List

Top 10 Backpacking Books

May 20, 2026 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

I am about to head back out to finish the northernmost 100 miles of the Arizona National Scenic Trail (follow along live), so it seemed like a good time for this list. As is often the case when I start ranking the top 10 books in any given category, I thought to myself that I have not read enough books in the backpacking genre to really leave any off the list. And again, as usual, I remembered ones that I had forgotten and started making hard decisions about what got shifted to the Honorable Mentions. There are so many first-person narratives about hiking long trails in the U.S. that I have not really scratched the surface here. I hope you are inspired to pick up one of them, just as I was to recently read Heather Anderson’s Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home after reading reviews. The next backpacking book on my to read list is Carrot Quinn’s Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart: An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail. Click here to see all the Top 10 Lists.

If you or someone you love are interested in hiking or backpacking in the 155 National Forests, our travel guidebook Out in the Woods makes a great gift!

10. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (2012)

The most famous book about the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail can be heartbreaking to read, but it is better than the movie version.

9. Northland: A 4,000-Mile Journey along America’s Forgotten Border by Porter Fox (2018)

The northern U.S. border with Canada is the subject of this autobiography that involves traveling by canoe, freighter, car, and foot.

8. A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko (2024)

Mostly a series of off-trail misadventures and a what-not-to-do guide set in Grand Canyon National Park by the author of The Emerald Mile (#2 on the Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in a National Park).

7. The Sun Is a Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds by Caroline Van Hemert (2019)

A well-written account of a biologist and her husband’s epic journey by rowboat, ski, foot, raft, and canoe.

6. Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery (2014)

A fun biography of the woman who popularized thru-hiking the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (and was an Honorable Mention for the Top 10 Non-Fiction Books on National Forests)

5. How to Be Alone: an 800-mile hike on the Arizona Trail by Nicole Antoinette (2023)

I read this autobiography before my own trip in the opposite direction on the Arizona National Scenic Trail where I spent the great majority of my hours walking alone.

4. The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience by Jennifer Pharr Davis (2018)

At a library event in Wyoming, I got to meet this author and one-time record holder for the Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

3. Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home by Heather Anderson (2019)

An engrossing narrative of chasing the FKT for the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail in 2013, she also wrote Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail (2021) and Farther: Eight Months on America’s Triple Crown Trails (2026).

2. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson (1998)

This funny tale of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail was an Honorable Mention on the Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in a National Park list (which is by far my most popular Top 10 List).

…and finally the #1 backpacking book:

1. A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins (1979)

This is the book that inspired that part of Forrest Gump where he walks on roads for years. I was blown away when I read this as a teenager and I think it had a big impact on me (I even hiked with a Siberian husky like the author).

Honorable Mentions

You Are Here by David Nicholls (2024)

This book does not fit this list at all because it is the only one that is fiction and it is set in England, but I have not identified with a protagonist this much in decades.

Freedom by Sebastian Junger (2021)

All 400 miles walked on the railroad lines of the east coast during the 2020 pandemic were breaking trespassing laws, which gives this narrative an added sense of danger.

On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor (2016)

A reflection on trails of all kinds by a man who thru-hiked the Appalachian National Scenic Trail was an Honorable Mention for the Top 10 Non-Fiction Books on National Forests.

The Last Season by Eric Blehm (2006)

A well-researched investigation into the disappearance of a National Park Ranger in the rugged backcountry of California’s Sierra Nevadas also placed on the Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in a National Park list.

A Long Trek Home: 4,000 Miles by Boot, Raft, and Ski by Erin McKittrick (2009)

An Honorable Mention for the Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in Alaska, most of this amazing journey was spent paddling on water, not walking under the weight of a pack raft.

Know someone who loves National Parks? Gift them our travel guidebook A Park to Yourself: Finding Solitude in America’s 63 National Parks.

