John McKinney

John McKinney is an award-winning writer, public speaker, and author of 30 hiking-themed books: inspiring narratives, top-selling guides, books for children.

John tells the bittersweet story of his epic hike along the entire California coast in the critically acclaimed "Hiking on the Edge: Dreams, Schemes, and 1600 Miles on the California Coastal Trail." A trek to remote monasteries in Greece led to a miracle adoption, a glorious and sometimes hilarious tale told in "Hiking the Holy Mountain: Tales of Monks and Miracles on the Trails of Mount Athos, Greece."

John is particularly passionate about sharing the stories of California trails. He is the only one to have visited—and written about—all 280 California State Parks, and works with park and conservation organizations to promote and protect them. His “Every Trail Tells a Story” series of guides highlight the very best hikes in California.

The master storyteller about hiking is a frequent public speaker, and shares his tales on the radio, on video, and online. For 18 years John, aka The Trailmaster, wrote a weekly hiking column for the Los Angeles Times, and has hiked and enthusiastically told the story of more than 10 thousand miles of trail across California and around the world. The intrepid Eagle Scout has written more than a thousand stories and opinion pieces about hiking, parklands, and our relationship with nature.

John loves to share the trail with others. He’s designed and led tours for a walking vacation company, led hikes to benefit nonprofit organizations, and served as National Hike Leader for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Hike For Discovery program.

John’s studies in broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California proved somewhat useful on his career path; more so were the hikes he took with his friends in the USC hiking club. Hike on!