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 "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.  EXCERPT FROM THE INTRODUCTION The hardest things to see are those that are truly there. A westerly wind blowing in from the Pacific whistles through the warped boards of a dilapidated ranching cabin. The small gray structure is surrounded by potreros of wild buckwheat that have become an ebbing golden tide, out of which rise smooth boulders of sandstone like whales breaching between waves of grass. The wind pushes at sediment eroded off the tops of these stones and then circulates the granules back within the nooks and crannies from which they came, a gentle grinding that’s been at work for millions of