Whether looking for a book to keep you occupied between paddle sessions or to read in your tent on whitewater weekends, this list of the best whitewater books promises to enthrall readers with stories of adventure, friendship, courage, daring and skill.
Best Whitewater Books: New Releases
By Melissa L. Sevigny
The riveting tale of two pioneering botanists and their historic boat trip down the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon.
In the summer of 1938, botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter set off to run the Colorado River, accompanied by an ambitious and entrepreneurial expedition leader, a zoologist, and two amateur boatmen. With its churning waters and treacherous boulders, the Colorado was famed as the most dangerous river in the world. Journalists and veteran river runners boldly proclaimed that the motley crew would never make it out alive. But for Clover and Jotter, the expedition held a tantalizing appeal: no one had yet surveyed the plant life of the Grand Canyon, and they were determined to be the first.
Through the vibrant letters and diaries of the two women, science journalist Melissa L. Sevigny traces their daring forty-three-day journey down the river, during which they meticulously cataloged the thorny plants that thrived in the Grand Canyon’s secret nooks and crannies. Along the way, they chased a runaway boat, ran the river’s most fearsome rapids, and turned the harshest critic of female river runners into an ally. Clover and Jotter’s plant list, including four new cactus species, would one day become vital for efforts to protect and restore the river ecosystem.
Brave the Wild River is a spellbinding adventure of two women who risked their lives to make an unprecedented botanical survey of a defining landscape in the American West, at a time when human influences had begun to change it forever.
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By Tamar Glouberman
From a debut voice in adventure writing comes the thrilling true story of a female whitewater guide as she navigates some of the most extreme and remote rafting rivers in North America―until tragedy strikes.
When Tamar Glouberman was in her twenties and thirties, rivers were flowing through every aspect of her life. Whitewater and the paddling community bring excitement, friendships, lovers and a connection to the natural world as she traverses the map in search of her next adventure. As a short woman who nearly failed high-school gym, Glouberman does not fit the stereotype of a kayaker or raft guide and must prove herself time and again. Yet she feels more at home on water than land.
Driven to guide increasingly dangerous rivers, Tamar overcomes her self-doubts and challenges both on and off the water, using a combination of grit and wit. But when a rafting trip ends in a fatal accident, she is consumed by guilt and exiles herself from the rivers she loves, convinced she can never return. Tamar must eventually decide if being unable to save her passenger’s life means she also must sacrifice her own.
A raw and honest work from a talented new voice in adventure writing, Tamar’s memoir is a page-turner, transporting readers through wild rapids and breathtaking canyons, navigating eddies and currents, as she learns from the river that finding self-forgiveness might be the most hard-to-reach destination of all.
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By Wickliffe W. Walker
A dramatic narrative tour of 10 of the world’s most incredible whitewater adventures—spanning 5 continents and 40 years—guided by a legendary whitewater trailblazer.
This fascinating history of daring whitewater explorers stands alongside classic works on mountaineering, outdoor survival, and extreme sports.
Perfect for fans of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and Candice Millard’s River of the Gods.
In ten thrilling real-life adventure stories, pioneering whitewater explorer Wick Walker examines what lured a generation of incredibly daring pioneers into some of Earth’s most wondrous yet forbidding river canyons.
Loaded with great moments and personal stories, Wick details what these adventurers found there, and within themselves. The extraordinary characters, driven by different motives and visions, but united by their compulsion to seek the unknown and the pulse of free-flowing water, are as remarkable as the daunting geography and conditions they confront.
Whitewater sport today stands side-by-side with mountaineering in participation and public attention, yet it has lagged in generating its own literature. Torrents As Yet Unknown will help fill that gap for readers interested in human drama played out against great natural challenges.
Mountaineering history is deep and its literature rich, but whitewater adventurers approach and experience the same forbidding terrain from a different vantage, between the steep walls of their canyons and atop powerful torrents of cascading water.
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Best whitewater books to read
By Darcy Gaechter
Part memoir, part feminist manifesto, Amazon Woman shows what incredible feats we are capable of and will encourage people, especially women, across all backgrounds and ages to find the courage and strength to live the life they’ve imagined.
This 148-day journey began on Darcy Gaechter’s 35th birthday. She sold her successful outdoor adventure business, upsetting her partner and boyfriend of twelve years and getting them both fired in the process. The emotional waters that would fester and erupt on the ensuing journey was often more challenging to navigate than the mighty river itself. With blistering lips and irradiated fingernails, Darcy would tackle raging Class Five whitewater for twenty-five days straight, barely surviving a dynamite-filled canyon being prepared for a new hydroelectric plan. She and her two companions would encounter illegal loggers, narco-traffickers, murderous Shining Path rebels, and ruthless poachers in the black market trade in endangered species. They would plead for mercy at the hands of the murderous Ashaninka people who were convinced that they had come to steal their children’s organs.
