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Recommended Reading, Maps & Apps

If you're interested in purchasing these books, consider shopping locally at Boulder Bookstore (one of our IPWA sponsors) 

Trail Guidebooks

 

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Maps​

 

E = Readings used in education programs (for interns, teachers, etc.) conducted by the IPWA 

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V = Issued to volunteers

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W = IPWA Writers (current/former volunteers, interns and grant recipients)

 

Wilderness and Environmental Issues

  • Wilderness and the American Mind (Roderick Nash) E

  • A Sand County Almanac (Aldo Leopold) E

  • The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America (Timothy Egan) E

  • Satellites in the High Country (Jason Mark) E

  • Wilderness Forever Future (Doug Scott)  - download PDF here E

  • A Land Made from Water: Appropriation and the Evolution of Colorado's Landscape, Ditches and Water Institutions (Robert Crifasi)

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For more recommended readings on Wilderness visit: https://www.wilderness.net/nwps/bibliography

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Mountaineering & History Books

  • The Magnificent Mountain Women: Adventures in the Colorado Rockies (Jan Robertson) E W

  • 100 Years Up High: Colorado Mountains and Mountaineers (Jan Robertson, James Fell, David Hite,  Christopher Case and Walter Borneman) W

  • High Country Names: Rocky Mountain National Park and Indian Peaks (Louisa Ward Arps and Eppich Kingery)

  • The Archaeology of Colorado (E Steve Cassells)

  • Chief Left Hand: Southern Arapaho (Margaret Coel)

  • Ranger Confidential: Living, Working and Dying in the National Parks (Andrea Lankford)

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Naturalist & Field Guides 

General Reference

  • The Naturalists Guide to the Southern Rockies (Audrey Benedict) E

  • WILD Colorado: Crossroads of Biodiversity (Colorado Division of Wildlife) E

  • Song of the Alpine: The Rocky Mountain Tundra through the Seasons (Joyce Gellhorn) W

  • Grassland to Glacier: The Natural History of Colorado and the Surrounding Region (Cornelia Mutel and John Emerick)

  • Wild Boulder County: A Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year (​Ruth Cushman and Stephen Jones) 

  • Peaks, Plateaus and Plains: The Ecology of Colorado (Allen Crockett)

  • Ice, Fire and Nutcrackers: A Rocky Mountain Ecology (George Constantz)

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Wildlife & Fish

  • White-tailed Ptarmigan: Ghosts of the Alpine Tundra (Joyce Gellhorn) W

  • Mammals of the Rocky Mountains (Chris Fisher)

  • Birds of Colorado Field Guide (Stan Tekiela)

  • American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of Colorado (Ted Floyd)

  • Fish of Colorado Field Guide (Dan Johnson)

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Plants​

  • Rocky Mountain Tree Finder (Tom and Bridget Watts)

  • Trees of Colorado Field Guide (Stan Tekiela)

  • Rocky Mountain Flora and Rocky Mountain Wildflowers (James Ells)

  • Mountain Wildflowers of the Southern Rockies: Revealing their Natural History (Carolyn Dodson)

  • Guide to Colorado Wildflowers: Volume 1 - Plains and Foothills and Volume 2 - Mountains (G.K. Guennel)

  • Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rocky Mountains and Neighboring Territories (Terry Willard)

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Geology

  • Hiking Colorado's Geology (Ralph and Lindy Hopkins)

  • Roadside Geology of Colorado (Halka Chronic)

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Websites, Online Writers and Blogs

 

Also Check out the website www.indianpeaksweather.net, a great source for weather and climate information for Nederland Colorado and the Indian Peaks area. This site was developed by Bryon Lawrence, Meteorologist and IPWA Volunteer. W

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Phone Apps & Sites

Plant & Animal Field Guides Apps

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Trail Guide & Mapping Apps 

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*We recommend using COTREX and the official U.S. Forest Service website for the the most accurate trail information. We do NOT recommend social apps like AllTrails because they are crowd-sourced with low verification standards, leading to the spread of inaccurate trail information. Social apps like AllTrails also do not differentiate between official trails and unofficial trails, leading to an increase in traffic to sensitive/off trail locations. 

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Weather & Road Conditions 

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Tally Counter Apps

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