Born of an intimate relationship with nature, Luminous Mountains is a spirited journey of discovery up the high peaks and down the wild rivers of the great Sierra Nevada. With 137 stunning photographs and the engaging text of a seasoned storyteller, Tim Palmer guides us through the stormy white depths of winter and into ancient green forests suffused with life. In all months of the year he shows us unmatched images of wonder—from icons of scenery such as Yosemite’s El Capitan, Lake Tahoe, and Mount Whitney, to remote and secret enclaves amid the peaks and the canyons.
Luminous Mountains: The Sierra Nevada of California
Breathtaking new photography and ideas explore the Range of Light
Advance Praise
“In their craggy immensity, the Sierra peaks illuminate Tim Palmer's glorious photos and canny text as they do the mind of anybody lucky enough to follow in his adventurous footsteps. What a luminous treasure indeed these mountains are, and how lucky we are to have Tim Palmer tracking for us their wild profiles and the heartbreaking loveliness of their rivers!”
—Ernest Callenbach, author of Ecotopia
“Luminous Mountains is a beautiful tribute to California's famed mountain region. Tim Palmer embodies the spirit of the Sierra Nevada, and one can't help but be inspired by his passion and dedication to the Sierra.”
—Yvon Chouinard, owner and founder of Patagonia, Inc.
“Tim Palmer's Luminous Mountains is lyrical. Yet when this author alarmed about what is happening within the Sierra he is factual, informative, and down to earth. His spirit matches the spirit of John Muir.”
—Andrea Mead Lawrence, two-time Olympic skiing gold medalist and founder of the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers
About the Author
Tim Palmer has written seventeen books about the American landscape, conservation, adventure travel, and rivers. California Wild, a text and photographic book, won the Benjamin Franklin Award for the best book on nature and the environment in 2004. Palmer wrote the text for the Yosemite Association’s Yosemite: The Promise of Wildness, which
received the Director’s Award from the National Park Service as the best book of the year in 1997. His books include, Rivers of America, which features 200 color photos of rivers nationwide, and Luminous Mountains, published by Heyday in collaboration with the Yosemite Association. Palmer has traveled extensively through the Sierra by foot and on skis, with his canoe and whitewater raft, and in his well-equipped van.Photo by Ann Vileisis
