I Love New York: Best Hikes Near New York City

Who says you have to travel far from home to go on a great hike? In Best Hikes Near New York author Ben Keene details the best hikes within an hour's drive of the New York metro area perfect for the urban and suburbanite hard-pressed to find great outdoor activities close to home. Each featured hike includes detailed hike specs, a brief hike description, trailhead location, directional cues, and a detailed map.

I Love New York: Best Easy Day Hikes Adirondacks

Best Easy Day Hikes Adirondacks directs you to some of the best short hiking trails in the area. This guidebook includes concise descriptions and detailed maps of mostly short, easy-to-follow trails that lead to some of the park's most scenic destinations. With hikes varying from half-hour strolls to full-day adventures, this guidebook is for everyone, including families.

I Love New York: Backroads of New York

New York State's remarkable variety unfolds in its myriad splendors in the routes charted in Backroads of New York. Whether you flirt with the outskirts of Manhattan or follow the call of the road all the way to the Niagara Frontier, each off-ramp leads to scenic splendor or historical intrigue—from sandy ocean shores to forested mountain peaks, from shimmering vineyard-ringed lakes to thundering waterfalls, and from quaint villages to rolling farmland. Follow these routes, and you'll find that New York has a serene side that is equally stimulating to the senses as the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. Just be sure to pack a sandwich, as the one thing you won't find is a slice of pizza at midnight.

I Love New York: AMC's Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley

With more than 600 miles of trails within just a few hours of New York City, the Catskills and the Hudson River Valley are a hiker's paradise, boasting varied and scenic terrain from Westchester County to Albany. This guide from the experts at the Appalachian Mountain Club leads beginner and experienced hikers alike along sixty of the region's most spectacular trails, from short family nature walks to day-long hikes that reward with magnificent views. Each trip description includes a detailed map and a summary of the trip time, distance, and difficulty, plus an icon indicating whether the trail is also good for snowshoeing or cross-country. The guide includes appendices packed with snowshoe treks, rock climbing in the Gunks, and other opportunities for outdoor adventure in the region, making this guide an essential four-season reference for locals and visitors alike.

I Love New York: 50 Hikes in the Adirondacks

Barbara McMartin has been hiking in the Adirondacks for decades; her family, for generations. She has distilled her vast experience into the 50 hikes offered here, representing a cross-section of the wilderness and wild forest: rugged peak climbs, gentle trips to distant waterfalls, bushwhacks to wild rivers. In all she describes 360 miles of trails to caves, uninhabited lakes, wetlands, cliffs, and fire towers across the Park's 6 million acres.

The hikes range in length from 1.5 to 13.5 miles. Each hike description includes a topographic map, mile-by-mile directions, and information on distance, difficulty, terrain, and hiking time. An overview chart makes it easy to pick a hike for every ability. Throughout, McMartin provides commentary on the natural history of the region, along with colorful incidents from Adirondack history.

Novel Destinations: Naked in Dangerous Places

Told with wit and shameless honesty, this book documents a yearlong journey through exotic lands, proving the truth of the old saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Naked in Dangerous Places: The Chronicles of a Hungry, Scared, Lost, Homesick, but Otherwise Perfectly Happy Traveler
by Cash Peters

Novel Destinations: Throwim Way Leg

A poignant journey into the enigmatic wilds of New Guinea.

Throwim Way Leg: Tree-kangaroos, Possums, and Penis Gourds -- on the Track of Unknown Mammals in Wildest New Guinea
by Tim Flannery

Novel Destinations: Shadow of the Silk Road

The author recounts his ambitious and dangerous 7,000 mile trek along the legendary Silk Road, from the heart of China to the mountains of Central Asia, through northern Afghanistan, across the plains of Iran, and into Kurdish Turkey.

Shadow of the Silk Road
by Colin Thubron