This is by no means a definitive guide to hiking books and guides – but is intended to summarise the most useful books I’ve found when researching hikes. Most I would recommend for the places I’ve been fortunate enough to visit and hike in – I’ve rated each based on how useful I found it.
Fiction
A few of my favourite hiking stories…
A easy but entertaining read (much better than the movie!) Amazon US / AU |
A fascinating tale of a somtimes misguided journey across Borneo. Amazon US / AU |
What not to do! Part funny and part exasperating! Amazon US / AU |
A gripping tale about what happens when things go wrong! Amazon US only |
A classic and heartwarming book about escaping to the bush. It’s “Wild” for kids. Amazon US / AU |
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Around the World
Whether you’re after somes hiking ideas or a present for a hiking friend… they all provide ideas and inspiration (but most are better for the coffee table than actually planning a hike).
5/5. Clever selection of walks that connect you to the past. Amazon US / AU |
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4/5. Covers the “classic” hikes. Sometimes light on details. Amazon US / AU |
4/5. Need some inspiration? Not much detail on the trails, though. Amazon Kindle US / AU |
4/5. Not the most practical walks – but entertaining! Amazon Kindle US / AU |
Australia
There are surprisingly few books that cover bushwalks across Australia – and many are no longer in print. Most books cover the same core set of “classic” walks, so try and get hold of one of the three options below…
![]() 4/5. Getting dated. Covers 25 walks, most of them well-known. Snowys. |
5/5. A mix of 50+ short and multi-day walks across Australia. Amazon US / AU |
Australia – NSW
5/5. One of the few covering the entire state. Over 140 walks with photos & maps. Amazon US / AU |
5/5. Short, long and multi-day walks across 16 national parks. Good notes and maps. Snowys |
![]() 5/5. 93 walks, many not documented elsewhere. Basic maps. There’s Vol 1 and Vol 2. |
![]() 5.5. A range of walks from short to long (89 walks). Snowys |
5/5. 65 walks, mostly short ones. Great summary of walks. Detailed track notes. Amazon US / AU |
5/5. Covers many lesser-known swimming holes that are reached via a bushwalk. Amazon US / AU |
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Australia – Tasmania
4/5. 40 walks, all day walks. Maps. Snowys |
3/5. Out of print. Lots of walks; dated format |
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Australia – Victoria
There’s surprisingly few bushwalking guides in print – at least one of the three I refer to regularly has become hard to find.
![]() 5/5. Huge range of walks from a respected bushwalker. Amazon AU only |
![]() 5/5. 96 walks with a useful walk summary and good maps. Day walks only. |
4/5. Dated format and hard to find – but a great resource. Maps are very basic. |
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Australia – Queensland
The Take a Walk book is the best of the bunch, covering a fairly large area around Brisbane. If you’re going further north, 50 Walks in North Queensland has a wide selection of walks.
![]() 5/5. Over 2000km of walks from the NSW border to Fraser Island. |
4/5. Lots of walks; maps very basic. Amazon US / Bogong Equipment AU |
![]() 3/5. Detailed guide for walking & climbing; track notes are not very clear |
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Australia – NT & WA
There’s not a lot of choice when it comes to bushwalking in the Northern Territory or WA, despite some fantastic long-distance trails…
![]() 5/5. Another great book in the series – available as an e-book only |
![]() 3/5. 40 short walks in the south-west of WA (no maps) |
3/5. 40 short walks around Perth. Amazon US / AU |
Canada
There’s surprisingly few books covering a country that has some spectacular hiking trails!
![]() 5/5. Brilliant guide with large range of hikes. Amazon US |
![]() 3/5. More of a travel guide than a hiking book Amazon US |
Hong Kong
As with many Asian countries, there is a lack of good hiking books covering HK – despite the fact there are hundred of kilometres of hiking trails…
3/5. Quite dated, but a good range of trails. Amazon US / AU |
3/5. Lot of details but hard to navigate and basic maps Amazon AU / US |
4/5. Well laid out and easy to use ebook. Amazon US Kindle |
New Zealand
There’s a few really useful books on New Zealand hiking, or tramping… Lonely Planet covers all the well-known and many less-known overnight books. The Day Walks in NZ book is almost coffee-table quality, and has lots of short walk suggestions across the breadth (or length?) of NZ.
![]() 5/5. Comprehensive guide to multi-day walks, including all the “classics”. Amazon US / AU |
5/5. A collection of 100 shorter walks, with photos, maps and descriptions. Amazon US only |
4/5. Useful guide for the Great Walks – but most info is available on-line. Amazon US / AU |
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Norway
The Cicerone Guide is the pick of all the Norway hiking guides, especially if you are looking at some of the longer trails.
5/5. Comprehensive guide with focus on longer (multi-day) walks. Amazon US / AU |
2/5. A collection of multi-day walks in the south and middle. Some general advice on hiking in Norway. Amazon US only |
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US – Arizona
Lots of great hikes – and lots of useful books, from ones covering the entire state to useful guides on specific trails.
5/5. Over 100 trails across Arizona, from short to multi-day. Useful descriptions and maps. Amazon US / AU |
5/5. Covers 28 trails including many overnight hikes, with useful maps Amazon US / AU |
5/5. Not as many walks as most of the other walks, but some great picks organised by season. Amazon US only |
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US – Texas
Texas is not exactly the first place you think of for hiking – but Big Bend is like the Yosemite of the South, and there are many other hiking trails across the state. The Falcon Guides are a great resource and easy to use.
5/5. Only guide you need – comprehensive with good descriptions and useful maps. Amazon US / AU |
5/5. Get this if you’re planning on hiking in more areas than Big Bend. Amazon US / AU |
3/5. 20 hikes with description and sketch maps. Amazon US / AU |
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