includes hikes north of the city to include the Matanuska–Susitna Valley and Hatcher Pass areas, and also trails near Eagle River, Palmer, and Wasilla. There are hikes along Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm, including near Girdwood, Portage Glacier, and Whittier, as well as all of the Kenai Peninsula--Chugach National Forest, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Kachemak Bay State Park and State Wilderness Park, Soldotna, Homer, and more. "Hikes at a Glance" highlights features of each hike Difficulty rating, elevation gain, distance, and best season for each trail Detailed driving directions to trailheads Useful trail icons for dog-friendliness, glaciers, lakes, and more Convenient, compact, and packable size Full-color photos throughout

A whim to experience outdoor life sparked a life-changing experience and a new love affair, a love for the mountains. More than a travelogue, I have relived each of my favorite mountain haunts visually in this book. Every picture and every day in the mountains have a story behind it. These stories include the local people, whose guests we were, friends, and yours truly. I have trekked many of these trails multiple times, hence some of them have more pictures than others. These visits in the last 11 years have transformed me from an introvert to an extrovert, a weakling with a bad back (three slipped discs) to a fit 50-year-old. I became a better photographer and a better traveler over time and this is reflected in the quality of pictures as well. I often tell my friends that a week of hiking in the mountains is equivalent to a lifetime of memories. And I have plenty of them to share in this photo book.