A breathtaking journey down the lifeblood of the American West

From the crystalline headwaters of the Rocky Mountains to its shocking demise in a foamy, polluted pit in the Sonoran Desert, the Colorado River’s story is one of both epic beauty and profound loss.

In this deeply personal and visually stunning narrative, acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Pete McBride sets out to document the lifeblood of the American West. What begins as an assignment close to his childhood home transforms into a twenty-year odyssey that will change him forever. By packraft, on foot, and from the cockpit of his father’s small plane, McBride bears witness to the river’s grandeur—and the staggering scale of its exploitation.

More than a travelogue, Witness to Water is a moving elegy and an urgent plea. It is the story of a river that no longer reaches the sea, and a powerful reminder of the fragile natural systems we too often take for granted. This book is an unforgettable portrait of a river in peril, and a testament to what we stand to lose when we ask too much of the world that sustains us. Yet within its pages also lies a current of hope—not just for the Colorado, but for the countless rivers worldwide upon which our lives depend.

Pete McBride is an award-winning photographer, filmmaker, writer, and speaker known for his powerful storytelling at the intersection of adventure and environmental conservation. Raised in Colorado, McBride has spent over two decades documenting remote corners of the globe, from the peaks of the Himalayas to the depths of the Grand Canyon. A National Geographic Explorer, Adventurer of the Year, and Sony Artisan of Imagery, McBride has worked in more than 75 countries, combining his skills in photojournalism and filmmaking to spotlight pressing environmental issues, particularly those involving water scarcity, wilderness protection, and climate change. His 750-mile trek through the length of the Grand Canyon became the basis for the Emmy-nominated documentary Into the Canyon and his celebrated book The Grand Canyon: Between River and Rim, which won a National Outdoor Book Award. His later books, Seeing Silence and Chasing Water, also won national book awards, and his photography and writing have appeared in National Geographic, Outside, Smithsonian, and the New York Times, among others. He is a frequent speaker at global conferences and conservation events.