Michael Engelhard is a writer and wilderness guide.
Latest by this author
Long before they became symbols of climate change, polar bears helped shape Charles Darwin’s revolutionary ideas about how species adapt to their environments.
More about this author
Michael Engelhard is the author of Ice Bear: The Cultural History of an Arctic Icon (University of Washington Press). Trained as an anthropologist, he lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, and works as a wilderness guide in the Arctic.
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Battered, but Not Yet Broken
Coastal Alaska Abides in the Grip of Global Heating
Arctic Today | October | 2025
Although ferocious storms have long raged where Alaska meets Siberia, climate change is increasing their intensity and frequency. The author honors the extraordinary toughness and adaptability of people indigenous to the region, but suggests that modern science and technology may save lives.
Alaska Magazine | April | 2022
Michael Engelhard gives a vivid and exhilarating account of how filmmakers Ben Weiland and Chris Burkard visited a remote subarctic bay.
Alaska Magazine | February | 2022
Michael Engelhard describes the glory and evolutionary marvels of an Arctic spring.
Publications by this author
The Bering Strait Seen Through Its Most Storied City
Corax Books | May | 2025
Balancing myth and history, Nome stands between the past and the future. Using his knowledge of anthropology and love of history, Michael Engelhard explores how this Alaskan city connects two continents. His book weaves together stories from thousands of years—from mammoths to Cold War relics, from spas to orphanages. Through explorers, herders, artists, and adventurers, he reveals how many kinds of people shaped Nome’s identity—and how the place, in turn, shaped those who called it home.
A Thousand-Mile Summer of Trekking the Brooks Range
Mountaineers Book | April | 2024
Arctic Traverse: A Thousand-Mile Summer of Trekking the Brooks Range is a poetic memoir that blends wilderness, culture, and history into one powerful story. Michael Engelhard shares his solo journey across northern Alaska, traveling by foot and river through breathtaking but harsh landscapes. Along the way, he meets Indigenous elders, scientists, and travelers, reflecting on his deep connection to the land. More than just an adventure tale, the book captures Alaska’s wild spirit and the author’s lifelong dream to truly know it.
Essays From the Heart of Alaska
Hancock House Publishers | September | 2024
When the author first moved to Fairbanks over thirty years ago, he was a newcomer to Alaska’s wild and icy world. Over time, through trial and error, he became a true “Sourdough,” though he learned there’s always more to discover in the land of endless daylight and northern lights. Along the way, he faced frostbite, grizzlies, yaks, and heartbreak, rescued animals, explored glaciers and dunes, and found deep connection with the Arctic’s beauty and its roaming caribou.
The Cultural History of an Arctic Icon
University of Washington Press | November | 2016
The polar bear, ruler of the Arctic, has long inspired both fear and admiration. For thousands of years, people have seen it as a spirit, an enemy, a source of food, and a symbol of nature’s power and fragility. Art and stories show how deeply humans and polar bears are connected. Ice Bear explores this shared history—from Inuit traditions to modern celebrity bears like Knut—using detailed research and images to reveal what our stories about the polar bear say about nature and ourselves.
Media by this author
Interview | September | 2025
As part of the 2025 Alaska Book Week, noted reviewer David James interviews Michael Engelhard about his book Arctic Traverse.
