Recommended Reading List

Whether you are preparing for an expedition, or simply wish to learn more about Denali's mountaineering history, there is no shortage of good books on Denali. Many of these books are available through our park partner, the Alaska Geographic Park Store, and can be ordered online or purchased at the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station. Other titles can be purchased through various online booksellers or through The Mountaineers Books.

 

NPS Photo/Ian Shive

Mountaineering Guide Books Specific to Denali and the Alaska Range

• Denali's West Buttress, by Colby Coombs / The Mountaineers Books
  
• Alaska: A Climbing Guide, by Colby Coombs and Michael Wood / The Mountaineers Books
  
• Alaska Climbing, by Joseph Puryear / Supertopo
  
• High Alaska: A Historical Guide to Denali-Mt. Foraker and Mt. Hunter, by Jonathon Waterman / American Alpine Club Press
  
• Denali Climbing Guide, by RJ Secor / Stackpole books
  
• Denali/Mt. McKinley: Summit of North America, by Harry Kikstra / Rucksack Readers

 

Other Titles on Denali Mountaineering: Analysis / Historical Accounts / Literary Collections

• Minus 148 – First Winter Ascent of Mount McKinley, by Art Davidson / The Mountaineers Books
• Surviving Denali: Accidents 1910-1990, by Jonathon Waterman / American Alpine Club Press
• Mount McKinley: Icy Crown of North America, by Fred Beckey / The Mountaineers Books
• In the Shadow of Denali – Life and Death on Alaska's Mt. McKinley, by Jonathon Waterman / Lyons Press
• The Seventymile Kid – The Lost Legacy of Harry Karstens and the First Ascent of Mount McKinley, by Tom Walker / The Mountaineers Books
• Mt. McKinley –The Pioneer Climbs, by Terris Moore / The Mountaineers Books
• Denali, a Literary Anthology, edited by Bill Sherwonit / The Mountaineers Books
• To The Top of Denali, by Bill Sherwonit / Alaska Northwest Books
• Alaska Ascents, edited by Bill Sherwonit / Alaska Northwest Books
• The Mountain of My Fear/Deborah, by David Roberts, The Mountaineers Books
• Mount McKinley: The Conquest of Denali, by Brad Washburn and David Roberts / Harry N. Abrams
• The Hall of the Mountain King, by Howard Snyder / Charles Scribner's Sons
• White Winds, by Joe Wilcox / Hwong Publishing Co.
• Forever On the Mountain, by James Tabor / W.W. Norton & Co.
• Denali's Howl, by Andy Hall / Dutton Adult

 

Mountain Medicine

• Mountain Sickness – Prevention, Recognition and Treatment, by Peter H. Hackett, M.D. (1980) / The American Alpine Club
• Wilderness Medicine (NOLS), by Tod Schimelpfenig (2008) / Stackpole Books
• Medicine for Mountaineering , 6th Edition, edited by James A. Wilkerson, M.D., Ernest E. Moore, M.D., and Ken Zafren, M.D. (2010) / The Mountaineers Books
• Altitude Illness, Prevention, Treatment, by Stephen Bezruchka, M.D. / The Mountaineers Books.
• Going Higher, Oxygen, Man, Mountains, by Charles S. Houston, M.D., David E. Harris, Ph.D., Ellen Zeman, Ph.D. / The Mountaineers Books

 

General Mountaineering Guide Books

• Alpine Climbing –Techniques to Take You Higher, by Mark Houston and Kathy Cosley /The Mountaineers Books
  
• Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, 8th Edition, by The Mountaineers /The Mountaineers Books
  
• Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, 2nd Ed., by Bruce Tremper / The Mountaineers Books
  
• Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue, by Andy Selters / The Mountaineers
  
• Wilderness Mountaineering (NOLS), 3rd Edition, by Phil Powers / Stackpole Books
  
• Snow Sense –A Guide to Evaluating Snow Avalanche Hazard, by Jill Fredston and Doug Fesler / Alaska Mountain Safety Center, Inc.
  
• The ABCs of Avalanche Safety, by Sue Ferguson and Edward LaChapelle / The Mountaineers Books
• Ice World, by Jeff Lowe / The Mountaineers Books
  
• NOLS Expedition Planning, by Dave Anderson and Molly Absolon / NOLS
  
• Climbing Expedition Planning, by Phil Powers and Clyde Soles / The Mountaineers Books
  
• Avalanche Essentials, by Bruce Temper / The Mountaineers Books
  
• The Avalanche Handbook, by Pete Schaerer adn Dave McClung / The Mountaineers Books
• Gentle Expeditions, by Bob McConnell / The Mountaineers Books
• Falcon Guides (Various titles):
• • Climbing Anchors Field Guide
  • Complete Guide to Rope Technique
  • Glaciers
  • Reading Weather
  • Glacier Mountaineering
  • The Altitude Experience