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By Eugene Buchanan
From rafts made from old germ-warfare suits and felled logs to lifejackets stitched together from soccer balls and wine bladders, river running in the former Soviet Union has evolved much like Australian wildlife, completely free of outside influences. Brothers on the Bashkaus follows the exploits of one of the first groups of Westerners to experience this foreign style of rafting on a white-knuckled, 26-day trip down the Bashkaus River, one of the hardest whitewater runs in all Siberia.
In the early 1990s, armed with little more than former guiding experience and the prestigious Shipton/Tilman grant from W. L. Gore and Associates—the first of its kind ever awarded for a river expedition—four Americans stumble into a chance encounter with ten Latvians and soon find themselves on one of the wildest rides in the world. Along the way they deal with everything from language barriers to armed horsemen and rapids lined with memorials to those who perished before them. They battle the elements and fear starvation, finding sustenance in pork fat, sugar cubes, and fish-eyeball soup along the way.
More than just a great adventure story, Brothers on the Bashkaus combines a fascinating study of a culture and history with a riveting play-by-play of the paddling maneuvers and survival skills needed to meet the day-to-day challenges in the canyon. Thrown together with a common mission, these men soon discover the bonding qualities of the river, a medium that dissolves cultural barriers as easily as sediment. The Bashkaus creates a common bond regardless of race, religion, or nationality—one in which strangers truly come together as brothers.
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By Peter Heller
A grand adventure—an elite kayaking team’s heroic conquest of the worlds last great adventure prize: Tibet’s Tsangpo River.
The Tsangpo Gorge in southeastern Tibet has lured explorers and adventurers since its discovery. Sacred to the Buddhists, the inspiration for Shangri La, the Gorge is as steeped in legend and mystery as any spot on earth. As a river-running challenge, the remote Tsangpo is relentlessly unforgiving, more difficult than any stretch of river ever attempted. Its mysteries have withstood a century’s worth of determined efforts to explore it’s length. The finest expedition paddlers on earth have tried. Several have died. All have failed. Until now.
In January 2002, in the heart of the Himalayan winter, a team of seven kayakers launched a meticulously planned assault of the Gorge. The paddlers were river cowboys, superstars in the universe of extreme kayaking who hop from continent to continent ready for the next death-defying pursuit. Accompanying them was author Peter Heller. A world-class kayaker in his own right, Heller has logged countless river miles and several major first descents. He joined the Tsangpo Expedition as a member of the ground support team and official expedition journalist, and was also granted the exclusive opportunity to write the book about the descent.
Hell or High Water is that book—greatly expanded from his coverage for Outside magazine. Filled with history, white-knuckle drama, and mutiny in one of the world’s most storied-and remote-locations, Hell or High Water is as riveting as any of the great epic adventures throughout history. Publication coincides with the release of a documentary about the expedition by National Geographic.
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By William Nealy
Laugh and learn kayaking skills, from basic to advanced, through detailed text and more than 400 humorous illustrations!
If you want to learn how to paddle—and laugh out loud while doing so—William Nealy’s classic illustrated kayaking-skills manual remains dead-on hilarious. Kayak demonstrates important paddling techniques through humorous illustrations, along with detailed explanations from the renowned kayaker.
This book is perfect for beginners and more experienced paddlers, from hardcore hippy hairboaters who used to catch air in their block-long Dancers to insane youngsters clattering tiny plastic boats down steep creeks with more rocks than water. You’ll get to know everything from kayak and rapids anatomy to paddling techniques to river rescue methods.
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By Hendri Coetzee
This is a true story of the greatest African explorer you have never heard of. Equipped with a core philosophy and a lot of luck, Hendri Coetzee embarks on a series of increasingly outrageous adventures in search of what he calls the best day ever. Through a series of harrowing and often hilarious experiences, he is subjected to grueling challenges in the most unique and compelling classroom on earth: the rivers and jungles of Africa.
Recognised for his unique approach to extreme adventures, Johannes Hendrik (Hendri) Coetzee was a true African explorer; a modern day incarnation of the nineteenth century mould of Livingston, Stanley, Baker, Burton and Speke. A South African, born in 1975, he ventured into the depths of Africa evoking the legacy of his predecessors when he jokingly referred to himself as a “Great White Explorer.” Coetzee spent more than a decade risking his life on the riverine veins that pulse thorough the heart of Africa, only to discover an intangible way to feel most alive.
