America's Great Mountain Trails: 100 Highcountry Hikes of a Lifetime

Description

America's mountain trails lure us to exquisite heights, from the Atlantic Coast in Maine to the Pacific edge in California and the Northwest. These rugged yet seductive pathways call to all who seek both solace and adventure, whether out for a day hike or an extended backpacking expedition. America's Great Mountain Trailsintroduces readers to one hundred hikes of a lifetime. The book covers some of our nation's most legendary trails and some that are scarcely known, but all can take us on journeys to remarkable places. Between the ancient Appalachians and the Pacific Coast's uplift lie the Rockies, Desert Range, Sierra Nevadas, Cascade Mountains, Olympics, and more. Beyond are the resoundingly wild terrain of Alaska and the islands of Hawaii and Puerto Rico, which ascend like dreamy visions from the sea. Readers get practical details about the length and difficulty of each hike, along with concise directions to each trailhead, tips about the best seasons to go, advice on permit requirements, and a selection of alternate routes. An appendix offers information about what must be done to protect these special places so they'll remain alluring and rewarding to all the generations ahead. With fascinating text and beautiful photography by Tim Palmer, America's Great Mountain Trails is sure to become the definitive reference book to the most outstanding mountain trails in America.

Tim Palmer has written and photographed twenty-six books about the outdoors, adventure travel, and the environment, including Rizzoli's America's Great River Journeys.

"You can always rely on Tim Palmer for keen observation and accurate descriptive writing. In this new, large format book, he details 100 noteworthy trails in the United States, covering the mountainous areas of the East and West, along with Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. It's two books rolled into one. It's a guidebook, yes, with information and practical hints on hiking the trails, but it's also an art portfolio, exhibiting Palmer's outstanding outdoor photography." - 2020 National Outdoor Book Award "Plan your next hike at one of these mountain trails with sweeping views and physical challenges. For the ultimate outdoors experience, set your sights high. The volume is part coffee table book, part guide, covers 100 trails, and recently won a National Outdoors Book Award." - USA TODAY "From instructing students on Outward Bound trips in mountains across the U.S., to personal long distance runs in the Sierra, Tetons and Rockies, I know the value of a book that not only tells us what we need to know for a safe and memorable trip, but also one that inspires, motivates, and lures us to go to places that offer incomparable rewards for our efforts. Tim Palmer's book does all that and more." -Nettie Pardue, Executive Director, Outward Bound California, ultrarunner, and trail lover "This is a wonderful selection of trails with a balance between essential information and personal commentary, and the photos are gorgeous. After starting with eastern mountains Palmer builds to challenging trails in the West, and he ably includes information about connecting and nearby explorations. For both the armchair traveler and the serious hiker, America's Great Mountain Trails is a gem." -Steve Elkinton, (retired) National Park Service Program Leader for the National Trails System, author, A Grand Experiment: The National Trails System at 50. "Trails and mountains are such overused metaphors these days that one can forget their power. Fortunately, Tim's book, with its spectacular photographs, re-grounds us in the inspiration and uplift that hiking in America's great mountains provides." -Chris Brown, (retired) Director of Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers, US Forest Service, former Chief Planner for the Appalachian Trail, National Park Service. "I've made it my life's work to keep our Siskiyou Mountain trails alive because I believe in the experiences that they offer, and I'm grateful to Tim Palmer for sharing the similar wonders of mountain trails nationwide through his stunning photographs and colorful write-ups. Tim knows America's mountains in a way I can only fathom, so take his lead, explore these places on your own, and find the magic in America's great mountain trails." -Gabriel Howe, executive director, Siskiyou Mountain Club. "Tim Palmer's latest work of love sets a whole new standard for guidebooks to the natural world. His essential and practical tips about the best places to hike in mountain ranges all across the country are backed by an intimate knowledge of natural history and woven into a photo book of dazzling proportions. I'm adding it to my collection of the finest guides to the American outdoors." - John Muir Laws, author of The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada and other books. "A forthcoming book from veteran environment writer and photographer Tim Palmer reveals 100 of the greatest mountain hikes in the United States through stunning photographs that put your average Instagram landscapes to shame. At a time when a lot of people seem to be hiking so they can get photos of themselves for the 'Gram, and geotags can turn a quiet, remote hike into a crowded, littered scene, America's Great Mountain Trails (Rizzoli), is a throwback of the best kind: A beautiful, printed(!) guide that encourages readers to explore with wonder and respect. Organized by region, the book includes a description of each hike and photographs that show the vistas to be had from these trails. Palmer's images occasionally show people hiking or backcountry skiing or admiring the view, but none of them are posing for the camera. The mountains, rivers and wildlife are the stars. The book opens with a conservation-minded foreword from The Wilderness Society's director Jamie Williams. Short essays from Palmer touch on the skills necessary to travel safely on these remote trails, and into how mountain ranges effect our lives even if we don't live near them." -Photo District News