I’m awfully fond of walking, in any season. And the beautiful (and warmer!) weather we’re experiencing right now where I live has me anticipating more time outside—plus we’re taking a family trip this spring to a few cities that are renowned for being both nature-loving and pedestrian-friendly. That got me thinking about all the great books dedicated to walking and hiking (because of course it did!). These titles serve as inspiration and encouragement to get moving.
I’m diligent about my daily walk throughout the year, no matter how cold it gets during the winter months. (Though I will confess ice is another matter. I don’t do ice.) These walks are great for my mental health and of course great for our pup as well. As the weather starts to warm up this spring, I’m looking forward to longer walks around my neighborhood—and not just because it means more audiobook listening time. I hike less often, but because our urban parks are fabulous and accessible, I’m just a few minutes away from a change in elevation and scenery.
This book list is primarily memoir and nonfiction but there are a few novels in the mix as well. You’ll notice accounts of well-known trails and treks across countries, as well as folks hewing to more simple habits close to home. I hope this list will help inspire your next walk—whether that’s an outdoor adventure or a stroll about town.
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Most of this book takes place on a life-defining hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, which every character embarks on for their own reasons. After Alexei saves hot hiker Ben from stepping on a snake, they keep running into each other on the 2,500-mile PCT until they decide to hike together. The farther they go, the more they realize they might not be able to walk away. Letters—both sent and unsent—play a pivotal, emotional role in this MM contemporary romance. A 2023 Summer Reading Guide team selection. (Open door.) More info →
A real-time account of the Brat Pack actor’s 500-mile walk across Spain on the Camino de Santiago with his 19-year-old son Sam. He details the pair’s reasons for embarking on the trip, their long, hot days spent walking 20+ miles a day in the hot summer sun, the fellow walkers they meet along the way, the food they eat, the coffee they drink, the inns they sleep in, what they talk about along the way. Will and I enjoyed listening to the audiobook on a road trip last summer: the elder McCarthy reads the majority but son Sam frequently adds his own voice, which makes for a wonderful listening experience. More info →
A flâneur is the French word for an idler or stroller. In this 2016 nonfiction work, Elkin turns our attention to the feminine form of that word, noting the different ways women live and walk in cities as compared to men. She shares her own memories of walking in various cities where she’s lived, as well as profiles of notable flâneuses like novelist George Sand and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn. Elkin believes walking can help us feel more at home in the world. Don’t be surprised if you feel inspired to go for a walk through your town once you’re done. More info →
Renowned travel writer Bryson takes to the Appalachian Trail in this laugh-out-loud travel memoir. After returning to America after 20 years in England, Bryson reconnects with his home country by walking 800 of the AT’s 2100 miles, many of them with his cranky companion Katz, who serves as a brilliant foil to Bryson’s scholarly wit. This superb hiking memoir skillfully combines laugh-out-loud anecdotes with serious discussions about history, ecology, and wilderness trivia. (Many years after reading it I still think about it all the time, especially Bryson’s anecdotes about trees.) More info →
Cole’s 2011 novel introduces us to Julius, a Nigerian-German in his last year of a psychiatric residency at an NYC hospital. His walks through Manhattan offer a stress release, as well as a chance to make sense of a recent breakup and other events in his life. Along the way he interacts with people from all walks of life. This is very much a character study, best for readers who don’t need a plot to propel them along. More info →
Joyce’s debut is the story of a long and purposeful walk. Harold Fry’s adjustment to retirement has not gone smoothly for him or his wife. When he receives a letter from his old friend Queenie who is dying, Harold writes back and sets out on an errand to mail his letter, but then a chance encounter inspires him to deliver it in person instead. He decides to walk the 600 miles between his small village and Queenie’s hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed, believing that as long as he walks, Queenie will live—especially because he believes she can’t die until their unfinished business is finally settled. More info →
The world-renowned Zen Master introduces readers to mindful walking. It can be done anywhere and everywhere, so long as we focus on our steps and our breaths. The destination matters less than the journey. With stories about both walkers and observers, Thich Nhat Hanh makes a strong case for the benefits of this practice. More info →
If you’ve been a blog reader for a while, you may know that my particular nerdy niche is urban planning. I love reading about how seemingly simple infrastructure like sidewalks, city parks, and even intersections affect our daily lives in big ways. This is one of my go-to urban planning recommendations. Speck makes the case for the importance of walkability. He aims to show how we can deliberately plan urban spaces to be useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting. At a deeper level, this book reveals how our spaces shape our behavior, whether or not we’re aware of it. Pragmatic, relevant, and completely fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Jeff in WSIRN Episode 372: Books that change the way you see your city and the world. More info →
What would compel someone who has never hiked a day in their life to take on the Appalachian Trail? Not only did Lugo not have any experience, he was much more of an indoorsy person. But when his job situation changed, the Black comedian came up with a grand plan of how he’d make use of the unexpected free time over the summer. Starting in Springer Mountain, Georgia and ending in Katahdin, Maine, Lugo takes us along on the 2,190 mile hike across the AT as he learns about thru-hiking culture, the unpredictability of nature, and how to maintain a goatee no matter the circumstances. More info →
In the first installment of her Broken Earth Trilogy, everyone is trying to survive the Stillness’s unforgiving, unstable environment as the next Fifth Season approaches. With stellar world-building and written in second person POV, we follow three characters trying to make their way as the catastrophic threat looms ever closer. After Essun’s husband murders their son and kidnaps their daughter, she treks across the harsh land to get her daughter back before it’s too late. Damaya trains to control her unique and much-feared power at school, while Syenite is sent on a mission and finds the world different from what she was told. Exploring systematic oppression and the gift of found families, it’s easy to see why this lengthy book has garnered so much praise. Content warnings apply. More info →
In desperate need of a fresh start after the death of her mother and divorcing her husband, Cheryl Strayed decided to hike more than 1000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail by herself, even though she had little hiking experience. What follows is a journey of ups and downs, hope and despair, as she moves toward healing and making sense of her past. (Would you believe I still haven’t read this bestseller? Tell me in comments if you think it belongs on my TBR!) More info →
This entire book is about the walk that 85-year-old Lillian takes on New Year’s Eve, 1984, in New York City. She travels from her Murray Hill apartment to her regular Italian restaurant, stops at a bodega for gifts, dines at the iconic Delmonico’s, pops into a friend’s party in Chelsea, and of course walks by R.H. Macy’s in Herald Square, where she worked for many years as the highest-paid female copywriter. Along the way she recounts significant memories from her life, plus a few minor ones, reflecting on what she experienced and what might have been. As the book takes place entirely over the course of New Year’s Eve, many readers have a tradition of revisiting the novel on that day each year. Content warnings apply. (This was the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club December 2023 selection.) More info →
This book in translation is a little bit personal story, a little bit philosophical meditation on how walking is grounding and expansive, whether you’re walking to work or embarking on a longer trek. I took a ridiculous number of notes in my book journal and read a bunch of quotes out loud to my family. Translated from the Norwegian by Becky L. Crook. More info →
This book had me turning to friends asking “have you read this?” because I needed to talk about it, right away. It begins with a bang, when all the lights go out; soon thereafter, civilization falls apart. In McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic tale, a nameless father and son take to the road, wandering through the burned landscape as they make their way towards the coast, though they’re unsure what, if anything, awaits them there. Many consider this 2007 Pulitzer winner an American classic for its moving portrayal of familial love and tenderness against a backdrop of total devastation. More info →
What are your favorite books about walking and hiking? Please share in the comments.
P.S. 14 books about nature to inspire your next outdoor adventure.
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