Trail Work: Restoring the Paths and Stories of America's Public Lands

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.

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.