Adventure and Outdoors Books

NEW AND CLASSIC ADVENTURES

Great books for the armchair traveler, environmentalist, nature wanderer, cyclist, trail hiker, skiier, road tripper, and more—for all ages.

READ / LISTEN / WATCH

University of Minnesota Press podcast: "The way you show up is everything": History-making expeditions and the women behind them, featuring Natalie Warren (Hudson Bay Bound) and Ann Bancroft.
Listen on Spotify  |  SoundCloudStitcher

Avid reader to accomplished expeditionerForeword Reviews on Liv Arnesen's Skiing into the Bright Open.

Why teens should get lost in the wilderness: Natalie Warren (Hudson Bay Bound) tells Outside Magazine she wants young women to disregard conventional rites of passage and seek adventure.

"She thought the world did not need another 'I went to the Olympics, and then I won' book": Jessie Diggins goes behind the impetus for Brave Enough with Team USA.

'Roll on River,' performed by The Okee Dokee Brothers with Natalie Warren (Hudson Bay Bound).

A Private Wilderness: The Journals of Sigurd F. Olson A Private Wilderness The Journals of Sigurd F. Olson Sigurd F. Olson 2024 Spring
The personal diaries of one of America’s best-loved naturalists, revealing his difficult and inspiring path to finding his voice and becoming a writer—now available in paperback
Hudson Bay Bound: Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic Hudson Bay Bound Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic Natalie Warren 2022 Spring
The remarkable eighty-five-day journey of the first two women to canoe the 2,000-mile route from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay
Winter’s Children: A Celebration of Nordic Skiing Winter’s Children A Celebration of Nordic Skiing Ryan Rodgers 2021 Fall
The story of Nordic skiing in the Midwest—its origins and history, its star athletes and races, and its place in the region’s social fabric and the nation’s winter recreation
A Love Affair with Birds: The Life of Thomas Sadler Roberts A Love Affair with Birds The Life of Thomas Sadler Roberts Sue Leaf 2021 Fall
The father of Minnesota ornithology, whose life story opens a window on a lost world of nature and conservation in the state’s early days
Skiing into the Bright Open: My Solo Journey to the South Pole Skiing into the Bright Open My Solo Journey to the South Pole Liv Arnesen 2021 Spring
The first woman to ski solo to the South Pole tells the story of what it took to get there
Brave Enough Brave Enough Jessie Diggins 2021 Fall
Travel with Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins on her compelling journey from America’s heartland to international sports history, navigating challenges and triumphs with rugged grit and a splash of glitter
Loon Lessons: Uncommon Encounters with the Great Northern Diver Loon Lessons Uncommon Encounters with the Great Northern Diver James D. Paruk 2021 Spring
The nature of the common loon, from biology to behavior, from one of the world’s foremost observers of the revered waterbird
Reeling: A Novel Reeling A Novel Sarah Stonich 2021 Fall
RayAnne’s next adventure takes our intrepid heroine, haunted by her beloved grandmother’s death, to New Zealand to film a new season of her all-women fishing talk show
Minnesota’s Geologist: The Life of Newton Horace Winchell Minnesota’s Geologist The Life of Newton Horace Winchell Sue Leaf 2020 Spring
The story of the scientist who first mapped Minnesota’s geology, set against the backdrop of early scientific inquiry in the state
Fishing!: A Novel Fishing! A Novel Sarah Stonich 2020 Spring
A hilarious saga of fishing, family, and three generations of tough, independent women—the first in a trilogy
One Summer Up North One Summer Up North John Owens 2020 Fall
A wordless picture-book journey through the Boundary Waters, canoeing and camping with a family as they encounter the northwoods wilderness in all its spectacular beauty
Wolf Island: Discovering the Secrets of a Mythic Animal Wolf Island Discovering the Secrets of a Mythic Animal L. David Mech 2020 Fall
The world’s leading wolf expert describes the first years of a major study that transformed our understanding of one of nature’s most iconic creatures
The Lost Forest The Lost Forest Phyllis Root 2019 Spring
The story of a forest “lost” by a surveying error—and all the flora and fauna to be found there
No Horizon Is So Far: Two Women and Their Historic Journey across Antarctica No Horizon Is So Far Two Women and Their Historic Journey across Antarctica Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft 2019 Spring
The extraordinary story of the first two women to cross Antarctica
The Right to Be Cold: One Woman’s Fight to Protect the Arctic and Save the Planet from Climate Change The Right to Be Cold One Woman’s Fight to Protect the Arctic and Save the Planet from Climate Change Sheila Watt-Cloutier 2018 Spring
A “courageous and revelatory memoir” (Naomi Klein) chronicling the life of the leading Indigenous climate change, cultural, and human rights advocate
Hush Hush, Forest Hush Hush, Forest Mary Casanova 2018 Fall
Lyrical words and elegant woodcuts capture the quiet beauty of the forest as day fades to night and autumn gives way to the North Woods winter
Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers: A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone in Between Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone in Between Phyllis Root 2018 Spring
A beautifully illustrated, family-friendly guide to Minnesota’s native wildflowers and how to find them
Deep Woods, Wild Waters: A Memoir Deep Woods, Wild Waters A Memoir Douglas Wood 2017 Spring
The author of Old Turtle and a longtime wilderness guide charts a journey through the wilds of nature and the twists and turns of daily life
The Great Lakes at Ten Miles an Hour: One Cyclist’s Journey along the Shores of the Inland Seas The Great Lakes at Ten Miles an Hour One Cyclist’s Journey along the Shores of the Inland Seas Thomas Shevory 2017 Fall
A chronicle of travels by bicycle around the Great Lakes, combining personal observations with reflections on the geology, ecology, history, and culture of the region
Creekfinding: A True Story Creekfinding A True Story Jacqueline Briggs Martin 2017 Spring
An enchanting picture book about restoring a creek, with all the wildlife it once hosted, in a farm field in Iowa. Ages 4-9.
Shelter: Off the Grid in the Mostly Magnetic North Shelter Off the Grid in the Mostly Magnetic North Sarah Stonich 2017 Spring
A northwoods exploration of family, immigration, and connection to the land
Let’s Go Fishing!: Fish Tales from the North Woods Let’s Go Fishing! Fish Tales from the North Woods Eric Dregni 2016 Spring
An illustrated compendium of the lore and legacy of fishing in the northland
Wake Up, Island Wake Up, Island Mary Casanova 2016 Spring
In a picture book for all ages, lyrical language and elegant woodcuts celebrate the waking natural world on a North Woods island
Canoes: A Natural History in North America Canoes A Natural History in North America Mark Neuzil and Norman Sims 2016 Fall
A natural history of one of North America’s most enduring cultural artifacts
Tracks in the Wild Tracks in the Wild Betsy Bowen 2015 Fall
A beautiful children’s book detailing Minnesota’s northwoods animals and their tracks
Portage: A Family, a Canoe, and the Search for the Good Life Portage A Family, a Canoe, and the Search for the Good Life Sue Leaf 2015 Fall
North American waterways by canoe: a memoir of family and nature, history and culture, along the rivers
The Meaning of Wilderness: Essential Articles and Speeches The Meaning of Wilderness Essential Articles and Speeches Sigurd F. Olson David Backes, Editor 2015 Fall
An indispensable collection of Olson’s rarest writings—at last in paperback
The Opposite of Cold: The Northwoods Finnish Sauna Tradition The Opposite of Cold The Northwoods Finnish Sauna Tradition Michael Nordskog 2010 Fall
A full-color history and celebration of Finnish sauna in the western Great Lakes