Reference

National Geographic Sources

Looking for more information about river running? See the National Geographic publications listed below, or check for other citations in our NGS Publications Index using the keywords river and rafting.
TRAVELER Rennicke, Jeff. “The River Wild.” Pages 74-83, July/August 1996. (Selway River.)
TRAVELER Rennicke, Jeff. “Rafting the Rio.” Pages 106-15, March/April 1995. (Rio Grande.)
TRAVELER Rennicke, Jeff. “9 Great Summertime Getaways.” Pages 118-19, May/June 1994. (Dolores River.)
TRAVELER Rennicke, Jeff. “America’s Deepest Canyon.” Pages 110-21, March/April 1993. (Snake River through Hells Canyon.)
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Kane, Joe. “Roaring Through Earth’s Deepest Canyon.” Pages 118-38, January 1993. (Colca River in Peru.)
TRAVELER Kostyal, K.M. “Wet and Wild West Virginia.” (Weekends) Pages 14-19, September/October 1992. (New River.)
TRAVELER O’Gara, Geoffrey. “Slow Float to Somewhere.” Pages 112-13, September/October 1989. (Bighorn River.)
TRAVELER Abbey, Edward. “The River of No Return.” Pages 88-97, July/August 1989. (Main Salmon River.)
Book National Geographic Society. Great Rivers of the World. 1984.
TRAVELER Urquhart, Jennifer C. “Floating Through Dinosaur.” Pages 104-11, Spring 1984. (Yampa and Green Rivers.)
Book National Geographic Society. America’s Wild and Scenic Rivers. 1983.
Supplement “Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States.” NGM map supplement, July 1977.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC “Rivers Wild and Pure: A Priceless Legacy.” Pages 2-59, July 1977. (Flathead, Suwannee, St. Croix, Skagit, Rio Grande, and Noatak Rivers.)


White-Water Books

  • For lists of guidebooks on rivers in the western United States, contact Westwater Books (P.O. Box 2560, Evergreen, Colorado 80437; +1 303 674 5410 or 800 628 1326, fax +1 303 670 0586) or Down the River Equipment (12100 West 52nd Avenue, Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033; +1 303 467 9489, fax +1 303 940 8812).

  • Many of the books listed below are available at sporting-goods stores, from the National Organization for Rivers (212 West Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906; +1 719 579 8759, fax +1 719 576 6238), or from the Adventurous Traveler Bookstore (P.O. Box 1468, Williston, Vermont 05495; +1 802 860 6776 or 800 282 3963, fax +1 802 860 6667 or 800 677 1821).

  • Abbey, Edward. Down the River. NAL/Dutton, 1991. This collection of classic Abbey stories recounts river running in places as far-flung as Alaska and his own slickrock country backyard.

  • Armstead, Lloyd D. Whitewater Rafting in North America: The 200 Best Rafting Adventures in the United States, Canada, Mexico & Costa Rica. Globe Pequot Press, 1994. For first-timers as well as veteran rafters, this guidebook briefly describes each river and guided raft trips available.

  • Bangs, Richard. Whitewater Adventure: Running America’s Great Scenic Rivers. Thunder Bay Press, 1990. Colorful personal accounts and more than 80 glorious color photographs evoke the thrill of running ten scenic rivers in the United States.

  • Bangs, Richard and Christian Kallen. Riding the Dragon’s Back: The Race to Raft the Upper Yangtze. Dell Publishing Company, 1992. Insiders describe one of the greatest white-water adventures in history—the first successful run of China’s wild Yangtze River.

  • Bangs, Richard and Christian Kallen. Rivergods: Exploring the World’s Great Wild Rivers. Sierra Club Books, 1985. Two seasoned river runners venture down the world’s wildest rivers, including Chile’s Bío-Bío, the sacred waters of the Indus, and the mighty, matchless Colorado.

  • Cassady, Jim, Bill Cross, and Fryar Calhoun. Western Whitewater From the Rockies to the Pacific: A River Guide for Raft, Kayak, and Canoe. North Fork Press, 1994. For novices and experts alike, this detailed guidebook provides facts, figures, and a mile-by-mile guide to some 160 rivers between the Rockies and the Pacific coast.

  • Chapple, Steve. Kayaking the Full Moon. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1993. As the author kayaks the untamed, unspoiled Yellowstone River with his young family, he evokes the dangers and beauty of this wild landscape.

  • Collins, Robert O. and Roderick Nash. The Big Drops: Ten Legendary Rapids of the American West. Johnson Books, 1989. Maps, photographs, and text describe noteworthy white-water stretches (big drops) along some of the country’s best rafting rivers.

  • Rennicke, Jeff. River Days: A Collection of Essays. Fulcrum, 1988. A writer and former river guide offers a literary view of 28 rivers in the American West.

  • River Runner Source Book. Maravia Corporation, 1995. This informative book contains river stories, recipes, and information on white-water rafts, catarafts, flow levels, and river permits.

  • Shears, Nick. Paddle America: A Guide to Trips & Outfitters in All 50 States. Starfish Press, 1994. State-by-state listings detail hundreds of canoeing, rafting, and kayaking outfitters in the United States.

  • Simmons, James C. The Big Book of Adventure Travel. John Muir Publications, 1995. Summaries cover the scenery, wildlife, price range, season, and length of rafting expeditions in Africa (Omo, Zambezi), Asia (Brahmaputra, Upper Yangtze), Australia (Franklin, Nymboida), Turkey (Çoruh), Latin America (Bío-Bío, General, Jataté, Pacuare, Reventazón, Usumacinta), Canada (Chilcotin, Chilko, Chilliwack, Firth, Fraser, Thompson), and the United States (28 rivers).

  • Ziegler, Ronald M. Wilderness Waterways: The Whole Water Reference for Paddlers. Canoe America Associates, 1992. This compendium details hundreds of resources for paddlers, including books, videos, maps, and government agencies.

 
  River Resources
 
 
 
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