Must-Read Books about the Grand Canyon

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In 1955, 22-year-old Boyd Moore tried to cross the Colorado and was never seen again. His story is just one of many in the classic Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon. The book is far from the only one worth reading about the canyon.

This classic chronicles 550 fatalities in the park, including Boyd Moore, a Northern Arizona University student who tried to cross the Colorado on an inflatable raft, floated downstream, and was never seen again.

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In the spring of 1983, professional river guides Kenton Grua, Rudy Petschek, and Steve Reynolds attempted to set the speed record for descending the canyon, prompted by a massive surge of release from Glen Canyon Dam.

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Abbey spent most of his life in the Southwest, and the region was often the subject of his books (see also Desert Solitaire). The Monkey Wrench Gang follows a fictional band of environmentalists as they work to destroy things (bulldozers, trains) that cause damage to the environment, with their main aim being the Glen Canyon Dam.

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The story of the Havasupai people, the Grand Canyon’s original inhabitants, from their arrival in North America nearly 20,000 years ago to their modern-day home inside the canyon.

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In 2006, 34-year-old Japanese hiker Tomomi Hanamure was murdered––stabbed 29 times––near the popular tourist destination of Havasu Falls by a member of the Havasupai Tribe. McGivney breaks down the case and dives deep into lives of both the victim and her killer.

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