Our Most Popular Guidebooks

Here at Map Town we carry a huge selection of outdoor recreation guidebooks of all types. Here are a few of our most popular guides to help you plan your next excursion. If you know of a great Canadian Rockies travel book, Alberta travel guide or British Columbia travel guide that we don't carry please let us know and we can always special order it for you!

Some of our most popular Alberta and BC guide books:

Canadian Rockies Trail Guide Hikers affectionately refer to The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide as "the bible." When it was published in 1971, it was the first Canadian Rockies hiking guidebook with accurate distances and detailed descriptions to the trails of the mountain national parks. After several major revisions, it evolved into the most comprehensive guide to trails in the national and provincial parks of the Canadian Rockies. Click here to order Canadian Rockies Trail Guide.

Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies These are boot-tested opinions on which are the best hikes in the Canadian Rocky Mountain parks, which ones you should avoid, and why. The writers rate each trip Premier, Outstanding, Worthwhile, or Don't Do. This kind of advice is available only from the Don't Waste Your Time guidebook series. Reading this Canadian Rockies hiking guide is like consulting an honest friend who has vast hiking experience and wants you to enjoy a memorable adventure. Click here to order Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies.

Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies Completely revised and updated with over 50 new scrambles, this guide includes 156 easy peaks with a wide range of difficulty suitable for novice climbers and experienced hikers who want a little more challenge. Illustrated with 188 route photos. This is an excellent guide for any hikers that want to push themselves a little bit farther and try some scrambles that aren't overly crowded. Click here to order Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies.

More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies 65 new scrambles in Waterton, Castle-Crown, and Kananaskis. Encompassing a range of levels of difficulty, More Scrambles will appeal to anyone familiar with Alan Kane's original book as well as to hikers looking for a more challenging route to the top of a mountain. Click here to order More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies.

Kananaskis Country Trail Guide Volume 1 If you're planning to spend a lot of time hiking in Kananaskis Country, this is the most comprehensive guide available to the trails in the area. Coverage in Volume 1 includes trails in the Canmore, Spray Lakes and Kananaskis Lakes areas. The emphasis is on major day hikes with many "unofficial trails," included, which may require route-finding skills and some minor scrambling. Click here to order Kananaskis Country Trail Guide Volume 1.

Kananaskis Country Trail Guide Volume 2 A companion to Volume 1 (above), this trail guide covers the Highwood, Livingstone, Sheep River, Elbow River and Jumpingpound regions of Kananaskis Country. The emphasis is on major day hikes with many "unofficial trails," included, which may require route-finding skills and some minor scrambling. Click here to order Kananaskis Country Trail Guide Volume 2

Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies A comprehensive Canadian Rockies travel guide to all of the best hikes. From day trips to extended overnight adventures, this book provides you with the information you need to experience the magnificent mountain environment of the Canadian Rockies. Each hike in introduced with detailed route and trailhead instructions. Full colour maps indicate the location and direction of each hike and point out the outstanding landscape features. The hike descriptions are supplemented with important information on history, geology, nature, as well as side-trip options. Click here to order Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies.

Handbook of the Canadian Rockies This is the one of the most comprehensive field guides to the Canadian Rockies you can ever read. This book covers geology, plants, birds, animals, history and recreation from Waterton Lakes in southern Alberta to the Yukon in northern Canada. You will find identification guides about everything from bats and bees to mushrooms and fossils, not to mention Rocky Mountain birds, mammals and flowers. An historical outline plus hiking and safety tips are also included. Lots of color photos and line drawings illustrate the text. Ben Gadd, a former Park interpreter, writes with a direct style that is a pleasure to read. Click here to order Handbook of the Canadian Rockies.

Hot Springs of Western Canada A complete guide to Canada's hot springs, all of which are in western Canada. This book includes hot springs resorts and natural and hand-made hot springs pools that can be reached by car or require a walk, hike, or boat trip to reach. Some of the hot springs in the wilderness are especially appealing because they have excellent pools and are seldom visited. The book also provides information on how hot springs work and on the springs' water temperatures, water characteristics, and histories. Click here to order Hot Springs of Western Canada.