Paul Gruchow Books

Focusing on the beauty and resilience of the prairie landscape, Paul Gruchow shares his reflections and experiences throughout the seasons in southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa. He captures the starkness of winter, the arrival of spring geese, and the emergence of early flowers, illustrating the profound connection between nature and the human spirit. This chronicle celebrates the remaining patches of prairie, highlighting their emotional and aesthetic significance for nature enthusiasts.

“Gruchow is an ideal guide to the BWCA.” — ISTHMUS BOOKS QUARTERLY Organized by the seasons of the year, Boundary Waters explores the natural and soul-sustaining beauty of the largest roadless area east of the Rocky the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a vast network of forest and thousands of lakes, isolated and pristine, straddling the border between northern Minnesota and Ontario. Throughout Boundary Waters , Paul Gruchow skis, backpacks, and canoes through the Boundary Waters and its environs, including Sea Gull Lake, Isle Royale National Park, the Grand Portage Trail, Quetico Provincial Park (Canada), and Voyageurs National Park. Drawing on the works of Thoreau and Wendell Berry, Gruchow turns his naturalist’s eye on this wilderness full of wolves, moose, and loons, contemplating the richness of our natural heritage and our need to share its treasures with others. Boundary Waters is a testament to Gruchow’s magnificent ability to explores the relationship of person to place, illuminating not only our lands, but our souls.

Features magnificent color photographs and selected quotations from notable Minnesotans and others who love the state.