Wilderness Activity Books began in 2016 by me (Jared Manninen). My idea was to take the more detail-oriented information here on Tahoe Trail Guide and refine it for a younger audience (although everyone is welcome to own copies of the books as they are universally fun).
Through engaging activities, tales of lessons learned, and education about backcountry skills and etiquette, my series of Wilderness Activity Books inspires creativity and helps you cultivate adventure in your daily life.
Color the Tahoe Rim Trail is the first book in the series. Eventually, I’ll publish more coloring, maze, and connect-the-dots books, as well as other activity books with an emphasis on living, playing, and being outdoors.
In addition to information about each book, you can also find supplemental and bonus material for each of the Wilderness Activity Book on this page.
Color the Tahoe Rim Trail: A Coloring Book
The Tahoe Rim Trail is a continuous trail that travels around the mountainous rim of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Thanks to countless volunteers working under the leadership of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, the Tahoe Rim Trail was completed in 2001. Since then, people from all over the world have come to Lake Tahoe to venture out on the Tahoe Rim Trail.
Color the Tahoe Rim Trail features 79 illustrations for you to color, and is the first in my series of wilderness activity books. Through engaging activities, tales of lessons learned, and education about backcountry skills and etiquette, these wilderness activity books will inspire creativity and help you cultivate adventure in your daily life.
Whether you’ve already experienced many of the amazing sites to see on the Tahoe Rim Trail or are hoping to one day visit it, Color the Tahoe Rim Trail will take you on the entire 165+ mile journey around Lake Tahoe.
Color the Tahoe Rim Trail Book Specs:
- 160 pages (includes a map showing where each illustration originated and 79 single-sided coloring pages)
- 8.5 x 11″ trim size
- Perfect paperback
- ISBN: 978-0-9834036-5-4
- Published November 2016
- $9.99 per book + shipping (see below)
- Contact Jared to inquire about wholesale prices if you are a retailer
- Please note that I only ship to US States and Territories. Currently, the only international option for ordering Wilderness Activity Books is through Amazon.com’s European site.
- Also note that the “Buy Now” button directly below will enable you to purchase Color the Tahoe Rim Trail via PayPal, while the purchase option on the sidebar is directly from Amazon.com
Sample illustrations from Color the Tahoe Rim Trail
Examples of Fully Colored Pages
I intend to eventually post images of all the pages of Color the Tahoe Rim Trail fully colored. However, there are 79 illustrations in total and I’m quite busy so we’ll see just how long that takes!
In the meantime, please enjoy (and hopefully take inspiration from) these examples of my fully colored pages of the book.
Photo gallery of reference photos used in the illustration of Color the Tahoe Rim Trail
Below is the gallery of photographs that I used as reference for the Color the Tahoe Rim Trail coloring book. Each photograph is identified by the same illustration number and title that you will find in the book.
Obviously, you don’t need to use the same color palette that’s found in the photos, but people have requested to see the origin points for my illustrations. Many of the photos I chose for this project were not necessarily the best pictures I took while hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail. However, I felt they were the best for use in illustrations that would ultimately be colored (by you!).
Some of the illustrations share a close relationship with their reference photos, while others were merely a starting point from which to draw (particularly the ones that were originally in a landscape orientation). I also used a handful of photos for reference that I took at home versus on the trail. For example, I saw lots of Northern Flickers while hiking, but couldn’t get any decent photos of them when I was on the trail.
1 – Lichen Growing on a Jeffrey Pine 2 – Hiking Alongside Lower Echo Lake 3 – Butterflies Flitting About the Moist Ground 4 – Sunset at Lake Aloha, with Pyramid Peak in the Background 5 – Morning Shadows and Reflections at Heather Lake 6- Gnarled Juniper Tree Shielding Heather Lake 7 – Steller’s Jay with a Worm in its Beak 8 – Curios Marmot People-Watching Near His Hidey Hole 9 – The Long Approach to Dick’s Pass 10 – Dick’s Lake as Seen from Dick’s Pass 11 – Granite Boulder Sunbathing at Fontanillis Lake 12 – Oregonian Pacific Crest Trail Hiker by the Trail Name of “Sizzler” 13 – Cloud Bank Sitting Behind a Marsh Filled with Dead Trees 14 – An Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Object 15 – German Pacific Crest Trail Hiker by the Trail Name of “Sprinkles” 16 – “Ducks” Stacked at a Small Stream Crossing 17 – Cool Morning in a Meadow Cast in Shados En Route to Barker Pass 18 – Southern Californian Tahoe Rim Trail Hiker by the Trail Name of “ET” 19 – Glorious Arrowleaf Balsamroot 20 – Field of Mule’s Ears aka “Mountain Money” above Lake Tahoe 21 – Grasshopper Chewing on the Brim of My Hat 22 – Lake