West Virginia

Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area

May 13, 2026 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area

West Virginia

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

99,794 acres (57,232 federal/ 42,562 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/monongahela/recreation/spruce-knob-seneca-rocks-national-recreation-area

Overview

In 1965, this portion of Monongahela National Forest became the first National Recreation Area managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It includes 4,863-foot-tall Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia and the Alleghany Mountains. Seneca Rocks is a 900-foot-tall quartzite crag heavily used by rock climbers, including by the military during World War II. Also part of this area, Smoke Hole Canyon is a rugged 20-mile gorge on the South Branch of the Potomac River. It is best seen by kayaking and whitewater canoeing since there are few trails. Formerly, the canyon had remote family homesteads and moonshine stills, and now it is considered one of the most biologically diverse spots in the eastern U.S.

Highlights

Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, Smoke Hole Canyon, Spruce Knob Tower

Must-Do Activity

When the road is not closed due to snow, it is easy to drive to the top of Spruce Knob where an observation tower was built for seeing over the trees at the flat summit. The half-mile Whispering Spruce Trail has interpretive signs at the top, and an extensive network of backcountry trails leave from the parking lot to access Seneca Creek and Alleghany Mountain. To the west, 25-acre Spruce Knob Lake has campgrounds and picnic tables, as well as boating and fishing opportunities (but no swimming is allowed). Rock climbing is one of the biggest draws to this area, especially at Seneca Rocks and in Smoke Hole Canyon (at Eagle Rocks, the Route 220 entrance, and the walls of Long Branch).

Best Trail

For those not interested in roping up to climb the steep cliffs, stop into the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center open Thursday through Monday in the summer. Next door at the Sites Homestead, on Saturdays pioneer interpreters demonstrate quilting, fiddling, and basket-weaving. Hikers can access the narrow rock ledge at Seneca Rocks via a steep 1.3-mile one-way trail that circles the formation.

Photographic Opportunity

The jagged spires of Seneca Rocks are the most photogenic rock formation in the state. Since 1971, more than a dozen people have died from falls at the site, so exercise extreme caution at the top of the cliff.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The paved road to the top of Spruce Knob is open year-round when it is snow-free.

Camping

Big Bend Campground offers 46 sites with hot showers and is located on a peninsula in Smoke Hole Canyon. Seneca Shadows Campground accepts online reservations April through October for walk-to tent sites and standard RV sites. Spruce Knob Lake Campground is more primitive with vault toilets, as are some other campgrounds in Monongahela National Forest.

Related Sites

Allegheny National Recreation Area (Pennsylvania)

Gauley River National Recreation Area (West Virginia)

Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area (Virginia)

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (Kentucky-Tennessee-Virginia)

Nearest National Park

New River Gorge

Explore More – When was the log house first built at the historic Sites Homestead?

West Virginia

Monongahela National Forest

May 6, 2026 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Monongahela National Forest

West Virginia

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

1,706,898 acres (921,150 federal/ 785,748 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/monongahela

Overview

Monongahela National Forest contains the highest point in West Virginia, 4,863-foot-tall Spruce Knob with an observation tower for seeing over the trees at its summit. It is part of Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area (see our full blog post), which is very popular with rock climbers. The National Forest’s initial 7,200 acres were purchased by the federal government in 1915, and it the grew to 150,367 acres over the next decade. During World War II, the U.S. Army utilized the area as an artillery and mortar range, in addition to training soldiers in climbing techniques at Seneca, Nelson, and Champe Rocks. This area receives an average of 60 inches of annual precipitation on the west side of the Allegheny Front and only half that on the rain shadow side. It is the headwaters of six major rivers: the Monongahela, Potomac, Greenbrier, Elk, Tygart, and Gauley.

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Highlights

Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, Highland Scenic Highway, Lake Sherwood Recreation Area, Gaudineer Knob Scenic Area, Cassell Cave, Sinks of Gandy, Stuart Memorial Drive, Champe Rocks, Dolly Sods Scenic Area

Must-Do Activity

There are 94,991 acres in eight designated Wildernesses in Monongahela National Forest, more than half of which is in the Cranberry Wilderness. A boardwalk traverses the bogs at Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, which has a visitor center run by the Forest Service. Fishing is a popular pastime, especially at Lake Sherwood, Spruce Knob Lake, and Lake Buffalo. When winter conditions are right, there is a snowmobile area on Highland Scenic Highway. The forest is mostly second growth, but 318 acres of old-growth remains, which can be seen at Fanny Bennett Hemlock Grove, Gaudineer Scenic Area (for red spruce), Shavers Mountain Spruce-Hemlock Stand, North Fork Mountain Red Pine Botanical Area, North Spruce Mountain Old Growth Site, and Virgin White Pine Botanical Area.

