Adventure Town Bookstores Worth Traveling For | Outside Online

Stop by and find dirtbag literature or the homemade hiking guide you never knew you needed

Maybe you’re less nerdy than I am, but one of my abiding joys while traveling is finding the best bookstore in any given town. I go there to find novels set in empty desert towns, local history books, those weird homegrown hiking guides with sketchy hand-drawn maps—anything to give me a more personal look at the place I’m visiting. You can’t get that kind of context on Amazon.

And adventure towns, somewhat miraculously, are still home to some of the best independent bookstores in the country. Keep these standouts in mind as you plan your next road trip.