Product Description
New Mexico's 555,000-acre Gila Wilderness is a vastuntrammeled patchwork of virtually unlimited forest types, climaticconditions, and wildlife.This rugged landscape boasts sweeping tundra,hot springs, mountain views, and deep gnarled canyons.Within Gila'sboundaries, you can follow trails to views of the breathtaking peaks ofthe Mogollon Range, wonder at ancient cliff dwellings,and wind your wayalong stream-ribboned ponderosa forests.Hiking New Mexico's GilaWidlerness provides you with accurate information for over 80 hikes,complete with helpful elevation profiles, trail finder charts, anddetailed maps.Wildlife viewing tips, historical information, andbackcountry camping pointers are also included to make your hike in theGila Wilderness more enjoyable.This guide will help you plan your tripto this stunning wild area.Its design makes it easy to find a hikethat's right for you.Hiking New Mexico's Gila Wilderness is anindispensable part of your trip to the canyons and trails of the world'sfirst designated Wilderness Area. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great Wilderness but this book is very bad
I have done about six trips to the Gila Wilderness over the last five years, as well as many other backpacking trips.While I generally like Falcon guides, this is one of the worst backpacking books I have used.It duplicates passages by including the same portion of a hike several times in different hikes.The author is more interested in flowery descriptions than in safety and accurate trail descriptions.Hiking in the Southwest, accurate descriptions of water locations are key, but the author is very vague on the location of springs.Very unlike the other Falcon books, such as the one on the Superstitions Wilderness Area. It may be you are stuck buying this book until Falcon finds a better author but beware as not all the trail descriptions are correct, especially Turkeyfeather mountain.

Everything you want in a trail guide
What I like about this series and this particular guide is the wealth of useful information provided. Each hike is described comprehensively and the descriptions are supplemented with maps, elevation profiles, and mileages to key points. Plus all the usual info is provided about water, seasons, maps, etc. This gives all the information required to make informed decisions when planning a trip. A minor but nice point: the maps all are oriented with north up. Too many guidebooks provide maps with multiple orientations which can be confusing for the unwary.

Response to earlier review
I haven't read the book yet. It's being ordered. But I wanted to comment on the review by the person who lives 500 feet from the Gila, but didn't take the time to read the book title. The book is about the WILDERNESS. The Gila Forest is 3 million acres. The WILDERNESS is just over 500,000 acres. I look forward to reading the book soon.

Hiking New Mexico's Gila Wilderness
We used this book while hiking the Gila Wilderness. We are experienced day hikers and have bought many Hiking Books and have taken many hikes.This is by far the worst book from an accuracy perspective.The number one attribute of a hiking book is accuracy.This book is not accurate.From now on I will check where the authors live.The authors were not from NM and have no business writing about the Gila Wilderness.

Nearly Definitive
This is almost a definitive guide to hiking in the Gila Wilderness.I used to hike trails in the Gila Wilderness, and I wish I had had this guidebook. It has all the important information you need, such as which trails are still in use, where the trail might fade away, where the reliable water is, and how long to plan your trip for each trail.

It is chock full of useful information.For each hike, it gives an elevation diagram for the hike; detailed directions to the trail head; the best season to go; a table of how far key points are from the trail head; special hazards and considerations presented by the hike; the highlights of the hike expressed in a sentence; the difficulty of the hike; and the maps you will need. It also covers the facilities at the trail head, and gives options for side hikes. All this in addition to extremely detailed information about the hikes themselves, likely camping areas, reliable sources of water etc. And it does this for every significant trail in the Gila Wilderness!This is a significant improvement over Murray's book which gives sketchy information about fewer trails.

The tables and diagrams in this book are a model of what good guide books should contain.For example, there is a map showing all the USGS quad map locations for the Wilderness, a Map showing all trail head locations schematically, a table that allows you to choose a hike based on what type of hike you want, a detailed table of contents, and a gear checklist.The only thing it doesn't have are GPS coordinates.Of course, it might not be enough to own just this book, if the trail is very lightly used...you should bring USGS topo maps and a compass at the very least.There is a also a Wilderness Map and Visitor Guide for the Wilderness which is worth purchasing.

This book is obviously written after long and hard backpacking through the wilderness.The authors are extremely well-organized and systematic in the things they note, and in their presentation.Even so, after having been in this wilderness, I know there is much that is not in this book that is waiting for the reader to discover.The black and white pictures in the book can only convey a little of the flavor of the beauty that is there. You really have to experience this beauty for yourself.Armed with this book, I think you will be able to have a safer, and more enjoyable time while doing it.

...the Gila Forest (which is 3 million acres), [is] not ...the Gila Wilderness, [which is] a more protected area which is indeed 550,000 acres.A wilderness is a place where cars, and all forms of motorized transport cannot go. In contrast, cars can drive along forest roads.... ... Read more