Best Trail

There is great hiking in Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, and other trails can be found at Lake Sherwood Recreation Area, Falls of Hill Creek Scenic Area, Mt. Porte Canyon, and Stuart Recreation Area. The 17,371-acreDolly Sods Wilderness encompasses much of the Red Creek drainage with high-elevation bogs and heaths like those found in southern Canada.

Watchable Wildlife

It is hard to believe given their abundant numbers today, but in the 1930s white-tailed deer had to be reintroduced from Michigan. In 1969, 23 fishers were reintroduced from New Hampshire. Other large mammals include black bear, red and gray fox, coyote, bobcat, snowshoe hare, beaver, river otter, raccoon, mink, skunk, and opossum. Of the 230 bird species identified, 159 are known to breed here. Approximately 90% of the trout waters in West Virginia are within the National Forest, and trout are stocked at Spruce Knob Lake and other locations.

Photographic Opportunity

The iconic Seneca Rocks are a 900-foot-tall quartzite crag heavily used by rock climbers. On October 22, 1987, a prominent pinnacle dubbed “the Gendarme” fell to the ground.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

A day use fee applies at Lake Sherwood Recreation Area.

Road Conditions

Most roads are open year-round, including the paved road to the top of Spruce Knob when it is snow-free.

Camping

The National Forest has 23 campgrounds, including popular options in Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area at Seneca Shadows and Big Bend (with hot showers).

Wilderness Areas

Big Draft Wilderness

Cranberry Wilderness

Dolly Sods Wilderness

Laurel Fork North Wilderness

Laurel Fork South Wilderness

Otter Creek Wilderness

Roaring Plains West Wilderness

Spice Run Wilderness

Related Sites

Allegheny National Forest (Pennsylvania)

George Washington National Forest (Virginia-West Virginia)

Jefferson National Forest (Virginia-West Virginia-Kentucky)

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (West Virginia-Virginia-Maryland)

Nearest National Park

New River Gorge

Conifer Tree Species

eastern hemlock, balsam fir, red spruce, red pine, eastern white pine

Flowering Tree Species

black ash, mountain ash, black cherry, yellow birch, sugar maple, red maple, sweet birch, cucumber magnolia, American beech, basswood, speckled alder, mountain laurel, white rhododendron

Explore More – The Monongahela River gets its name from the Lenape language, and it translates as what in English?

Learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests in our new guidebook Out in the Woods

District of Columbia

World War I Memorial

April 29, 2026 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

World War I Memorial

District of Columbia

Managed by National Park Service

Established 2021

1.76 acres

Website: https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/national-world-war-i-memorial.htm

Overview

In 1931, the District of Columbia War Memorial was erected on the National Mall where the white rotunda still stands near the Washington Monument (see photos below). The World War I Memorial near the White House was first approved by Congress in 1957 to honor John J. Pershing, General of the Armies during World War I (a rank only George Washington shares). A scant 24 years later, Pershing Park on Pennsylvania Avenue NW was finally dedicated and a statue was added after another two years. On April 16, 2021, the World War I Memorial officially opened and three years later, the58-foot-long A Soldier’s Journey sculpture by Sabin Howard was installed. In Kansas City, Missouri, the National World War I Museum and Memorial opened in 1926 as the Liberty Memorial, and Congress designated it as the country’s official war memorial in 2014.

Highlights

Reflecting pool, Pershing sculpture, A Soldier’s Journey sculpture, 5 p.m. “Taps”

Must-Do Activity

World War I Memorial is considered part of both Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site and the National Mall and Memorial Parks, as well as being listed as one of the 433 official National Park Service (NPS) sites. It does not take long to read the plaques and see the sculptures, so try to aim to be there for the 5 p.m. daily playing of “Taps” by a soldier in a World War I-era uniform. Nearby, the Old Post Office Tower on Pennsylvania Avenue NW was completed in 1899 and reaching the top requires two free elevator rides from NPS rangers. It provides a great view from the third highest point in the city (and hopefully it reopens soon after the new hotel owners closed it to the public on October 1, 2025). Further east down the road, the free U.S. Navy Memorial Visitor Center is also worth a visit.

