An indispensable resource for hiking, skiing, paddling, and climbing the backcountry of Southcentral Alaska

* The only available guide devoted solely to the route used by 90 percent of all climbers who summit Denali * Historic aerial photos and introduction by one of the route's pioneers -- Bradford Washburn * Author Colby Coombs is a Denali climbing guide and a 12-year veteran of the route Denali's massive West Buttress Route is one of the world's most popular -- and treacherous -- climbs. Seasoned guide Colby Coombs and legendary mountaineering photographer Bradford Washburn teamed up to provide climbers with information devoted solely to this challenging route. Denali's West Buttress: A Climber's Guide gives the aspiring Denali climber the details required to efficiently plan and safely launch an expedition on the West Buttress. The climbing guidebook covers every aspect of climbing the route -- from preparation to climbing strategy to step-by-step route instruction. Washburn's magnificent photos -- with route and milestones clearly delineated -- paired with Coombs' explicit text guide the climber from camp to camp to the summit and down again, outlining specific hazards and obstacles and offering techniques and instruction on how best to surmount them. The book pays special attention to environmental considerations and presents low-impact methods for minimizing human and garbage waste on the route. This guide provides complete, detailed, first-hand, safety-conscious information on the West Buttress Route, serving as a much-needed resource and a grand tribute to this historic climb.

CLICK HERE to download the first chapter from Denali National Park (Provide us with a little information and we'll send your download directly to your inbox) "The beauty of Sherwonit's writing style is not flash, but rather a subtlety that renders him nearly invisible. A journalist by trade, he demonstrates considerable skill in blending voluminous historical detail into highly readable prose." —Climbing magazine * Part history, part field guide, and part recreation tool, this is an up-to-date and comprehensive guidebook for Denali—one of the nation's most beloved national parks * Includes checklists for wildlife watching and details on winter fun Denali National Park: The Complete Visitors Guide to the Mountain, Wildlife, and Year-Round Outdoor Activities is the most comprehensive guide to one of North America's most wild and varied places. This authoritative reference to Denali National Park and adjacent lands details all the information a traveler needs for a great Alaska experience, whether by bus, car, train, bike, boat, or foot. With this guide in hand you can explore the park's visitor facilities, raft whitewater rapids, pick berries, climb the continent's highest mountain, backpack through forest and tundra, watch grizzlies dig for ground squirrels, share a ridgetop with Dall sheep, attend sled-dog demonstrations, go on ranger-guided hikes, camp in solitude within glacially carved valleys, and much more. From the natural history of the region to the human history of the mountain and the park, Alaskan author Bill Sherwonit captures the mystique of this fascinating place. Even casual travelers to Denali National Park will appreciate his in-depth information about the park's popular entrance area and traveling the Park Road, and the helpful checklists for mammals, birds, and plants.

Features hiking, skiing, paddling, biking, and more New and substantially revised trips with all new full-color photos and maps throughout Emphasis on traverses and loop trips for both summer and winter, always with simpler and shorter options Originally published in 1972, the classic guide known as 55 Ways to the Wilderness in Southcentral Alaska has been fully updated and reinvented as Alaska Adventure 55 Ways. This robust reboot covers a diverse range of activities for year-round fun, from quick day trips to adventures that could extend to a week or longer, including canoe trails, wilderness cabins, easy summits, forest walks, cross-country ski routes, summer mountain biking and winter fat bike trails, wild skating, and more. John Wolfe Jr. and Rebecca Wolfe, a father-daughter team, describe activities spanning the broad swath of Southcentral Alaska, 300 miles north to south and 350 miles east to west. The guide features activities on the lakes and peaks of the Kenai Peninsula, the Anchorage front range, the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys, and the Copper River basin, taking in Chugach and Denali State Parks, Chugach National Forest, Kenai Fjords and Wrangell St. Elias National Parks, several wildlife refuges, and portions of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. With an emphasis on adventures regular people can enjoy and destinations that don’t require highly technical skills, expensive flights to remote locations, or demanding levels of athletic fitness, this guide appeals to all ages, with family-friendly shorter options and trip extensions adding up to more than a hundred "ways" to adventure.