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By Erik Weihenmayer
Erik Weihenmayer has a long history of turning obstacles into adventures. Born with a rare condition that blinded him as a teenager, he never let his diagnosis hold him back from a full life. As an athlete, explorer, speaker and activist, he has opened the eyes of people around the world to what’s possible. In 2001, he became the first blind man to climb Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. In 2005, he co-founded his nonprofit organization, No Barriers, to empower others to overcome adversity and achieve their biggest goals.
This special edition of No Barriers introduces kids to the incredible true story of Erik’s most terrifying journey: solo kayaking the thunderous whitewater of the Grand Canyon. Erik and his friends form a courageous crew to do battle with some of the harshest elements nature has to offer. Along the course of Erik’s journey, he meets other trailblazers: adventurers, scientists, artists, and activists who show Erik the way forward and teach him the meaning of No Barriers―“What’s Within You is Stronger Than What’s in Your Way.”
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By Nick Hinds
Paddling Pacific Northwest Whitewater is the definitive guide to the best rivers and creeks for kayaking and rafting in Washington and Oregon—home to some of the most fun (and challenging) whitewater in the world. Including over 240 detailed run descriptions from local area paddlers who know these rivers and creeks better than anyone else, this is the only book you’ll ever need for a lifetime’s-worth of paddling in the Pacific Northwest.
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By Willamette Kayak & Canoe Club
Soggy Sneakers has been Oregon’s primary source of information for whitewater enthusiasts for 35 years. Members of Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club―who have run all of Oregon’s rivers―share their expertise and detail rapids and landmarks found on each run. There’s something for everyone, from Class 1 (flatwater) excursions to Class 6 (most challenging) rapid-filled adventures.
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By Kevin Fedarko
From one of Outside magazine’s “Literary All-Stars” comes the thrilling true tale of the fastest boat ride ever, down the entire length of the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon, during the legendary flood of 1983.
In the spring of 1983, massive flooding along the length of the Colorado River confronted a team of engineers at the Glen Canyon Dam with an unprecedented emergency that may have resulted in the most catastrophic dam failure in history. In the midst of this crisis, the decision to launch a small wooden dory named “The Emerald Mile” at the head of the Grand Canyon, just fifteen miles downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam, seemed not just odd, but downright suicidal.
The Emerald Mile, at one time slated to be destroyed, was rescued and brought back to life by Kenton Grua, the man at the oars, who intended to use this flood as a kind of hydraulic sling-shot. The goal was to nail the all-time record for the fastest boat ever propelled—by oar, by motor, or by the grace of God himself—down the entire length of the Colorado River from Lee’s Ferry to Lake Mead. Did he survive? Just barely. Now, this remarkable, epic feat unfolds here, in The Emerald Mile.
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By Todd Balf
It was the ultimate whitewater adventure on the Mount Everest of rivers, and the biggest challenge of their lives….
October 1998 an American whitewater paddling team traveled deep into the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet to run the Yarlung Tsangpo, known in paddling circles as the “Everest of rivers.” On Day 12 of that trip, the team’s ace paddler, one of four kayakers on the river, launched off an eight-foot waterfall and flipped. He and his overturned kayak spilled into the heart of the thunderous “freight training” river and were swept downstream, never to be seen again.
The Last River: The Tragic Race for Shangri-la is a breathtaking account of this ill-fated expedition, a fascinating exploration of what propelled these kayakers to take on the seething big water and perilous Himalayan terrain of the deepest gorge on the planet. This was the magical Shangri-la of legend, a 140-mile-long canyon framed by 25,000-foot snowcapped peaks, a place of unimaginable beauty called Pemako in ancient Buddhist texts that was rumored to contain mammoth waterfalls.
At the close of the twentieth century, an end-to-end descent of the gorge filled the imaginations of some of the best boaters in the world, who saw in the foam and fury of the Tsangpo’s rapids the ultimate whitewater challenge. For Wick Walker and Tom McEwan, extreme whitewater pioneers, best friends, and trip leaders, the Tsangpo adventure with Doug Gordon, Olympic medal-winning paddler Jamie McEwan (Tom’s brother), and Roger Zbel was the culmination of a twenty-five-year quest. Fueled by narratives of early explorers, Walker and McEwan kept their dream alive and waited until the Chinese government opened the gorge to Westerners. With financial backing from the National Geographic Society, the group was finally good to go in 1998.
