A Walk in the Park

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.

Critic reviews

"Listeners can sense the excitement, awe, and frustration in the author’s chronicle of his “walk” through the Grand Canyon. Kevin Fedarko does double duty as author and narrator, and his narration adds notes of authenticity to the production. His voice is clear and pleasant, and he changes things up to fit particular passages. For instance, he increases his pace slightly as he recounts navigating the Colorado River in a raft. And he slows it down during poetic descriptions of his surroundings. He gets louder to express experts’ incredulity at his plan to navigate the canyon on foot without years of training. And he grows quieter in describing Native Americans’ spiritual ties to the canyon. The audiobook is part travelogue, part history, part autobiography—and wholly enjoyable."

Thorougly appreciated and enjoyed the book

A rotating mix of backcountry descriptions, stories of challenges encountered and historical perspectives kept the book engaging and fresh. Mr. Fedarko's humility kept the book grounded in reality. I wish I was hiking in the Grand Canyon right now.

I also very much appreciated hearing the author read his own work. He is an excellent and skilled narrator. Dialogue is a very small portion of the book. His attempts to sound like the other people is his book didn't always work out so well. His best friend sounded like a 20-year-old skateboarder/pothead--which I am sure he wasn't.

I'm definitely recommending this book to a few friends.

Beautiful Presentation

The author does an amazing job explaining his journey with its ups and downs but also includes great history, art, culture, geology, stories and more from a variety of sources and honors the legacy, history and heritage of the Indigenous Peoples whose land it is.

Why was this so amazing?!

I had been told this book was good, but it was amazing. Maybe it hit home bc I love the Grand Canyon. He covers main character growth, history, side stories, geology, humor, stories of loss and stories of hope.

Fantastic piece of writing on multiple levels.

Possibly the best piece of full length outdoor writing I’ve ever read. The author spends a great deal of time on the history and impact of the original inhabitants of the canyon and how the modern tourism industry has impacted them as well as the geological and other wonders of the area. Keven Fedarko writes beautifully. I’ll be reading anything I can get my hands on by him from now on.

Learned so much about the Grand Canyon!

Really appreciated the attention the author gave to the tribes who call this land home.