Walking among displays of brand-new books at Dudley’s Bookshop Cafe several weeks ago, I was drawn to the guidebooks, one of which was Moon’s “Pacific Northwest Hiking” with a cover photo of Washington’s Lake Ann with autumnal hues.

After leafing through the book and realizing it came with hiking options across Oregon and Washington with full-color maps, photos and graphs with elevation gain, I decided to buy it for help with planning an upcoming trip to Washington.

It wasn’t until later I realized how recently the guidebook, authored by Craig Hill and Matt Wastradowski, was published.

As Wastradowski prepared for an author event in Seattle, I chatted with him about the guidebook (an updated version of pre-existing Moon guidebooks), and his fondness for sharing his favorite hiking trails.

“I love the opportunity to share these places that are so special to me with the wider world,” Wastradowski said. “I absolutely cannot stand gatekeeping. I think it’s such an insidious way to keep people out of the outdoors and from finding new destinations or new experiences that could change their lives like they changed mine.”

Hiking the Pacific Northwest

The guidebook includes popular trails, those off the beaten path and everything in between.

While the Trail of Ten Falls in Silver Falls State Park receives over 1 million visitors per year, Wastradowski said he has come across many readers who haven’t heard of it.

“Being able to help people find these places and connect with different aspects of nature, especially, is really meaningful,” he said.

The book includes about 75 Oregon hikes by Wastradowski and 75 Washington hikes by Hill, each paired with a nearby restaurant. It’s essentially an updated, combined version of Moon’s Oregon and Washington hiking books, which are respectively named “Moon Oregon: Coastal Getaways, Craft Beer & Wine, Hiking & Camping” and “Moon Washington Hiking: Best Hikes plus Beer, Bites and Campgrounds,” according to Wastradowski.

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Bend and Central Oregon trails

For Wastradowski, the Bend and Central Oregon chapter of the book was one of the hardest to write. He resides in Portland but formerly lived in Bend and has visited the area more times than he can count.

“I felt like I could have written an entire guidebook on just hikes in Bend and Central Oregon,” Wastradowski said.

He took into consideration difficulty levels, elevation gain and varying experiences to narrow down 11 hikes that offer a snapshot of Central Oregon’s mountain vistas, alpine lakes and wide-open desert.

Wastradowski is coming to Bend for an author event on “Pacific Northwest Hiking” at Roundabout Books on Nov. 7. Register to attend at roundaboutbookshop.com.

If You Go

What: Author event at Roundabout Books

When: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7

Where: Roundabout Books & Cafe, 900 NW Mount Washington Drive #110, Bend

Cost: $5 or purchase of the book. Registration required.

Contact: roundaboutbookshop.com