It’s almost summer vacation! Hit the road with a great book that will help you explore the best of the Pacific Northwest. Browse our list of recommended reads that are perfect for all your summer travel and outdoor activity plans.
The Best Coast
by Chandler O’Leary
Plan an unforgettable summer road trip with this quirky, illustrated book showcasing the West Coast’s historic routes. With roadside attractions, beloved landmarks, hidden history, and other offbeat delights, it’s the perfect inspiration for your trip. It also includes route maps, travel tips, packing guides, and more! From San Diego, California, all the way up to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, you’ll find off-the-beaten-path adventures up and down the coast.
By the Shore
by Nancy Blakey
Explore the PNW like a local with an adventure guide that includes activities, crafts, and recipes. You’ll find info on whale watching and squid jigging, how to cook and catch seasonal seafood, the basics of water sports, how to make your own sea salt or fish prints, plus ideas for outdoor adventure opportunities and travel itineraries. By the Shore covers the coastal areas of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, Canada.
The Pacific Crest Trail
by Joshua M. Powell
A visual feast for the senses, see the beauty and the beastliness of the 2,650-mile wilderness hike from Mexico to Canada through clever infographics, modern illustration, and insightful text. This book captures both the grandeur of the West Coast as well as the tiniest things that a thru-hiker notices and experiences during a 140-day trek. Ideal for outdoor enthusiast and armchair explorers alike, it’s the Pacific Crest Trail as you’ve never seen it before!
A Woman’s Guide to the Wild
by Ruby McConnell
The friendly, definitive guide for outdoorswomen who enjoy hiking, camping, backpacking, and other outside recreation. It’s all you need to prepare for–and make the most of–your time in the wilderness, including gear lists, personal care, camp setup, fire building, weather, navigation, food and water, and more! This book will inspire you to get out on your own or with your girlfriends, explore the wilderness, and get a little dirty!
Day Hike! Series
by various authors
Discover the very best Washington State day hikes with this popular hiking guide series. These are the perfect books to have on hand when planning outdoor adventures and features day hikes in the Inland Northwest (Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint), the North Cascades, the Central Cascades, the Olympic Peninsula, and Mount Rainier. These full-color hiking guides include topographical maps, trail descriptions, and trail ratings for hikers of all experience levels to plan their day hike!
Seattleness
by Tera Hatfield, Jenny Kempson & Natalie Ross
This visually rich cultural atlas of Seattle explores the mercurial nature of place through the lens of one of the fastest growing cities in America. Through both experiential and data-driven cartography, Seattleness lends itself to longtime residents, newcomers to the city, and those curious about the moody borough that has brought us airplanes, grunge, gourmet coffee, and e-commerce. It features 50 real and strange narratives about this green metropolis!
The Portland Book of Dates
by Eden Dawn and Ashod Simonian
This highly visual book marries style and substance to give Portland and the people who love her the guidebook they deserve: a curated and creative collection of more than 130 outings in and around Portland to inspire romance and adventure. Secret spots, beloved locales, and unexpected destinations offer endless options for date night or a weekend getaway. Finally, a stylish, cheeky, curated guidebook of cool places for Portlandians and visitors of the Rose City!
Seattle Walk Report
by Susanna Ryan
Susanna Ryan, known locally as Instagram sensation Seattle Walk Report, uses her distinctive comic style and eagle eye to illustrate the charming and quirky people, places, and things that define Seattle’s neighborhoods. Explore 24 popular neighborhoods’ history, notable landmarks, and curiosities that make each area so distinctive. It’s a fun and engaging way to explore the city’s iconic, diverse, hipster, historic, and grand neighborhoods, and the perfect excuse to venture outside on a sunny day!
A Girl’s Guide to the Wild
by Ruby McConnell; Illustrated by Teresa Grasseschi
Girls belong outdoors! This handbook covers everything you need to get outside, including ideas for what to do, camping and hiking basics, body stuff in the wilderness, advanced skills like maps, weather, and first aid, as well as recipes, projects, activities, and profiles of inspiring outdoorswomen. A Girl’s Guide to the Wild is your definitive guide to getting outside for girls ages 9–12!
Look at That Bird!
by Karen DeWitz
With this fun, fact-filled, full-color guidebook of over 50 common Pacific Northwest birds, kids will love learning more about birds they spot in the outdoors–in their backyards and beyond! This book encourages curious kids and their adults to go outside and learn more about nature. They will learn basic information about what makes a bird a bird and specific information about each bird species, all of which can be used to help identify those that they see when they are exploring outdoors!
