Abby Wilson finds inspiration in the mountains both as a visual artist and as an outdoor adventurer—and she’d like to see others find their spark in the wild world. Wilson, who runs the popular website West Kootenay Hiking, has just published a brand new hiking book for the area. She’ll launch the guidebook West Kootenay Hiking on Saturday, May 31 at 7pm in a multimedia presentation at the Nelson Public Library.

The book details 77 of the best hiking trails in the West Kootenay region and features clear layouts, topographic maps, and elevation profiles. Readers can scan QR codes in the book to get GPS files delivered straight to their favourite navigation app.

“The goal of West Kootenay Hiking is to encourage people to explore our local trails with the best knowledge and preparedness,” says Wilson.

The guidebook includes trails with a range of difficulty levels, seasons, and access vehicles, and includes special features like waterfalls, old growth trees, golden larches, or local history. Each chapter of the book focuses on a smaller region within the West Kootenay and highlights the contributions of local trail societies.

Wilson, who lives in Nelson with her family, has been writing, editing, mapmaking, designing layouts, and consulting stakeholders to create a guidebook that is accurate, comprehensive, and offers options for a range of hiking abilities and interests, Wilson says—“Whether you’re chasing golden larches, summits, waterfalls, or just hoping to get out with the kids and dog for a few hours.”

The launch event will include breathtaking slides showing some of the trails as well as some background about Wilson’s journey from blog to book. There will be plenty of time for questions, and Otter Books will be on hand with copies for sale.