Product Description
Covering Mammoth, the Redwoods, Lassen, Yosemite, Mendocino, the San Francisco Bay Area, Shasta, and the Central Coast, this is the guide to finding the best easy hikes throughout Northern California. Families, day-trippers, and seasoned trekkers looking for a change of pace will all find the perfect trail among the options selected by veteran hiker Ann Marie Brown. This guidebook provides updated, easy-to-use region and trail maps, descriptive keynotes for every geographical region, approximate hiking times for each trail, and options for increasing the length and difficulty of each hike. Detailed descriptions let you know when a trail encounters wildflowers, waterfalls, scenic overlooks, historic sites, or wildlife. Complete with photos, illustrations, and helpful information, including tips for "Hiking with Kids" and the best seasons for hiking in each area, Foghorn Outdoors Easy Hiking in Northern California has everything you need for great easy hikes in the northern half of the Golden State.Amazon.com Review
Ann Marie Brown describes in loving detail 100 trails thatspan Northern California's beauteous countryside, from the redwoods ofHumboldt County to the wetlands, Tahoe, and Yosemite of CentralValley. The trails are lovely, but Brown makes them accessible as wellwith directions, terrain factors, and the hours your average couchpotato will need to walk it. She details each turn and tree stump ofinterest, where the wild flowers bloom, and the best knoll to climbfor a supreme ocean view. She takes the anxiety out of hiking, sothere's nothing left for you but to pack a water bottle and go. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent guides for "back-friendly" trails - thanks!
We have both guides for finding easy biking and hiking trails, from this same author. My guy has a bad back, so we have to plan ahead to make sure we don't over-stress his back when we're on an outing - and these guidebooks are great - the trails are rated according to distance between trailheads (and from parking to trailhead), trail terrain (e.g. paved vs dirt), and changes in elevation -- all the important factors for us to consider whether a given trail is right for us on any given day. Kudos to the author (our only request is that the author keep going with this great idea and rate similar trails throughout the whole country, and heck, why not the whole planet?). thanks!

Scenic Highlights in Northern California
Have you ever wanted to explore an isolated beach, or walk among towering redwoods, or experience a close encounter with wild tule elk?These things are within the realm of just about any fit person, and with far less effort than one might imagine.Ann Marie Brown's 'Easy Hiking in Northern California' is just that; a guide to fabulous wilderness experiences with minimal effort.

This book has a lot to recommend it.Ms. Brown divides Northern California into 8 separate sections and describes numerous hikes in each area.In addition to local history and natural features, Brown also provides careful directions to each trailhead and a detailed description of the route.Lots of black and white photographs accentuate the text and give the reader an idea of what to expect.An "options" heading describes how readers can further explore the trailhead area.

I just love this approach to hiking.The vast majority of trails in this guide are one to three miles long.If you want more of a workout, you can usually combine two or more of the 111 trips listed in a day. On a recent visit to Point Reyes National Seashore, I planned my day around this book.I have no regrets.My vacation was wonderful and this book will be my first resource on other trips to Northern California.

Very useful with precise directions
I bought this book after our daughter was born, to serve as a guide to the great outdoors. The book delivered on its promise, we went on two or three hikes in Yosemite valley with our 3 year old daughter. The descriptions in the book helped us pick the hikes and the directions to the trailhead were veryhelpful. I have also tried several hikes in the San Franciso bay area and always found the directions to reach the trailhead very helpful.

This is a great, easy book to read!
We love to hike and found this book to be fun and easy to read. The directions to the hikes are very precise and clear. We just bought the book and have already gone on three of the hikes.

Extremely Helpful
Me and my family love to hike and evey weekend we are always trying out new places.When trying out new trails we had no idea what to expect.But now with this book we are able to find great trails with beautifulbackdrops, and have a good idea of whats instore for us.We always have agood idea where we are going for the weekend and we know what to expect.Ihope this book will help you as much as it has helped me and my family. ... Read more

Product Description
From the living sand dunes on the shores of Lake Michigan tothe glacial lakes of the north to the rugged topography of the south,Indiana-famous for basketball and auto racing-has an often-overlookedtrove of natural treasures waiting for the outdoor enthusiast.InHiking Indiana, join award-winning outdoor editor and author Phil Bloomon more than 60 hikes, ranging from easy afternoon jaunts to multi-daybackpack trips.Watch for whitetails or wild turkeys as you climb thesteep hills of the Hoosier National Forest, find serenity deep in thethick pines of the Charles C. Deam Wilderness, or tackle the spinyridges and deep ravines of the Knobstone Trail, a trail whose hikersfondly deem the Little Appalachian.With current, mile-by-mile traildescriptions, engaging black-and-white photographs, detailed maps, awealth of information on ecology, geology, and state history, and usefulhiking tips for the beginner and veteran alike, Hiking Indiana is theonly reference you'll need for discovering the Hoosier State. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Indiana Finally Gets a Great Hiking Guide
As an avid hiker in southwest Ohio, I had searched for years for a decent hiking guide for my neighbors in the Hoosier state.I saw Falcon had one out, so I decided to give it a shot.What I found was a real gem.

There are 65 destinations described in this book with one hike per destination.The destinations range geographically from Indiana Dunes in the north to Hoosier National Forest and the famous Knobstone Trail in the south.Distances range from 1.5 miles to multi-day backpack treks, with the average at around 3 or 4 miles.Thus, there is something in here for every ability and every location.

Each hike contains a summary of the "critical facts" about the trail (length, difficulty, land management, nearby campgrounds, etc.) and a map of the trail that includes only the essential, but still enough, information.Trail descriptions are excellent, as are directions to the trailhead.The only minor drawback to this guide is the lack of a trail summary in the front of the book, a feature I have come to expect in most top-notch guides these days.Thus, you might have to do some page flipping to find a hike of interest to you.There is, however, a table of contents, so the impact of this omission is lessened.

In summary, this book is a great source of information and a real joy to read and use.You will find the best hiking Indiana has to offer described here.Further, this book easily beats any other guide to Indiana hiking on the market.I enthusiastically recommend this guide for purchase.

