The first trail guide published in the United States

The following is an adaptation from Ramble On: A History of Hiking.

In 1882, William Pickering published Walking Guide to the Mt. Washington Range, which is arguably the first hiking trail guide to be published in America. The book also contained a topographical trail map, which is likely the first published trail map for the White Mountains.

Though there were a handful of other guides that preceded his book, I would argue that Pickering’s volume is the first modern trail guide. And while the guides published before 1882 provided excursion information for peaks in the White Mountains, they devoted very little ink to route descriptions or any other information that modern hikers normally consider important. These older books functioned more as travel guides that included generic hiking information, and focused heavily on descriptions of the scenery one could see from the various mountaintops. Pickering’s book, on the other hand, provided fairly detailed route descriptions, mileage, elevation data, estimated times to complete each hike, water sources or lack thereof, as well as potential hazards and obstacles that hikers might need to be aware of.

Pickering’s guide preceded the Appalachian Mountain Club’s authoritative White Mountain Guide by 25 years.



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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.