01

“Focused on six of our most iconic National Parks, the myths, legends, historical accounts, and essays compiled in Campfire Stories are perfect for reading aloud, preferably around a campfire. This well-rounded book presents the spirit of these lands.”

— Terry Tempest Williams, author of The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America's National Parks

02

“If you want a chunk of quick reads, Dave and Ilyssa Kyu have compiled writings by diverse voices about [six] different national parks that are perfect for telling out loud. The snack-sized readings in Campfire Stories include Terry Tempest Williams’ musings about Zion, Isabella Bird’s letters to her sister after becoming the first woman to climb Colorado’s Longs Peak, and Wabanaki poems about Acadia. It’s a great summer skimmer.”

— Heather Hansman, Outside Online

03

“An engaging, entertaining, unique and simply fascinating read from cover to cover, Campfire Stories: Tales from America’s National Parks is exceptionally well written, organized and presented, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library collections, as well as the personal reading lists of anyone who has ever experienced America’s national parks for themselves — or would like to!”

— Margaret Lane, Midwest Book Review

Book Reviews

Campfire Stories: Volume II

01

“Both witty and tender…. Choosing and editing their writers, introducing these parks and trails, the Kyus are so at home with each other and the reader, so personable and warm with their words, that already I welcome the travel book they will themselves write one day.”

—Elissa Ely, Appalachia

04

“Campfire Stories Volume II is a lively, thought-provoking collection of essays and poems that represent diverse perspectives on national parks and trails. The diverse, sparkling entries of Campfire Stories Volume II explore the remote backroads and surprising vistas of the national parks.”

— Kristen Rabe, Foreword Reviews

07

“I’ve been a writer for a long time dating back to the last century, and with the National Parks Traveler, I’ve always struggled at times to find  a new way to tell stories about the parks. Just because, you know… if you look at guidebooks, they’re all so largely cookie cutter in terms of here’s the lodges, here are the trails, here are the restaurants, here’s what you have to see… here’s what you can go without. I applaud you guys for what you’ve done because you have found a new approach to writing about the national parks and interpreting national parks for the readers and getting new generations and diverse generations hooked to go visit the national parks.”

— Kurt Repanshek, National Park Traveler Podcast

05

“These ‘campfire stories’ remind us what a treasure we have in our National Parks. And the diversity of the voices showcased by the editors, along with an appendix of community organizations that support each of these parks, show that these wild areas are not just about scenery, but about people.”

— Laurence Marschall, Natural History Magazine

08

“Editors Dave and Ilyssa Kyu gather an impressive collection of stories, essays, and poems that celebrate and illustrate the wonders of some of America’s best-loved places... With a foreword by poet and ornithologist J. Drew Lanham and entries by such acclaimed writers as Terry Tempest Williams, George Bird Grinnell, Rena Priest, and Cheryl Strayed, this volume brings together nature writing at its finest. Perhaps most importantly, it raises the two issues that our national parks can no longer ignore: a past fraught with the brutal and often illegal displacement of the Indigenous inhabitants of these lands and a violently warming climate that threatens their future. These stories will indeed make for fascinating campfire entertainment, but they will also leave their readers lying in their tent, contemplating big issues and the part they play in their unfolding.

—Marc Beaudin, Big Sky Journal

06

“This is an enriching collection of readings suitable for basic information but especially appealing to those seeking to share impressions of these monumental settings that nature provides. Try taking some of these selections for communal campfire readings and feel the awe that the combination of site and mental imagery arouses in the listener. A must inclusion for your camping trips or for just enjoying nature.”

— Aron Row, Manhattan Book Review

09

“This second volume of stories focuses on five new parks: Grand Canyon, Everglades, Olympic, Glacier, and Joshua Tree, as well as the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails. There’s prose, poetry, and folklore about the parks in this diverse collection, looking at the history of the parks and trails, personal experiences, and their ecosystems. The editors purposefully sought out diverse contributors from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, making this a thoughtful, varied collection of writing.”

— Jaime Herndon, Book Riot