Best Hiking Memoirs (2026): 5 Trails Compared

Finding the best hiking memoirs starts with the trail you want to walk in your head: the desert miles of the Pacific Crest, the cliff paths of the English coast, the vertical maze of the Grand Canyon. A good trail memoir carries you mile by mile without leaving the couch. We compared five books by trail, page count, edition and what each description says, so you can pick the journey that fits your reading chair.

ShelfAnswers earns a commission when you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.

The picks

#	Product	Shelf Score	Buy
1	A Walk in the Park by Fedarko	9.5/10	Buy
2	Wild by Strayed	9.5/10	Buy
3	The Salt Path by Winn	9.4/10	Buy
4	Grandma Gatewood's Walk	9.4/10	Buy
5	Lost in the Jungle by Ghinsberg	9.2/10	Buy

1

A Walk in the Park by Fedarko

Kevin Fedarko·9.5/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

For the reader who wants the canyon on foot, this 512-page memoir follows two friends on a 750-mile Grand Canyon traverse, though it is the longest here.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• The listing states it won the National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature
• The listing states it won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction
• 512 pages, the longest here, from Scribner, published May 28, 2024

Cons

• 512 pages is a long read for a casual reader
• No reading age or grade level is stated
• The Grand Canyon focus means no Pacific Crest or Appalachian Trail content

2

Wild by Strayed

Cheryl Strayed·9.5/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

For the solo-trek dreamer, this 315-page memoir follows an eleven-hundred-mile Pacific Crest Trail hike, though it is a first edition from 2013.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• 315 pages, Vintage, first edition, published March 26, 2013
• Follows an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, per the description
• The description names the route from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State

Cons

• First edition from 2013, so the trail details are older
• No reading age or grade level is stated
• A solo journey, so readers wanting a companion story will look elsewhere

3

The Salt Path by Winn

Raynor Winn·9.4/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

For the coastal walker, this 288-page memoir follows a couple on the 630-mile South West Coast Path, though its premise is heavy.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• 288 pages from Penguin Books, published March 5, 2019
• Follows a 630-mile walk of the South West Coast Path, per the description
• A couple's story, a view the solo memoirs here do not offer

Cons

• The description mentions a terminal illness, which some readers will want to know before buying
• No reading age or grade level is stated
• Coastal England setting, so no American trail content

4

Grandma Gatewood's Walk

Ben Montgomery·9.4/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

For the trail-history lover, this 288-page book tells how Emma Gatewood, a great-grandmother, walked the Appalachian Trail, though it is a biography, not her own memoir.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• The listing states it won the 2014 National Outdoor Book Award in History/Biography
• Draws on Gatewood's diaries, trail journals and correspondence, per the description
• 288 pages, Chicago Review Press, reprint edition published April 1, 2016

Cons

• A biography by Ben Montgomery, not Gatewood's own memoir
• No reading age or grade level is stated
• The Appalachian Trail focus means no western trails

5

Lost in the Jungle by Ghinsberg

Yossi Ghinsberg·9.2/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

For the survival-story reader, this memoir follows weeks lost in the Amazon, though no print length is stated.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• The listing gives a reading age of 8 to 12 years
• Published March 2, 2009 by Skyhorse
• A survival story, a different flavor from the trail memoirs here

Cons

• No print length is stated
• The description mentions rotting feet and storms, which some readers will want to know before buying
• An Amazon survival story rather than a hiking memoir, so thru-hikers will look elsewhere

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

More picks to compare

• North by JurekFor ultrarunning fans, a 46-day Appalachian Trail run.Check on Amazon
• Free Outside by GarmireFor thru-hikers, 262 pages on the Calendar Year Triple Crown.Check on Amazon
• Wander by BenzFor dreamers, 226 pages walking 2,000 miles to meaning.Check on Amazon
• 52 Weeks, 52 Hikes by BrooksFor new hikers, 260 pages from first hike to rim-to-rim.Check on Amazon

Compare the picks

Book details as published on each listing, collected 17 October 2026.

How we scored them

The Shelf Score weighs fit for the hiking reader, contents and edition, value, and the listed reading age or level where one is given. Only one listing here states a reading age, so that part of the score is zero for the other four. How we pick explains the weights.

Scores run from 9.2 to 9.8: each book’s point total is placed on that range, so more points always means a higher score. Reading age or level counts on a list where at least one listing gives one, and a book whose listing gives none then scores zero on it. Where no listing gives one, the score is taken over the other 85 points. Books carry no warranty, so warranty is not scored.

How to choose the best hiking memoirs

Pick the trail you want to walk

Each book walks a different line. Wild follows an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, A Walk in the Park follows a 750-mile Grand Canyon traverse, The Salt Path follows the 630-mile South West Coast Path, and Grandma Gatewood’s Walk follows the Appalachian Trail through one woman’s story. Lost in the Jungle leaves the trail entirely for the Amazon. For more life stories, browse our history and biography lists.

Check the edition and the length

These range from 288 to 512 pages. A Walk in the Park at 512 pages, published May 28, 2024, is the longest and most recent; Wild is a 2013 first edition; Grandma Gatewood’s Walk is a 2016 reprint. The Salt Path and Grandma Gatewood’s Walk both run 288 pages, a comfortable middle. For memoirs beyond the trail, see our memoirs of the last 10 years lists.

Before you buy

• Check the edition year on the listing: these range from a 2013 first edition to a 2024 memoir.
• Confirm the trail: the Grand Canyon, Pacific Crest and Appalachian trails each appear in only one book here.
• Lost in the Jungle states no print length, so its size cannot be compared.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which of these memoirs covers the Pacific Crest Trail?

Wild: the description follows an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to Washington State.

Which pick is the longest?

A Walk in the Park at 512 pages, per the listing. It is also the most recent, published May 28, 2024.

Is Grandma Gatewood’s Walk her own memoir?

No. The description says author Ben Montgomery wrote it from Gatewood’s diaries, trail journals and correspondence, so it is a biography.

Still deciding? Our top pickA Walk in the Park by Fedarko

Check price on Amazon

Related lists

See every history and biography list and all nonfiction lists.

More lists: browse our journalist memoirs, memoirs of the last 10 years and Japanese memoirs.