A Great Resource for Midwestern Hikers
My family enjoys day hiking and recently completed the Knobstone Trail in southeastern Indiana.We purchased this book in order to get ideas for future hiking trips.If you enjoy hiking, you'll find this book an interesting read and a great resource. It begins with a short introductory section containing general information, especially useful for novice hikers or people (like myself) who are relatively new to this part of the country. The remainder of the book consists of sections organized by geographical or geological themes, with each section summarizing from five to ten possible hiking trips.With hikes ranging in distance from less than a half mile to over twenty miles, both novice and experienced hikers should find something to suit their fancy.

The summary of each hike is complete in a broad sense, including driving directions, general information about the location, decent (though not topographic) maps, mileages to key points along the trail, and somewhat detailed hiking descriptions.Having just completed the Knobstone Trail, I would have benefited from having the mileage and hiking descriptions in this book which are not available in this detail in any other source.

The only details that detracted from this book, in my opinion, were two apparent factual errors -- one in a road name, the other in describing a short segment of the route of the Knobstone Trail.I have seen both errors in other sources including some official publications cited by the author.Although some readers may question the lack of topo maps, the author includes details of elevation gain in each description.Furthermore, most hikes which are lengthy or strenuous enough to require such information are likely to be located in state forests or other public lands for which topo maps are frequently available.

Overall, I highly recommend this book especially for people like myself who enjoy rugged day hiking.There are certainly some hikes described which will appeal to campers and through hikers, as well as some moderate to easy hikes for novices.Whether you live in Indiana or a nearby metropolitan area such as Chicago, Louisville, or Cincinnati, you will likely find several hikes within a drive of an hour or two. ... Read more

Product Description
Profiles of 35 great hikes along the Rocky Mountain front from Fort Collins south to Colorado Springs. Experts and novice hikers alike will find overnights and day hikes with spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, wildflowers, and fascinating landscapes.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Few and Far Between
This book is well-written and provides some helpful information, but it seems that the hikes are all relatively minor dayhikes, with only 3 or 4 highlighted near each major population center along the Front Range. I was hoping for a more thorough and complete list of hikes in my area, as well as the same for my neighboring towns. ... Read more

Product Description
Lonely Planet Knows Ireland

Gentle mountains, rugged ridges, wild moorlands, warm hospitality and the infamous Irish weather - taking to the trail in Ireland is never dull. With routes across the most spectacular landscapes of the Republic and Northern Ireland and highlights of the Waymarked Ways, this guide has hikes for every ability level. Our resident Irish authors share the best of their walking experience, including the rolling Wicklow Mountains, the spiky summits of Connemara, the sandy beaches of the Dingle Peninsula and the dramatic coastal cliffs of the northwest

In This Guide:

Everything you need to know to get prepared
Listings for sleeping, eating and facilities along the way
Advice on equipment, health and safety
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Adequate, but far from an ideal hiking guide
Being a little obsessive about preparing for some hiking trips, I bought this book although I also own Ann Marie Brown's "Day Hiking California's National Parks" and Bert Gildart's "DVNP:A Guide to Exploring the Great Outdoors."The one advantage this book has over the other two is that it describes 36 hikes, as opposed to 21 in Brown's book and about 10 in Gildart's book, which mixes in hikes with drives.What I found sorely lacking in this book, as opposed to Brown's book (and other hiking books I own), is the lack of some basic information that I think most people want to know when trying to select which hikes they want to partake in during their trip.For example, Brown always starts off by listing the starting elevation and the total elevation change during the hike.I would think that's something most people would want to know beforehand.The crude elevation charts and maps in this book only show marks at 1000 foot (or even greater in some cases) intervals.Also, other than a very brief list of the authors' favorite hikes on page 130, there is little to help a potential visitor select one hike from another.Unlike Brown's book there is no rating of the quality of the hike, nor of the crowd level.
Therefore, this book might be helpful for someone who lives in the area, and plans to do lots of hiking in this park--probably over a period of months or years.This book does, after all, include a larger number of hikes.For someone with just a few days who plans on doing just a few hikes, however, this book would be less helpful.I hope that in subsequent editions, the authors will see fit to add ratings scales and trail elevation data--something which should be relatively easy to obtain in these days of light portable trail GPS's.
Finally, although the title states "36 Day and Overnight hikes," I'm not sure which hike(s) the authors feel are overnight hikes.According to the authors' own estimates, the longest hike they discuss, time-wise, takes 7-10 hours (Telescope Peak).Camping isn't really discussed for any of these hikes, other than a mention of a "somewhat protected tent site 2.6 miles in" from the Telescope Peak trailhead, and a 2 sentence description of campgrounds on page 18.

A Fine Chapter of a Larger Book
Death Valley is the second most visited national park in California after Yosemite.I am absolutely amazed by this figure every time I visit Point Reyes National Seashore, Sequoia, and the rest of California's spectacular parks.Nonetheless, there is stark beauty to be found in the desert, and Death Valley has more of it, and the history to match, than just about any other place.Indeed, Death Valley is often a top vacation destination for many European tourists who have never experienced a true desert.

If you want to experience Death Valley, currently the largest national park outside of Alaska, driving tours are an important start.There is a lot you can see from your car.But if you really want to experience the park, hiking is your best bet.From short walks along Salt Creek and the historic Harmony Borax Mining Flats, to longer excursions up desert canyons, Death Valley has a lot to offer.This book by Bill and Polly Cunningham details 36 trail routes all with detailed descriptions and decent hypsometric relief maps to guide you on your way.They include some of the classic hikes in the park and a few challenging cross country routes.

