Just because we'd all rather be outdoors 24/7 doesn't mean we don't still have a heap of grown-up responsibilities that keep our butts firmly planted… well, indoors. Maybe that big deadline is coming up at work and you can't get away for the weekend, or it might just be that your next bucket-list national park trip is still a few months away. (Oh, the agony of anticipation!)
Whatever the reason, if you're in between excursions but still craving a healthy dose of the Great Outdoors, we've got you covered. We asked the team here at TETON Sports to give us their favorite recommendations for outdoorsy reads, and boy did they deliver! From nature-inspired non-fiction to hair-raising wilderness thrillers, there's something here for everyone to enjoy.
Not a big reader? Check out the humor section and opt for the audio book. We promise they won't disappoint.
Outdoor Fiction & Non-fiction
This is by no means a complete list of the best outdoor fiction and non-fiction books, but it's definitely a good place to start if you're looking for your next great read. In fact, TETONians love to read so much that this section got a little out of control… but we didn't want to leave out anyone's favorites!
| A River Runs Through It by Norman MacLean | Leave Only Footprints by Conor Knighton |
| A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson | Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan C. Slaght |
| A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter | Raising Wild by Michael P. Branch |
| Born to Run by Christopher McDougall | Ranger Confidential by Andrea Lankford |
| Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer | The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko |
| Braving It by James Campbell | The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben |
| Death in Zion National Park: Stories of Accidents and Foolhardiness in Utah's Grand Circle by Randi Minetor (Death in the Parks series) | The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert |
| Denali: A Man, a Dog, and the Friendship of a Lifetime by Ben Moon | The Last Season by Eric Blehm |
| Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey | The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs by Tristan Gooley |
| Dirt Work by Christine Byl | The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane |
| Endurance by Alfred Lansing | The Optimist by David Coggins |
| Forest Bathing by Dr. Qing Li | The Wisdom of Wolves by Jim Dutcher and Jamie Dutcher |
| In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson | Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart by Carrot Quinn |
| Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer | Tomboy Bride by Harriet Fish Backus |
| Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer | Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube by Blair Braverman |
| Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv | Wild by Cheryl Strayed |
Nature & Wildlife HumorIf you like your open-air adventure with a side of humor, we've got just the thing. From animals that hold themselves above the law to a peek into some of the most hilarious reviews people have given our national parks (Bryce Canyon National Park: "Too orange. Too spiky."), these gems are sure to leave you chuckling.
Beauty Tips From Moose Jaw by Will Ferguson
Big Dead Place: Inside the Strange and Menacing World of Antarctica by Nicholas Johnson
Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach (and really anything by Mary Roach)
Map of My Dead Pilots: The Dangerous Game of Flying In Alaska by Colleen Mondor
Subpar Parks: America's Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors by Amber Share
The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America by Matt Kracht
The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost
The Wilderness Idiot by Ted Alvarez
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman (Nick is also a regular columnist for Outside magazine and funny as heck)
Wilderness Thrillers
Who doesn't love a good heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat wilderness thriller to pass the time until the next adventure? Okay, maybe not everyone. But for those who do, this list is for you. The moral of the story here is be prepared… and maybe steer clear of rivers. Also, "corporate wilderness retreat" is never a good idea.
Breaking Wild by Diane Les Becquets
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
Force of Nature by Jane Harper
Hunted by Darcy Coates
Shiver by Allie Reynolds (Snowboarding? A remote mountain-top resort? A dark secret from the past? Heck yes.)
The River by Peter Heller
The River at Night by Erica Ferencik
The Descent by Tim Johnston
Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr (The first book in a series of national park mysteries)
These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant
Wicked River by Jenny Milchman
Poetry & ProseThen again, maybe you just want to sit back, relax, and think of how your favorite places in nature make you feel. Hey, we get it. Slip away for a moment or two with these favorites we love to read over and over again, and find your outdoor zen.
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
Anywhere That Is Wild: John Muir's First Walk to Yosemite by Peter Thomas
Crossing Paths by Rick Van de Poll
Crossing Higher Ground by Rick Van de Poll
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
New Collected Poems by Wendell Berry
New Hampshire by Robert Frost
The Nature Lover's Quotation Book by Hatherleigh Press
The Rain in the Trees by W.S. Merwin
Upstream by Mary Oliver
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Wilderness Essays by John Muir
Kids and TeensFor many of us, our love of the Great Outdoors began at an early age. For the youngest members of your camp crew, we put together a mix of heroic wilderness survival tales, scary stories to tell around the campfire, books for young explorers, and other titles to inspire the next generation of outdoor adventurers.
Alone by Megan E. Freeman
Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail: What Will You Find? by Storey Publishing
Camp Scare by Delilah Dawson
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Hike by Pete Oswald
Maisy Goes on a Nature Walk by Lucy Cousins
Moon: A Peek-Through Board Book by Britta Teckentrup
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Mystery In Rocky Mountain National Park by Aaron Johnson (series)
National Parks of the USA by Kate Siber
The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid by Dylan Thuras
The Not-So Great Outdoors by Madeline Kloepper
The Hike by Alison Farrell
The Magic and Mystery of Trees by Jen Green
The Wild Lands by Paul Greci
Outside In by Deborah Underwood
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