Swollen to three times the size they had expected because of record rains and heavy snowmelt, the Tsangpo lived up to its fearsome reputation. On numerous occasions the team questioned whether to continue, but chose to press forward. The Last River probes beyond the extreme sports clichés and looks at the complex personal and intellectual reasons for the seemingly irresistible draw of Tibet’s Great River. For Walker, Gordon, Zbel, and the McEwans—husbands, fathers, friends, and brothers—the Tsangpo wasn’t a run toward death but a celebration of life, adventure, and the thing that tied them to one another—awe-inspiring rivers. The Last River is also a riveting journey to one of the world’s wildest and most alluring places, a thrilling book that invites us into the Himalayas of Jon Krakauer’s classic, Into Thin Air, but from a totally new perspective—on a historic river so remote that only the most hardy and romantic souls attempt to unlock its mysteries.
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By Peter Heller
From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars comes the story of two college students on a wilderness canoe trip—a gripping tale of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence.
“A fiery tour de force … I could not put this book down. It truly was terrifying and unutterably beautiful.” –The Denver Post
Wynn and Jack have been best friends since college orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing. Wynn is a gentle giant, a Vermont kid never happier than when his feet are in the water. Jack is more rugged, raised on a ranch in Colorado where sleeping under the stars and cooking on a fire came as naturally to him as breathing. When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddling and picking blueberries, and nights of stargazing and reading paperback Westerns. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey.
One night, with the fire advancing, they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank; the next day, a man appears on the river, paddling alone. Is this the same man they heard? And if he is, where is the woman? From this charged beginning, master storyteller Peter Heller unspools a headlong, heart-pounding story of desperate wilderness survival.
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By Molly Absolon
The Ultimate Guide to Whitewater Rafting and River Camping introduces new rafters to the skills, equipment, and knowledge required to mount a multi-day whitewater rafting trip. Rafting equipment, skills, and techniques have changed drastically in recent years, and this book provides the latest information on equipment selection, care, repair, and use; whitewater rafting techniques; reading rivers; hazard evaluation and basic rescue; camping techniques; river cooking and living; and expedition planning.
Written in a clear and comprehensive manner by outdoor educator and whitewater veteran Molly Absolon, The Ultimate Guide to Whitewater Rafting and River Camping is a great tool for novices and an excellent resource for experienced rafters.
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By David Brown
The Whitewater Wars is an entertaining and at times funny story about the twists and turns in the battle with two federal agencies to save the Ocoee and Gauley Rivers. These were not conventional environmental battles. Living close to the edge at times with relatively little money, rafting and kayaking pioneers in river shorts and sandals were seemingly no match against powerful federal agencies. They were grossly underestimated.
Here is what Marc Hunt, one of the first Ocoee River paddlers, has to say about The Whitewater Wars. “Successful advocacy efforts for the environment are always uphill battles, and winning them requires leaders with vision, grit, and integrity. David Brown brought those qualities in spades to the efforts to save the Ocoee and Gauley rivers. Anyone with passion for protecting America’s rivers, and for that matter anyone who just enjoys hearing about political brawls with powerful federal bureaucracies, will love the quick read that The Whitewater Wars delivers through David’s gifted storytelling.”
David Arnold, a cofounder of Class VI River Runners, in Lansing, WV said, “This book does much more than describe how an industry started and grew in the mountains of Appalachia. It is the behind-the-scenes account of the power of passion to make change happen. This ‘David and Goliath’ story gives hope to anyone committed to changing the way we do things.”
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By Rita Potter
Can two lost people find themselves, and possibly each other, halfway around the world?
After a tragic accident, Quinn Coolidge leaves everything behind, hoping to find solace in a secluded life in the Ozarks. Her solitude is disrupted when her best friend unexpectedly shows up with a proposition she may not be able to resist.
Faced with a series of failed relationships, Aspen Kennedy is left wondering why she can’t find true love. With each new partner, she immerses herself in their interests, hoping to find the connection she’s been missing. That should make her the perfect girlfriend, shouldn’t it?
Come along with Quinn and Aspen as they travel to Africa to take on one of the most grueling whitewater rafting courses in the world. With the amazing Victoria Falls as their backdrop, the pair will have to look deep inside to discover what holds them back. Will the churning waters of the Zambezi River defeat them, or will it lead them to a whitewater awakening?
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By Ken Whiting
Whitewater Kayaking: The Ultimate Guide has become the established, definitive guide on the sport. Drawing on the combined 30+ years of experience of world-renowned paddlers and instructors Ken Whiting and Kevin Varette, this comprehensive guide covers everything from the most basic skills and concepts to the most advanced, cutting-edge paddling techniques.
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This article was first published in the 2023 issue of Paddling Business. Inside you’ll find the year’s hottest gear for canoeing, kayaking, whitewater and paddleboarding. Plus: Industry leaders on the post-pandemic landscape, 50 years of paddlesports, the rise and fall of ACK and more. 