If you are planning to visit Death Valley, this is a nice little book.But to really get a feel for the southwestern deserts of California, you would be well advised to get the authors' Hiking California's Desert Parks.This book is simply a reprint of the chapter on Death Valley found in the latter.So, if you are just planning a visit to Death Valley, by all means get this guide.But if there is even the slightest chance the experience will turn you into a desert rat, then be sure to get their more comprehensive volume. ... Read more

Product Description
The 25th anniversary edition of Hiking Montana offers 100 of the best hikes in Big Sky Country, from pleasant family outings to backcountry adventures. This is the classic guide to Montana hiking, now completely field-checked and updated.
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Customer Reviews (4)

Hiking MT
Very informative book. There are several hikes in it I have already hiked and I have found some I would like to hike.

Contains negligent misleading information
I bought an earlier edition of this book, along with Hiking Wyoming by the same publisher.
I didn't get to either of those states yet to try out any of the hikes but I did notice that both books contain the identical information about bears -
they don't distinguish between black and grizzly bears and the advice they give is TOTALLY WRONG for black bears and likely to get someone killed!
They clearly didn't do their research properly (if at all) in this case - I hope the rest of the book is better quality!

Decent, but incomplete
The book's information and descriptions for the trails it has are decent, but it's missing quite a few of them I personally know in the Missoula area.Some of the lesser known trails' omission is forgivable, but not listing Blue Mountain?I mean, come on.That would be like listing attractions in San Diego, and not mentioning the zoo.

If you're hoping for an end-all reference encylopedia of Montana trails like I was, this ain't it.But, if you're happy with a rather spotty listing of trails mostly focused around waterways, this is your book.

A hike planners dream.
I plan the hikes for my Boy Scout Troop and we do a 50 miler each summer.This book is up to date and accurate.We can find the best places with RELIABLE information! Even the forest service can't give us as muchinformation as this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is your complete guide to 107 of the best day hiking trails in Wisconsin. No matter what part of the state you want to explore or how easy or hard a trek you want, this handy book will lead you to the right trail.

Full of interesting and scenic destinations in the northern, central, and southern sections of the state, Hiking Wisconsin offers you a guided tour of 55 featured areas. The book even provides urban hiking areas, in case you want to enjoy Wisconsin’s diverse cities.

Hiking Wisconsin includes the following special features:

• Detailed descriptions of 107 trails, including the length of trail, estimated time to hike it, and a difficulty rating

• 148 easy-to-read park and trail maps

• A map of each featured trail, with points of interest and trail distances

• Practical information on how to get to parks, the park hours, available facilities, permits and rules, and a contact address and phone number

• A convenient trail-finder grid, which provides a summary of each trail’s features and location in the book • A section on nearby points of interest, with contact phone numbers

Hiking Wisconsin brings to life the history, terrain, flora, and fauna of each area. And its descriptions of nearby recreational and sightseeing destinations ensure that you won't miss anything on your trip.

Hiking Wisconsin is part of America’s Best Day Hiking Series from Human Kinetics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The Most Complete Guide to Wisconsin Hiking
Hiking Wisconsin was my first encounter with the "America's Best Day Hiking" series.After this experience, I hope I have more encounters with this series in the future.

This book possesses all of the attributes of a well-written guide.There are 55 hiking destinations described here, and a couple of trails are described at each destination.The destinations are scattered throughout the state, but there is a noticably higher concentration in the south than in the north.Also, the last 9 hikes are grouped in a category entitled "urban," which for this author means Milwaukee and Green Bay.

Each hike features a map (they appear to be computer-generated), difficulty ratings from 1 boot (easiest) to 4 boots (most difficult), directions to the trailhead, and an excellent, detailed description of the trail.There is also a summary table in the front of the book, so choosing a trail to hike is very easy.

Trail lengths range from 0.7 miles to 14.5 miles with the average at only 2 or 3 miles.This is, in my opinion, the greatest drawback of this book. Too many of the hikes described here are short nature hikes.For experienced hikers (such as myself), 2 miles counts as a warm-up; we expect more out of a hike.I know that longer options are availible at many of these locations.Thus, the author frequently makes the unusual choice of describing two short trails over a longer, meatier, more interesting one.This is the only reason I cannot give the book 5 stars.

The book itself is unusual because it measures 8.5x11 inches, quite large by hiking book standards.To compensate, the publisher has made the pages perforated so you can tear them out as opposed to take the entire book with you on a hike.I don't view this as a good alternative.If your desk looks like mine, the pages are better off in the book so that they don't get lost.This is not a major problem, but the design is unusual, and I thought it should be noted.

In conclusion, despite the drawbacks mentioned above, this is still the best, most complete guide to Wisconsin hiking on the market.As such, I would recommend it for purchase to anyone interested in learning more about Wisconsin hiking.

Best Wisc trails listed in this book
I purchased 11 books on hiking, camping, and touring in Wisc. Of these books that I purchased, this book is the best for hiking (4 of the 11 books were on hiking.)

It is especially good if you:

- don't know Wisc too well (I grew up in Wisc, so am very familiar with Wisc, but I never paid attention to the names of the incredibly wonderful places my folks took us to when I was a kid, which was a big mistake.)

- want to go on the best hikes

This book has the best hikes (when compared to the other hiking books I bought.)

