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Mapping the past—and the future—of American trails.
"Dillon Osleger is a new voice in the wilderness, and what a voice it is." —Jason Roberts, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Every Living Thing
In Trail Work, Dillon Osleger excavates the forgotten trails of the Western United States. He shows how one of the greatest infrastructure investments in the nation's history—paths through our public lands—has been rubbed away by time and deliberate neglect. Osleger unearths the wagon roads, water sources, trap lines, and Indigenous trading trails that once knitted the West together. He reveals centuries of path building, more than two-thirds of a nationwide network of trails and campgrounds, now erased from the map. Dwindling federal investment and privatized timber forests, ranches, and oil fields have blocked access to public lands, prompting Osleger to ask: How can we better care for the places that are claimed for the American public, but are too often abandoned or sold? Osleger has trail eyes like no other from his years as a trail builder, geologist, professional mountain biker, and public lands advocate. Here he offers a land ethic born of joy in stewardship, attention to history and community, and living and cycling lightly. From the Central California Coast to the Sierra Nevada, out to Colorado and up to Washington, Osleger embarks on a wayfinder's journey, revealing an atlas of lost trails for everyone who loves the outdoors.
"A passionate call for investing in the maintenance of trails in public lands across the U.S. [...] Through deep research and eloquent depictions of natural landscapes, Osleger reveals America's complicated relationship with preserving the outdoors. This deserves a place in every wilderness explorer's backpack." —Publishers Weekly
"A thoughtful and passionate argument for public lands in the truest sense. For conservationists, outdoor recreationists, and all users of public lands." —Library Journal
"Trail Work examines the broader pressures on public lands, including declining federal investment and growing debates over privatization. It highlights ongoing land-use conflicts tied to grazing, mining, logging, and energy development—issues that continue to shape political discourse around public lands today. [...] The project is both personal and expansive, inviting readers to see familiar landscapes with new depth—and to consider what has been lost along the way." —Sierra Sun
"Osleger spotlights the West Coast in this work of nonfiction. He treks from California's Central Coast all the way to Washington and unearths hidden and forgotten trails along the way. But he doesn't stop there—Osleger also digs into why these trails were forgotten and what their erasure says about the nation's past and future. Trail Work is an educational and exhaustive read for anyone who wants to understand the history of our public lands." —Alta Journal
"Osleger is an ideal guide to California's trails: The son of two geologists, his childhood babysitter was geologist Eldridge Moores, the main character in John McPhee's Assembling California. A former backcountry ski guide and mountain bike racer, Osleger pores over maps (and quotes Robert Macfarlane) as he takes readers on a journey across trails and over public lands." —Orange County Register
"Dillon Osleger is a new voice in the wilderness, and what a voice it is. Trail Work is meditative, instructive and surprising at every switchback. We can’t hike the high ridges with Thoreau, Muir, and Abbey, but we can read this book." —Jason Roberts, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Every Living Thing
"Our public lands—now under constant attack from Washington—are one of America's greatest legacies. This powerful book makes clear that they are places for more than recreation—they are our history, and our best possible future. Read this book out on a hike, and then return to 'civilization' to join the fight to protect these places and all they represent." —Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun
"Both elegiac and optimistic, Trail Work reveals how wilderness trails—whether visible or vestigial—embody the complex history of public lands in the United States. Osleger, a geologist and map lover who has spent years tracing forgotten trail networks, shows that following old pathways is in fact a kind of time travel." —Marcia Bjornerud, author of Timefulness and Turning to Stone
"Both a sweeping historical palimpsest, a cartographic detective story, and an inspiring memoir of a life spent working outdoors, this book will enliven and enlighten any lover of wild landscapes." —Robert Moor, author of On Trails: An Exploration
"Trail Work is a detective story revealing how trails and maps connect us not only to landscape, but to stories, to history, to each other, and most importantly, to ourselves." —Rick Ridgeway, National Outdoor Book Award–winning author of Life Lived Wild
Dillon Osleger is a scientist, writer, and environmental advocate whose work is anchored in society’s relationship with wild and rapidly changing environments. With an academic background in geology, ecology, and climate science, he has spent over a decade working on trail restoration, land management, and public lands policy across the American West. His writing has appeared in Outside, the Los Angeles Times, Patagonia’s The Cleanest Line, and Earth and Planetary Science Letters, focusing on the confluence of land use, climate, environmental justice, and historical memory. Whether in Washington, D.C., or the backcountry of the Sierra, Osleger brings a grounded perspective to how people move through and care for place. Trail Work is his first book and he lives in Truckee, California.
Introduction
Chapter 1 - Destined for Here
Chapter 2 - A Start in the Wrong Direction
Chapter 3 - The Keys to Getting Lost
Chapter 4 - Skimmed Off the Top
Chapter 5 - A Value Forgotten
Chapter 6 - New Ways on Old Ground
Chapter 7 - Questions in Place
Chapter 8 - Next on the Chopping Block
Chapter 9 - No Longer Yours
Chapter 10 - Value of Place
Chapter 11 - Old Ground Under New Values
Chapter 12 - A Right to Roam
Chapter 13 - Imparted Changes
Chapter 14 - Stewardship & Ethic
Chapter 15 - Investment in Place
Chapter 16 - Wayfinding
Bibliography