The Enduring Wild: A Journey Into California's Public Lands

A galvanizing road trip across California's immense public wilderness from a beloved adventurer.

It all began with a camping trip. Outdoor enthusiast Josh Jackson had never heard of "BLM land" before a casual recommendation from a friend led him to a free campsite in the desert--and the revelation that over 15 million acres of land in California are owned collectively by the people. In The Enduring Wild, he takes us on a road trip spanning thousands of miles, crisscrossing the Golden State to seek out every parcel of public wilderness therein belonging to the federal Bureau of Land Management, from the Pacific shores of the King Range down to the Mojave Desert. Over mountains, across prairies, and through sagebrush, Jackson unravels the stories of these lands. He tells of the Indigenous peoples who have called them home for millennia, of the extractivist threats that imperil them today, and of the grassroots organizers and political champions who have rallied to their common defense to uphold the radical mandate to protect these natural treasures for generations to come. For the adventurers, campers, explorers, map readers, road trippers, nature enthusiasts, and public lands lovers out there, The Enduring Wild is an indispensable invitation to know these places more deeply and to embrace our common inheritance. Illustrations by Rebekah Nolan.

Josh Jackson is a writer, photographer, and leading voice for public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Through his evocative Forgotten Lands Project, Josh employs immersive storytelling and striking visual narratives to inspire appreciation and engagement with our least understood, least protected, and largely unknown landscapes. His advocacy work has been featured by the Los Angeles Times, SFGate, and the Nature's Archive podcast. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children. The Enduring Wild: A Journey into California's Public Lands is his first book. Explore more of his work at forgottenlandsproject.com.