It's a great book for the first-time hiker or for a hiker that doesn't know the hikes in Wisc. I wish I had bought this book ten years ago when I first wanted to hike with friends in Wisc. Ten years ago, I purchased "Guide to Wisconsin Outdoors" and "Wisconsin Handbook", which weren't right for me at the time (even though both are excellent books) because they weren't for hikers, but more for folks that wanted to drive through an area and know what the cities have to offer in way of entertainment and amentities. Those two books, while absolutely perfect for folks who prefer to either drive through, do indoor activitity, and learn about an area's local amenities (which can be important information), they set me back several years on my goal to get up to speed on hiking in Wisc. I needed a hiking book.

So, I finally found this book. I bought other books on hiking (4 of them), but I liked this the best. Now that I know more about the areas I went to as a kid, I now know that this book lists the best areas for hiking. All of the best hiking areas we went to as kids are in this book (except one, which is a not so well-known area that our family would go to - but none of the other hiking books I bought listed it either.)

I want to mention the cons of the book, so you know what's missing and so you know what you may need to find elsewhere. When you travel to a faraway location, it's a good idea to know the local amenities of the area (restaurants, etc.). This book doesn't have that information. However, I would definitely not buy a book that tries to cover both hiking and amenities in one book because that's what I did ten years ago and that method failed me because I ended up not getting the hiking information I needed (other info got crowded out by the info on amenities) so I ended up not hiking in Wisc for several years as a result because I was stalled on it - I didn't have the info I needed and I didn't know how to get the information from faraway. I was in Washington at the time (majestic views but not as peacefully pastorial as beautiful Wisc), and back then, you couldn't find the books you needed online like you can now.

So, I suggest buying Hiking Wisconsin and finding the hiking locations through it, and then figure out amenities through other sources (the other two books that I mentioned do a good job on amenities, though I wouldn't recommend them for hiking.) Also, triple AAA covers amenities for free (but a bit too briefly when compared to the two books I mentioned.)

If you are an experienced hiker that has already gone on more than 75 different hikes in Wisc, most likely this book will be a repeat for you since it covers the top 100 hikes.

I liked this book because it has the best hikes. It was important to me to find the beautiful locations my parents took us to when we were kids (my Dad knew some really good areas.) Those were great places and created great memories for me. So, I just didn't want to go to any place that simply had a so-so hike - I wanted it to be special and see something that moved me as much as the hikes moved me when I was a kid.

So, if your goal is to find the best areas to hike, I'd buy this book.

Good but incomplete
This book was originally recommended to me by some hikers at an EMS.I've now been to a couple of places discussed in the book, and I've found that it gives a good sense of what's going on at the places described in the sense of what sorts of terrain, etc that you might encounter.

But it seems to only mention a SMALL subset of the possible hikes in an area.For example at the Kettle Moraine park (Southern Unit) it failed to mention that most of the trails have longer and more difficult variations.And it didn't mention going up to the top of a hill, where you can see the entire park.

Still, this is the best reference on hiking in Wisconsin in this format.

Great Guide
I am happy to own this guide. I particularly like to be able to review thedifferent places where I can go hiking before I go, so I know I am making awise choice. It has information for biking, boating, etc. It does not haveinformation for cross-country skiing, however.

One thing I really likeis that it tells you about different stops along the trails, so you can usethis to make sure you have not deviated from the trail. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Best Hiking Guide
I just spent 2 weeks hiking in Wyoming making extensive use of this guide. It is enchanting and accurate, a combination rarely found in hiking guides. Of the many guides I have used over the years, covering the Unites States and Europe, this one ranks among the very best. The author obviously knows the hikes he recommends, he describes very clearly how to find the railheads,and provides all the necessary information to an extraordinary experience in Wyoming. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

If you like getting lost...
I hike a lot. That is probably an understatement.

I bought this book and shortly thereafter decided to try one of the hikes in the village of Millbrook, NJ. What was supposed to be a 6.5 mile hike turned into a 12 mile hike due to the vague and often misleading directions from this book at almost at every turn. To make a long story short, I kept having to doubleback not sure if I was on the right trail. It is obvious to me that no one actually hiked these trails or there would be more specific instructions. For example, "Make a right" instead of"find the end of the guardrail." Which guardrail? There are 2 of them! Or my favorite, "After the crest and slight decent, pass between a barely discernable stone fence and immediately turn right on to the trail, leading off the woods road," which sounds easy enough except that there are stone fences literally everywhere and the directions would be MUCH easier if it said "make a right where the sign says, Pioneer Trail."

Anyway, if you wonder what it would be liketo get hopelessly lost in the woods then this is the book for you!

Two adventures: great New Jersey hikes and exploring ebook guides
This fine collection of hikes in New Jersey covers a fair sampling of outdoor treasures from all over the state. I purchased both the hard copy and the Kindle versions, and this Review discusses first the book and then using the guide in the Kindle version.

The hard copy version is a classic hiking guide, produced on good paper with colored covers and well bound. The extract provided on the "Look Inside" feature here on Amazon is a fair representation of the description of each hike: details of length and difficulty, directions to trail head, other users, dogs allowed, a simple map, and historical or environmental items of interest. There is a very useful discussion of hiking in the state generally, a suggestion to purchase more detailed maps, especially from the New York New Jersey Trail Conference (see first Comment), checklists of items to carry, a short but good bibliography, and a list of additional sources of information, primarily online.

The only criticism that occurs to me is that there is no GPS data for any of the hikes, but that data is not essential to the occasional hiker. On balance, this is a five star hiking and walking guide for New Jersey.

