Back to School Reading (PATC Edition)

By Jess LaPolla

Your next adventure starts with a good book.


The PATC Store is filled with guidebooks, trail references, and fascinating reads that can turn every hike into a learning experience.


 Trail Guides: Your Outdoor Textbooks


Every successful hike starts with a little homework.

PATC's trail guides are written by hikers, for hikers, and are packed with detailed maps, mileage, elevation profiles, trail descriptions, and local knowledge you won't find in a generic map app.

Whether you're exploring Shenandoah National Park, your local state parks, or the Appalachian Trail, these guides help you hike smarter and discover hidden gems along the way.


Perfect picks include:



Study the Landscape


Every trail has a story.


Want to know why the mountains look the way they do? Curious about the wildflowers blooming beside the trail? Interested in the people who lived here long before the parks were established?


PATC offers books that help you see beyond the trail itself.


Add these to your reading list:



Read the Stories That Built the Trails


Some of the best adventures begin long before you lace up your boots.


Discover the people, volunteers, and history that shaped the trails we enjoy today through titles like:



These books offer a deeper appreciation for the landscapes PATC has helped protect for generations.


Build Your Outdoor Library


Think of your bookshelf as part of your hiking gear.

A good guidebook helps you plan safer adventures. A history book deepens your appreciation for the places you visit. A natural history guide teaches you to notice things you might otherwise walk right past.

The more you learn, the richer every hike becomes.


Every Purchase Supports the Trails


When you purchase a book or guidebook from the PATC Store, you're investing in more than your next adventure.

Your purchase helps support PATC's stewardship of over 1,200 miles of trails, 49 cabins, 47 shelters, and nearly 3,500 acres of protected land—ensuring these special places remain open, welcoming, and well cared for for generations to come.

This school year, make the outdoors your classroom.


Pick up a new guidebook, discover a new trail, learn something unexpected, and let every hike teach you something new.

Happy reading—and happy hiking!


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