Best Trail

There is no trail here, but there is always plenty of walking done when visiting the many memorials in Washington, D.C.

Photographic Opportunity

A Soldier’s Journey is the 25-ton bronze bas-relief that was officially unveiled during the “First Illumination” ceremony on September 13, 2024.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Hours

Open 24 hours

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Traffic can be slow and parking expensive in Washington, D.C., so consider taking the Metro to Smithsonian Station on the National Mall or the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter stop on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Camping

There are National Park Service campgrounds in Maryland’s Greenbelt Park and Virginia’s Prince William Forest Park.

World War II Memorial (District of Columbia)

Vietnam Veterans Memorial (District of Columbia)

Nearest National Park

Shenandoah

Explore More – Why did I include Civil War-era Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park as a related site for the World War I Memorial?

California

Sáttítla Highlands National Monument

April 22, 2026 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Sáttítla Highlands National Monument

California

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region

Established 2025

224,676 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/national-monuments/sattitla-highlands-national-monument

Overview

In the northeast corner of California is the largest shield volcano in North America: 7,921-foot Medicine Lake Volcano. Sáttítla Highlands National Monument is spread across Klamath, Shasta, and Modoc National Forests just south of Lava Beds National Monument and features numerous cinder cones and lava fields. Part of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway loops around Medicine Lake, which the Modoc people view as a place of healing. The Pit River Tribe opposed development of geothermal energy sources in this area, spearheading its protection. In the 1960s, NASA astronauts trained at Pumice Crater, four of whom eventually landed on the moon. Sáttítla Highlands National Monument is also important for biodiversity, providing habitat for wildlife species like the Cascades frog, long-toed salamander, and gray-headed pika, as well as numerous fungi, the parasitic sugarstick plant, and Pacific fuzzwort (a rare liverwort).

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Highlights

Medicine Lake Recreation Area, Giant Crater lava tube, Glass Mountain, Black Lava Butte, Fourmile Hill Tree Molds Geologic Area

Must-Do Activity

Most of the developed recreation opportunities surround Medicine Lake, which offers boat ramps, trails, and campgrounds. Giant Crater has the longest known lava tube system in the world at 18 miles, although it is partially collapsed. This Geologic Special Interest Area can be accessed two miles off Medicine Lake Road on Forest Road 43N11. Another unpaved road leads up Glass Mountain, which has a crater full of sharp pieces of rhyolite obsidian and glossy dacite. This remote corner of California has some of the darkest skies in the continental U.S., so it is great for stargazing on moonless nights. In the winter, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are popular activities on groomed trails.

Best Trail

There is a 4.4-mile loop around Medicine Lake, as well as the one-mile out-and-back Medicine Lake Glass Flow Trail that gains 68 feet of elevation on the north shore. For a more challenging route, Little Mt. Hoffman Trail gains 666 feet over three miles to the fire lookout, which can be rented overnight. Summitting the actual Mt. Hoffman is over 13 miles roundtrip with a 2,000-foot cumulative climb.

Photographic Opportunity

Sáttítla literally translates as “obsidian place” and the volcanic glass prevalent at Glass Mountain has provided humans sharp blades for at least 5,000 years.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

$5 per vehicle (or the America the Beautiful Pass) at Medicine Lake

Road Conditions

This area receives abundant winter snowfall, and roads can be blocked by snow into July, which we experienced trying to get to Glass Mountain. The road to Medicine Lake is paved, but almost every other road through the National Monument is unpaved, some requiring a high-clearance vehicle.

Camping

There are multiple Forest Service campgrounds on Medicine Lake, plus two nearby at Blanche Lake and Bullseye Lake. Dirt roads in Modoc, Shasta, and Klamath National Forests have ample dispersed camping opportunities.

Related Sites

Lava Beds National Monument (California)

Tule Lake National Monument (California)

Lassen National Forest (California)

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument (California)

Nearest National Park

Lassen Volcanic