As an experiment, I purchased both the hard copy and downloaded the Kindle version, in the latter case to a Kindle 2, the Kindle PC and the Kindle iPhone app. I was particularly interested in how the Kindle version would work in practice. (I confess I've loved using paper guide books for over 40 years, and this version is perfectly acceptable for trail purposes; about a pound in weight, easy to carry and use even in wet weather (encased in a Ziplock bag), wide margins for writing, easily Xeroxable for even less weight, in short the classic hiker's approach.)

The Kindle version of the text is generally identical to the hard copy except that formatting is simplified in the Kindle version - double columns and inserts in the hard copy are converted to a single column text in the Kindle version. One troubling difference: a number of capital letters appear in lower case in the Kindle version, suggesting that there may be other typographical errors. My sampling proof reading didn't turn up any, but my sample was only 5% of the trail descriptions.

I used the guidebook on two hikes carrying my Kindle, and things went pretty well -- the text was perfectly visible but it is not possible to blow up the maps or the charts in the same way you can the text, the Kindle is a quarter the weight of the book, but costs 15 times as much and is pretty fragile. Ziplock pages protected it perfectly without affecting visibility or using the toggle or the keys -- however, protecting it from dings and dongs in the field is problematic -- my heavy duty carrying case brought the weight up to about the same weight as the book.

I considered taking the Kindle version on a third hike loaded onto a small HP computer, about 20 the cost of the book, and easily three times the weight including protective covering. The Kindle software is free and although there is less functionality on the PC than on the Kindle, the speed, the color pictures, back lighting and clearer text make this a real option to carrying the Kindle -- but ...

The Kindle app on the iPhone was an absolute triumph. The colored pictures appeared in full color; the text was crisp and easily readable, the ebook is stored on the iPhone so that it could be read even when there was no service (because of looming rock walls or high power lines), the maps were easily scalable using the pinch and pull features, making it easy to figure out small details of complex trail connections, and there is no additional weight - as a lone hiker by preference, I always carry a cell phone for security.

In addition, there are an enormous number of other apps for the iPhone that enhance the hiking experience: a compass, a fairly good GPS co-ordinator, a follow the crumbs back track, a flashlight, a notebook, Google Books and more to the point Google maps, and I'm sure many additional apps that I'll discover over time.

One small nuisance: I always carry a Xerox copy of my trail descriptions in addition to any maps and guide books. I've discovered a fairly cumbersome way of getting that bit of redundant security: make a screen shot of the page from the PC version of the guidebook, store that on my computer, then print the image. A better techie can undoubtedly describe how to do that step by step, and my son has offered to do so for me as a Christmas present. (I'll post the steps in a Comment in due course.)

In any event, much as I love hard copy guide books, my iPhone version is a real contender. I'll carry hard copy and iPhone versions for a few more hikes but my guess is that I'm already a convert to ebook hiking guide books. At least on the iPhone.

Robert C. Ross 2009

Addendum: After almost two months and four more hikes, I'm a convert to the iPhone version of hiking guide books, if they are available in that format. One pleasant discovery: it's great fun to read about new hikes (or treasure old) ones in the odd moments -- waiting in line, on the train, where ever I may be -- the cell phone is always with me -- and so are the hikes.

Robert C. Ross2010 ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

A Good Guide That Makes for Great Reading
In a rural state such as Vermont, although plenty of opportunities for hiking exist, finding them can be difficult since they are off the beaten path.This guide will help you find those hidden (and some not-so-hidden) hiking gems that are scattered throughout the Green Mountain state.

This guide describes 61 hikes scattered fairly evenly across Vermont.Hikes range in length from 0.5 miles to 15 miles with the average at around 4-6 miles.Each hike comes with some basic facts about the trail, a rather detailed set of directions to the trailhead, a map, a detailed trail description, and usually a photo.The maps are typical Falcon maps: they show the trail, a couple of main features, and not much else.I have to say I don't understand why Falcon doesn't upgrade their maps to the USGS topo variety that are found in the 50-hikes series and most other top hiking guides these days.Still, I have lots of Falcon hiking guides on my shelf, so I guess my wallet speaks louder than this review.

Perhaps the most outstanding quality of this guide is the author's wide and varied vocabulary.In fact, this guide has a literary quality not found in most hiking guides.Occassionally this gets in the way of clarity.For example, the author describes the trail to Camel's Hump as a "bony" trail.Does he mean rocky? narrow?These cases are the exception, and usually the author's vocabulary simply makes the reading experience more enjoyable.

I have heard some other people complain about the lack of Long Trail information in this book.On this point I must respectfully disagree.True, if you are looking to hike the Long Trail from start to finish, you will need better information than what is provided here.Still, 16 of the hikes in this book describe dayhikes along the Long Trail, and this is a book on hiking, not backpacking.Most dayhikers will find plenty on the Long Trail here to keep them busy for a long time.

In summary, this may not be the best guide to Vermont hiking on the market, but this book merits serious consideration.I withheld one star, mainly for the maps and slightly for the potentially vague descriptions.As I said though, this book has a literary quality not found in most hiking guides.So if you enjoy reading hiking guides or you are interested in Vermont hiking, this book should find its way onto your shelf.

Excellent guide for discovering Vermont
This is an excellent addition to the Falcon Guide hiking series, and the author adds a touch of humor and class to each route description. The driving directions to each trailhead are detailed and accurate. the route descriptions are similarly packed with information that any hiker can use. If there was a chance of seeing wildlife, Pletcher duly notes it and informs you when the best times are for seeing bears or moose. If you're backpacking, he tells you where to find water and where reliable springs are located.