Tahoe Beyond the Silhouette Trees 23 – Intersection of the TRT/PCT at the Border of Granite Chief Wilderness 24 – Sooty Grouse Playing Coy 25 – Conglomerate Rock Above the Truckee River Just Out of Tahoe City 26 – Sliver of Lake Tahoe Viewed Beyond the Boulder Patch and Trees 27 – Catching a Glimpse of Lake Tahoe at Sunset 28 – Snowplant 29 – Lake Tahoe Spied through the Trees 30 – Granite Head Gazing upon the Lake 31 – Stopping at Watson Lake to Filter Water 32 – Douglas Squirrel Wondering if You Have any Snacks to Share 33 – Crimson Columbine in Isolation 34 – Wildflowers Along the Ridge Waking Up to a Brisk Morning 35 – Dying Trees with a Front Row Seat for the Sunrise at Lake Tahoe 36 – Whitebark Pine Tree Needles and Buds 37 – Taking a Gander at Gray Lake 38 – Woody-Fruited Evening Primrose Flourishing in the Arid Soil 39 – View Near the Backside of Relay Peak 40 – Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel Playing Statue Master on a Fallen Tree 41 – Taking a Break at Galena Falls 42 – Tahoe Meadows at Sunset 43 – Western Wallflower all by its Lonesome 44 – Hiking Along the East Shore During the Evening Hours 45 – A Cluster of Fragrant Mountain Coyote Mint 46 – Northern Flicker Searching for Bugs to Eat 47 – Cloud Bank over the Carson Valley 48 – Crystal Bay Viewed from Fireworks Rock 49 – Washoe Lake Bathed in the Early Morning Light 50 – Marlette Lake in the Foreground and Lake Tahoe in the Background 51 – Sage Fields Above Marlette Lake 52 – Rings of Lichen 53 – Radiant Sunset at Lake Tahoe 54 – Wooden Bench Near South Camp Peak 55 – Granite Soldier Standing Vigilant over the Trail 56 – South Lake Tahoe’s Shoreline and the Stateline Casinos 57 – Evening Sunlight Filtering Through the Trees Near Star Lake 58 – Barren Trees and Decomposing Granite at the Saddle Below Freel Peak 59 – Clark’s Nutcracker Perched Atop a Stump 60 – Large-Leaf Lupine at Armstrong Pass 61 – Granite Bookshelf Bookended by Trees 62 – Early Morning Light and Shadow Falling Across the Trail 63 – Bouquet of Paintbrush 64 – Remnants of a Dead Tree 65 – Granite Boulder Cradled by a Fallen Tree 66 – Aspen Trees and a Bridge Across Grass Lake Creek 67 – Jeffrey Pine Cones Clustered on the Ground 68 – Bridge Leading to Big Meadows 69 – Forest Staircase 70 – Conglomerate Rockface 71 – Sunset at Round Lake Just After a Thundershower 72 – Derelict Structures Near TRT/PCT Intersection at Meiss Meadow 73 – Rock Walkway over a Small Stream 74 – Sunset View of Meiss Meadow 75 – Serene Morning at Showers Lake 76 – Conglomerate Monolith Overlooking a High Meadow 77 – Red-Tailed Hawk Taking Flight 78 – Massive Boulders Stealing a Glance at Lake Tahoe 79 – Start/Finish of My TRT Thru-Hike (Johnson Pass Road on Echo Summit)
Shipping Costs & Information for Wilderness Activity Books
- 1 book = $3.49
- 2-3 books = $4.49
- 4-5 books = $5.49
- 6-9 books = $8.49
- 10+ books = $29.99 (once the 10+ books are shipped you’ll be refunded the difference between the $29.99 charge and the actual shipping cost)
Books are shipped via USPS Media Mail and include a tracking number, and that information is emailed to you via PayPal soon after shipment - Books are generally shipped out between Monday-Wednesday
- Please note that Wilderness Activity Books are only shipped to US States and Territories through this website. Currently, the only international option for ordering Wilderness Activity Books is through Amazon.com’s European site.
- If you’re a retailer, contact me for wholesale prices and shipping options (use any of the contact forms on the sidebars).
Shops at Lake Tahoe to Purchase Wilderness Activity Books*
- Angora Lakes Resort (530-541-2092; Upper Angora Lake via Angora Lakes Road near South Lake Tahoe, CA)
- GaiaLicious Global Gift Boutique (530-542-4244; 987 Tallac Avenue, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 96150)
- Lake Tahoe Acupuncture (530-494-0900; 2244 Barton Avenue, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 96150)
- A Massage for All Seasons (530-541-1525; 2660 Lake Tahoe Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 96150)
- Word After Word Books (530-536-5099; 10118 Donner Pass Road, Truckee, CA, 96161)
- Strawberry Station General Store (530-659-0744; 17481 Hwy 50, Twin Bridges, CA, 95735)
*Call for title/quantity availability to avoid hassles if you’re driving far to visit any of these shops.
*Also note that retailers can sell Wilderness Activity Books at whatever price they choose. This is by design as they have different overhead costs to consider with regard to pricing their merchandise.
Bonus coloring pages for Color the Tahoe Rim Trail
For making the trip this far down the page I would like to reward you with some bonus illustrations that did not make the cut in the final book. As much as I wanted to include them, I simply had to trim the fat so as not to end up with a book three inches thick.
All of these bonus pages to the Color the Tahoe Rim Trail coloring book are hi-res (300ppi), formatted at 8.5 x 11″, and offset to the right so you can three-hole punch them and collect them in a binder if you choose.
The easiest way to download them to your device is to right-click and “save image as” or “open in a new window” and then save them to your device from there.
