E-Books
Decades of experience. Expert advice. Everything you need to know.
Years of answering questions from many readers planning a trip they read about at my blog—and more than three decades of planning my own trips—have given me a very good idea of what information people like you need.
That deep experience informs my approach to creating e-books that are useful and informative whether you’re planning an adventure for a family or a group of friends, beginners or experts.
Based on my personal experience on these trails, my affordable, expert trip e-books focus on details like the best time of year to do a hike, the best strategy for avoiding crowds on popular hikes, the best direction of travel on a hike, the tricks I’ve learned for obtaining a popular backcountry permit, and planning a day-to-day itinerary that hits the highlights, lands the best campsites, and is appropriate for everyone involved. That makes your hike more enjoyable and safer.
My skills-focused, how-to e-books share my expertise acquired over more than three decades of planning, taking, and writing about backpacking and other adventures.
Filled with unique and thorough advice that draws on first-hand knowledge, my e-books will tell you everything you need to know to make your trip a success.
—Michael Lanza
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Hi Michael, I just bought & read over your e-guide to the best trail in the Sawtooth Mountains — the 5-day trek from Redfish Lake to Pettit Lake. Thanks so much for putting together such a great resource. My fiancé and I are planning to do this hike on our honeymoon this summer!
One quick question. You said in the guide, “Although mosquitoes and other insects can be thick around lakes in July, mostly in the morning and evening, they diminish greatly by mid-August.”
We were planning to do the trip starting on July 22nd, though if needed, we could push it back 7 to 10 days. I have done some backpacking trips with moderate amounts of mosquitos, but if I wear a head net, pants, and long sleeves, it’s very manageable. I’ve done other trips where the mosquitos are so bad I feel like I need three layers of clothes to prevent bites, and with even the slightest skin exposure, like to have a bite of food or a bowel movement, I’ll get several bites.
Basically, the first mosquito scenario would be fine, but I definitely want to avoid that latter scenario. Do you think we’d be okay on those dates with the mosquitos or are they just going to be really, really bad until mid-August?
Thanks!
Hi David,
Thanks for buying my e-book “The Best Backpacking Trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains,” it’s a beautiful hike.
You ask a legitimate question. I’ve backpacked in the Sawtooths as early as late June, before the mosquito season, when there was still a solid snow cover on trails above about 8,000 feet and lakes were still partly frozen; in July, when mosquitoes are thickest; in early August, when mosquitoes have begun diminishing; and from the second half of August through September, when you’ll see few or basically no mosquitoes. I’ve also backpacked in mountains where mosquitoes are truly thick and voracious in early summer, like the Cascades, High Sierra, Wind River Range, Alaska, and Appalachians, and those places have a longer mosquito season that’s significantly worse than the worst you’ll see in the Sawtooths or in many interior Mountain West ranges (with rare exceptions), simply because they are not as wet as the mountains closer to the coasts.
Mosquito tolerance is a personal thing and if you’d really like to minimize your exposure to them, I’d consider pushing your trip back a week or two, maybe into August. But I don’t think you’ll encounter the mosquito nightmare you’re envisioning. I’ve never used a head net in the Sawtooths (although I’ve used them elsewhere), but I would recommend long sleeves and pants in July in the Sawtooths. I also find that a sun hoody helps shield your head and neck from them.
I hope that’s helpful. Have a great hike.
Thanks, Michael! This is super helpful. The intense mosquito trips I’ve taken have all been in July in the Cascades (where I live). It’s good to hear the Sawtooths aren’t that kind of bad. I think we’ll plan to bump the trip to early August. Thanks again for taking the time to reply; I appreciate it!!
You’re certainly welcome, David, and I appreciate the question and more than willing to help clarify that for you. I also think you’ll probably enjoy the trip more in early August, though I recommend going on weekdays if possible because weekends are usually busier there.
Enjoy it!
Do you have a ebook for the North Cascades
Hi Mark,
Thanks for asking, but I don’t have plans to publish an e-book to the North Cascades. However, with a subscription to The Big Outside, you get full access to all of my blog’s stories, including the trip planner sections at the bottom of my stories about backpacking in the North Cascades and many other places, where I share details of the itinerary and other logistics and tips on planning those trips.
I also offer Custom Trip Planning, where I’ll help you plan any trip you read about at my blog.
I hope one of those options is helpful to you. Keep in touch.
Hi Michael! I read your article on Bechler Canyon in Yellowstone and immediately put it on my backpack bucket list. I’ve used your e-guides for past trips and they were very helpful. Do you have one on the Bechler Canyon hike?
Hi Greg,
Good call putting Bechler Canyon on your bucket list and thanks for the compliment about my e-books. I don’t have plans to publish an e-book to backpacking the Bechler. However, with a subscription to The Big Outside, you get full access to all of my blog’s stories, including the trip planner section at the bottom of stories like this one, where I share details of the itinerary and other logistics and tips on planning this trip. I also offer Custom Trip Planning, where I’ll help you plan this or any trip you read about at my blog.
I hope one of those options is helpful to you. Keep in touch.
WE GOT OUR TETONS PERMIT!!! Oh, I’m so dang excited. What a great way to celebrate my 40th birthday. THANK YOU for your tips- they were invaluable. We’ll be on the Death Canyon Shelf July 22nd and N Fork the 23rd. A few things that made my booking seamless:
1) Practicing with the Everglades National Park Wilderness Permit page (on the recreation.gov website) helped me a ton so I wasn’t naive to what the full platform would look like when the Teton permits went live.
2) Knowing from your Teton Crest Trail e-guide that “Mountain Camping Zones” would be what I was looking for.
3) Prior to the website going live, I had typed out “07/22/2024” and then copied it to my clipboard so I could paste it in the date box for quick data entry.
4) With your guidance, I had a very detailed idea of what our possible date ranges would be, both N –> S ideally, and also in reverse. We were able to get our first choice, but could have quickly picked other dates as well.
Thank you again!!!
Hey Chelsea, thanks for buying my Teton Crest trail e-guide and congrats on getting your permit. Have a great hike!
I used your Grant Teton guide to book an itinerary in GTNP this morning, and I’m grateful. I’ve purchased your Glacier, Sawtooth, and the Teton guides, and they’ve all been super helpful in the planning stages.
Hi Keith,
Thanks for buying my Teton Crest Trail e-guide and congrats on getting a permit! I hope you have an excellent hike in the Tetons.
Where is the top picture taken? It look amazing.
Clouds Rest in Yosemite. Yes, it is.
Hi Michael…..do you have an e-guide for the Cactus to Clouds hike in Palm Springs?
I’m heading out there in October. Thanks!
Hi Walt,
Sorry, but no, I have not yet done that hike (but have had my eye on it for a while). Good luck.