I was a little disappointed that he didn't concentrate more on the 260 mile Long Trail which traverses the length of Vermont. I was looking for information of their shelters and side routes into towns along the way. But for day hikers, this is a good, reliable and handy guide. Recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
South Carolina offers a variety of easily accessible hikes for beginners and experts alike. This thorough guide features 60 of the state's best hikes, including day hikes and multi-day excursions. Hikers can explore the state's natural wonders along the Foothills Trail in the eastern mountains, the Long Cane Trail in the Savannah River Valley, or the Swamp Fox Trail near Charleston, among other places. Includes special mention of organized outings with experienced leaders on many of the state's trails. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Hiking South Carolina
I cannot review this product (book) because one month later, I STILL HAVE NOT received it. This was my first attempt at buying something through Amazon, and quite frankly will probably be my last.My son attempted to buy a book for college a while back, paid the purchase price and also NEVER received the item.

My recommendation would be go to your public library or local bookstore.

P.S. I was in S.C. for three wks. and back home now.

A Solid, Comprehensive Guide to South Carolina Hiking
Solid in every respect, this guide described 62 hiking destinations throughout the state of South Carolina.Each hike contains detailed directions to the trailhead, a fairly detailed description of the trail, and a map with more details than you would expect from a Falcon guide.Almost half of these hikes are in the mountains, with the remainder split evenly between the midlands and the coastal plains.

Probably the greatest strength of this guide is the diversity of its hikes.Distances range from multi-day backpack treks along the Foothills Trail in upstate South Carolina to a short 1 mile walk through the swamps along the Edisto River.Nearly every type of destination is covered including waterfalls, wetlands, bird sanctuaries, rivers, overlooks, and just nice, plain forest hikes.If 62 hikes are not enough, this book also features an appendix listing every trail catalogued by the South Carolina State Trail Coordinator.Thus, no matter where you are in the state or what kind of hike you prefer, you will find something (and probably lots of things) of interest in this guide.

It's hard to find a weakness with this guide.The closest thing I could find would be the fact that the author uses SR to mean Secondary Route instead of the standard State Route; he uses SC for South Carolina State Route.In addition to just being awkward, the author on at least one occasion (Turkey Creek Trail) forgets this designation himself.So make sure you have a good map like a DeLorme Atlas and Gazeteer before you start out toward one of these trailheads.

In summary, this guide has no major flaws, and it is the best guide to South Carolina hiking that I am aware of on the market.So if you are interested in hiking the Palmetto State, this guide should find its way into your library.

A Good Book on an Ok Place
It is so good to have a guidebook that contains more than just hikes under five or six miles.The maps are very helpful and the trail details are well written.I look forward to making liberal use of this book when gas prices go down.

What I've Been Looking For
This guidebook has long been sorely needed. Great maps, great directions, full information.I have used it for several hikes and found it to be on the money. This is in contrast to the hiking guide I previously used, whichwas confusing and lacked adequate maps.

I have especially enjoyedlearning about great hiking opportunities in the South Carolina LowCountry, in addition to the tried and true mountain trails.

A new way of seeing South Carolina
I've never though of South Carolina as being much of a state for hiking, but this book has changed my mind.South Carolina is full of trails!Several dozen of the best trails are described in detail.Flora, fauna,interesting features, the usual outdoor stuff, but eloquently depicted. Could use more photos, but you'll probably be taking plenty of your own atsome of the gorgeous places listed here.As it is, the book small enoughto fit easily into a rucksack. There are good, accurate maps.If a trailis especially difficult there is a graph to help you gauge your efforts -you can see how much is uphill, how much downhill, how much is level, etc.Helps a lot with the pacing. The back of the book has a list of ALL thetrails in the state.There is a telephone number listed for each one soyou can call for more information. Also has basic how-to information forbeginning hikers.If you want to get out and see more of South Carolina,this is the way to do it!Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Providing painstakingly detailed information for safely and securely navigating some of Latin America's most rewarding excursions, this guide is for both avid climbers attempting Chimborazo's 20,700-foot summit or recreational trekkers looking to get off the beaten path. From the heights of the Andes and the cloud forests to the Amazon, coastal rainforests, and the low-lying beaches, time-tested travel advice and updated route descriptions are offered on how to select the best outing to suit each individual's interests, abilities, and time constraints. Step-by-step instructions on how, when, and where to approach each trail guide climbers, hikers, bikers, and trekkers through these often unmarked paths. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Must-have Guide for Climbers and Hikers in Ecuador
Writing guidebooks for Ecuador, as with much of Latin America, is like aiming at a moving target -- prices rise, governments fall, businesses close. But if that's tricky, try navigating the region's equally fickle landscape, which is always undergoing some grand transformation.

Despite erupting volcanoes, avalanches, and unpredictable weather, the Ecuador Hiking and Climbing Guide (V!VA Travel Guides, 2009) has kept leisurely day-hikers and hard-core climbers pointed in the right direction for more than two decades. Now in an updated and expanded sixth edition with a new publisher, Rob Rachowiecki and Mark Thurber's guide retools dozens of trips, from coastal day-hikes to high-páramo treks to multi-day jungle jaunts.

Also an essential outfitter's resource, the guide includes where to buy food and hardware, rent a full rack of climbing gear and hire guides and porters. New quick-reference hiking and climbing "matrices" list the particulars of every trip, including distances, altitude, weather and the exact topo map to buy at the Military Geographical Institute (a visit to this buttoned-up institution is all part of the fun).

