A Walk in the Park

Written by Kevin Fedarko

Narrated by Kevin Fedarko

* Winner of the 2024 National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature * Winner of the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction * Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, Air Mail, Smithsonian Magazine, and Financial Times

“A triumph. Fedarko doesn’t describe awe; he induces it.” —The New York Times Book Review * “Passionate…memorable…life-affirming.” —The Wall Street Journal

This New York Times bestseller from the author of The Emerald Mile is a rollicking and poignant account of an epic 750-mile odyssey, on foot, through the heart of the Grand Canyon.

Two friends, zero preparation, one dream. A few years after quitting his job to pursue an ill-advised dream of becoming a whitewater guide on the Colorado River, Kevin Fedarko was approached by his best friend, National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, with a vision as bold as it was harebrained. Together, they would embark on an end-to-end traverse of the Grand Canyon—a journey that, McBride promised, would be “a walk in the park.” Against his better judgment, Fedarko agreed, unaware that the small cluster of experts who had actually completed the crossing billed it as “the toughest hike in the world.”

The ensuing ordeal, which lasted more than a year, revealed a place that was deeper, richer, and far more complex than anything the two men had imagined—and came within a hair’s breadth of killing them both. They struggled to make their way through the all-but impenetrable reaches of the canyon’s truest wilderness, a vertical labyrinth of thousand-foot cliffs and crumbling ledges where water is measured out by the teaspoon and every step is fraught with peril—and where, even today, there is still no trail spanning the length of the country’s best-known and most iconic landmark.

Along the way, veteran long-distance hikers ushered them into secret pockets of enchantment, invisible to the millions of tourists gathered on the rim, that only a handful of humans have ever seen. Members of the canyon’s eleven Native American tribes brought them face-to-face with layers of history that forced them to reconsider myths at the very center of our national parks—and exposed them to the threats of commercial tourism. Even Fedarko’s dying father, who had first pointed him toward the chasm more than forty years earlier but had never set foot there himself, opened him to a new way of seeing the landscape.

And always, there was the great gorge itself: austere and unforgiving, yet suffused with magic, drenched in wonder, and redeemed by its own transcendent beauty. A singular portrait of a sublime place, A Walk in the Park is a deeply moving plea for the preservation of America’s greatest natural treasure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: May 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9781797169583

Kevin Fedarko

Kevin Fedarko has spent the past twenty years writing about conservation, exploration, and the Grand Canyon. He has been a staff writer at Time, where he worked primarily on the foreign affairs desk, and a senior editor at Outside, where he covered outdoor adventure. His writing has appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times, and Esquire, among other publications. He is the author of The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon, which won the Reading the West Book Award, and A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon, which won the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. Both books were also New York Times bestsellers and winners of a National Outdoor Book Award. Fedarko lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Reviews for A Walk in the Park

[Julie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Long story worth the time to listen to. Had to find photos online to see Pete's photos from this hike. Amazing!

[hiram.davis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Extraordinary combination of outdoor adventure, natural beauty almost beyond imagination, history brought to life with exquisite detail, and friendships forged by common struggle, endurance, humility, and respect. Wonderfully written and each chapter flows to the next. Highly recommended.

[suzywells · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting book about the Grand Canyon! Very important for all of us to know this about one of our most fabulous national parks!

[Mark Gaynor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A true gem of a book. I sometimes found myself wanting to punch my device while listening to the duo's incredibly poorly planned adventure. That's truly a sign of a great book immersing you in the storyline.

[Megan Saavedra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorites of 2024. Highly recommend this book.

[eric · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent, very descriptive and engaging. I could feel the hike.

[kathyemccauley · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I think.the writing style is very good and engaging and author certainly conveys the nature of the canyon. He also portrays the irresponsibility and downright stupidity of himself and his arrogant friend. Both come across as people you do NOT want to have anything to do with.