Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. From the Emmy-winning CBS Sunday Morning correspondent, an entertaining chronicle of his year spent traveling to every one of our National Parks, including his experiences with some of the most beautiful places--and most interesting people--that America has to offer.
When Conor Knighton decided to spend a year wandering through "America's Best Idea," he was worried the whol From the Emmy-winning CBS Sunday Morning correspondent, an entertaining chronicle of his year spent traveling to every one of our National Parks, including his experiences with some of the most beautiful places--and most interesting people--that America has to offer. When Conor Knighton decided to spend a year wandering through "America's Best Idea," he was worried the whole thing might end up being his worst idea.
But, after a broken engagement and a broken heart, he desperately needed a change of scenery. The ambitious plan he cooked up went a bit overboard in that department; Knighton set out to visit every single one of America's National Parks, from Acadia to Zion.
Leave Only Footprints is the memoir of his year spent traveling across the United States, a journey that yielded his "On the Trail" series, which quickly became one of CBS Sunday Morning's most beloved segments.
In this smart, informative, and often hilarious book, he'll share how his journey through these natural wonders, unchanged by man, ended up changing his worldview on everything from God to politics to love and technology. Whether it's waking up early for a naked scrub in an Arkansas bathhouse or staying up late to stargaze along our loneliest highway, Knighton goes behind the scenery to provide an unfiltered look at America. In the tradition of books like A Walk in the Woods or Turn Right at Machu Picchu, this is an irresistible mix of personal narrative and travelogue-some well-placed pop culture references, too-and a must-read for any of the million yearly National Parks visitors.
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Rating details. Sort order. Apr 01, Books with Brittany rated it it was amazing. Basically took my breath away at the end. May 13, Mark Baker rated it liked it Shelves: , non-fiction.
When I first heard about this book, I was intrigued. When this book focuses on the parks and some of their history, it is fascinating. The writing is excellent, and it is easy to feel you are right next to him as he experiences the parks. However, at times he gets distracted trying to push an agenda on us, and when that happens, the parks get shafted. A few of the parks he barely describes, focusing instead on the bad he feels needs to be fixed or pointing out the bad in the past that has been fixed.
He definitely made me want to visit several of the parks as soon as I can. His brief stories about his life and his stories about the people he met along the way were fun and fascinating. There are two inserts of pictures from his journey; I would have loved more, but I enjoyed what we got. I wish the book had focused more on the parks themselves. Then it would have been fantastic.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers. View all 6 comments. Feb 29, Rachel rated it it was amazing Shelves: running-adventure , Highly recommend!!! Oh my gosh it left me energized and excited to adventure and jealous of his nomadic lifestyle and career.
Left me wanting to read more about every one of the 56 parks he went to -- and experience them myself. Definitely not the kind of hard-core adventure book I was expecting; it's more in the vein of A Walk in the Woods and reads like a series of short articles. Knighton is a romantic and an engaging storyteller. Aug 22, Julie Durnell rated it it was amazing Shelves: travel , non-fiction.
The book is not laid out alphabetical or by region and while this is different I had no problem criss crossing the country and even out of the country in American Samoa and meeting the interesting people that he interviewed.
Although he was in the process of healing from a broken relationship ending almost at the alter and wrote quite a bit about that, I did not find it distracting. It seemed to help know him better and empathize with his broken heart. Included are beautiful pictures that bring perspective to the places he visited. May 26, Jquick99 rated it did not like it. I wanna hear about his National Park experiences, and the history behind the parks. He mentions some just in passing Olympic , but really just mentions the name.
Mudd, about Muir View all 5 comments. May 19, Deb Readerbuzz Nance rated it it was amazing Shelves: adventure , community , animals , nonfiction , nature , trees , challenge , on-the-road , mood-boosting-books.
We forget, but there are lots of ways to read a book. I read a book last week. It was an immersive experience. I'd read a chapter, and t We forget, but there are lots of ways to read a book. I'd read a chapter, and then I'd watch a segment. What a great way to read a book. What a great way to visit all the national parks. I didn't even leave any footprints. Mar 16, Ali rated it it was amazing. I had the lucky chance to pick up an advance copy at work.
It was on our shelf, and something about it called out to me. It was the perfect book for me to read right now. I'm currently going through a challenging part of my life, and have set a goal for myself- travel the country and see many of our amazing national parks. This book is not what I expected. I thought it woul I had the lucky chance to pick up an advance copy at work. I thought it would be more of a guide- here's each park, and what I did there! If you're looking for that, there are other books.
No, this book is a story- both of Conor's personal and physical journey, but also of some history of the parks, and the different elements that connects them.
It was unexpected, but incredibly moving. Conor perfectly weaves a beautiful narrative, that was motivational, and moving to read. I could hardly put it down. Feb 19, Neil Capper rated it it was ok. I had high hopes for this book as an avid Parks fan.
Although I spent a fair bit of time in the parks growing up, I fell back in love with them myself during the centennial and have visited over park units in the last 5 years. I was excited to learn someone made a trip like this in a single year and wrote a book about the experience, but it quickly became apparent the story was more about the author's attempt at rebuilding his own personal life and finding a relationship.
The story just I had high hopes for this book as an avid Parks fan. The story just happens to take place against the backdrop of the National Parks rather than one dedicated to the Parks themselves or the centennial of the Park Service.
There are a lot of quick stories and facts included about the parks the author visits, which I found captivating when they were discussed, but as the book progressed this narrative was regularly interrupted by his descriptions of Tinder swiping and serial dating.
These thoughts sometimes were a lone sentence but at times consumed paragraphs detailing the swiping, the dates, and his thoughts about pursuing them all, but also his dissatisfaction with all of those things. For whatever reason, he continued pursuing them for most of the trip and then felt to include the details in this book. This reached peak creepy for me when he tracked down a woman in Jackson Hole on his last park of the year, ostensibly to thank her for helping him get his car pulled out of a snowbank, but really to ask her on a date.
When he found out she was engaged he writes about his hopes being dashed because it would have been a great love story, but ultimately decides to stop being distracted and to get back on track with his park journey.
Many parks aren't discussed in detail at all, such as the Grand Tetons which has an uplifting creation story in itself , because while he was at the Tetons he spent pages describing trying to get there and then pursuing a woman once he arrived. The park itself was never discussed. Had the author focused on the parks and telling their stories during his entire trip, this would have been a 5 star book. May 04, Cindy Burnett rated it it was amazing.
In this non-fiction gem, Knighton chronicles the year he spent traveling to every national park in the United States. The parks are grouped by theme instead of location which works surprisingly well, and the book is interspersed with humor and intriguing details about each of the parks.
The first sunrise on the first day of the year. And so that's where I decided to kick off my quest to see every national park in the country. I knew it was going to be a busy year — I wanted to get a head start. In the summer, tour buses can drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain in a matter of minutes.
But in the winter, the road shuts down. Everything shuts down. In the nearby town of Bar Harbor, even big chain hotels put up "See you next spring" signs.
Only a few restaurants stay open, feeding the locals who have decided to brave the winter. Those who stay have a national park to themselves. Acadia gets 80 percent of its visitors in just four months of the year, but it's gorgeous in the winter — crystal blue lakes become bright-white ice-fishing destinations, hillsides become ski runs, and the road that leads to the top of Cadillac Mountain, covered in snow, becomes a dangerous, slippery hike.
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