The hikes are the guide's biggest strength. The authors interpret plenty of easy and moderate tramps that are perfect for newbies, even at 10,000 feet above sea level, and for long-haul trekkers there are detailed backcountry routes through the Avenue of the Volcanoes, including such classics as the Trek of the Condor and the northernmost end of the Inca Trail. If birds, rural life, or hot springs are your thing, the matrices will help you pick out the best trail, and the hiking maps have been entirely revamped and now show GPS coordinates.

Mountaineers can select from more than a dozen milder ascents to prepare for tough technical peaks or big summits over 18,000 feet. The authors threw out the last edition's tired black-and-white mountain graphics and opted for super-imposing the climbing routes over high-quality photographs. This fresh scheme gives sharper, more accurate perspectives of the climbs, ones that should dull less quickly against the surprisingly swift pace of change in Andean terrain. The climbing instructions, however, ultimately work best as intelligent planning advice and pre-ascent psych-outs rather than as substitutes for certified guides (unless your crampons are truly well worn).

For the armchair climber who opts to hang by the fire while his buddies set out on a moonlight climb, there's also good reading about Edward Whymper's record-breaking summits during the 1880s, long before Gore-tex and climbing guides hit the market.

My review of the new Ecuador Hiking and Climbing Guide, by Mark Thurber and Rob Rachowiecki (V!VA Travel Guides), appeared in the April 2009 edition of South American Explorers Magazine and at my blog, Coolcoper, at [...]. I am a co-author of Lonely Planet's Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, Peru and South American on a Shoestring.

A must-have guide for climbers and hikers in Ecuador
Writing guidebooks for Ecuador, as with much of Latin America, is like aiming at a moving target -- prices rise, governments fall, businesses close. But if that's tricky, try navigating the region's equally fickle landscape, which is always undergoing some grand transformation.

Despite erupting volcanoes, avalanches, and unpredictable weather, the Ecuador Hiking and Climbing Guide (V!VA Travel Guides, 2009) has kept leisurely day-hikers and hard-core climbers pointed in the right direction for more than two decades. Now in an updated and expanded sixth edition with a new publisher, Rob Rachowiecki and Mark Thurber's guide retools dozens of trips, from coastal day-hikes to high-páramo treks to multi-day jungle jaunts.

Also an essential outfitter's resource, the guide includes where to buy food and hardware, rent a full rack of climbing gear and hire guides and porters. New quick-reference hiking and climbing "matrices" list the particulars of every trip, including distances, altitude, weather and the exact topo map to buy at the Military Geographical Institute (a visit to this buttoned-up institution is all part of the fun).

The hikes are the guide's biggest strength. The authors interpret plenty of easy and moderate tramps that are perfect for newbies, even at 10,000 feet above sea level, and for long-haul trekkers there are detailed backcountry routes through the Avenue of the Volcanoes, including such classics as the Trek of the Condor and the northernmost end of the Inca Trail. If birds, rural life, or hot springs are your thing, the matrices will help you pick out the best trail, and the hiking maps have been entirely revamped and now show GPS coordinates.

Mountaineers can select from more than a dozen milder ascents to prepare for tough technical peaks or big summits over 18,000 feet. The authors threw out the last edition's tired black-and-white mountain graphics and opted for super-imposing the climbing routes over high-quality photographs. This fresh scheme gives sharper, more accurate perspectives of the climbs, ones that should dull less quickly against the surprisingly swift pace of change in Andean terrain. The climbing instructions, however, ultimately work best as intelligent planning advice and pre-ascent psych-outs rather than as substitutes for certified guides (unless your crampons are truly well worn).

For the armchair climber who opts to hang by the fire while his buddies set out on a moonlight climb, there's also good reading about Edward Whymper's record-breaking summits during the 1880s, long before Gore-tex and climbing guides hit the market.

My review of the new Ecuador Hiking and Climbing Guide, by Mark Thurber and Rob Rachowiecki (V!VA Travel Guides), appeared in the April 2009 edition of South American Explorers Magazine and at my blog, Coolcoper, at [...]. I am a co-author of Lonely Planet's Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, Peru and South American on a Shoestring.

An Excellent Guide!
This book is easily the best mountain guidebook I've seen for Ecuador.It is exceptionally well presented, with clear writing, excellent maps and photos, and a straightforward yet comprehensive presentation of the many climbing options here.The book covers the whole range of mountains, from easy day trips to the most challenging peaks.The excellent route maps will definitely get you excited about heading up one of the volcanoes.I'd say this is a must-have for anyone who is planning to spend time in Ecuador's beautiful mountains.

Fantastic Update
While I enjoyed the last edition of this book, the latest published by V!VA Travel Guides is fantastic.The maps in general are clearer now and the color route maps in the center of the book make routefinding on some of the more popular peaks easier.
The introduction and general information sections have been updated to get you started on your trip to Ecuador while the individual hike facts provide information on the difficulty of the hike or climb, access, equipment recommendations and hiking directions.
The book is organized by geographic areas and now includes very useful hiking and climbing matrices that will help trip planning.They include: trail name, distance, time required, difficulty, altitude, best time of year for the route, map reference, special interest (why you may like the climb/hike) and a page reference.
Access information is oriented on public transportation (mainly buses) so if you plan to rent a car, a road map would be a useful supplement.

New and Improved:Ecuador Climbing and Hiking Guide
Detailed and accurate, thorough and comprehensive, the new Ecuador Climbing and Hiking Guide is an invaluable resource to anyone planning on climbing or trekking in Ecuador.This is the only available guidebook to Ecuador that covers climbing and hiking throughout the entire country:from the western coast to the eastern jungle, including short walks in urban parks to extreme technical ascents of high-altitude volcanoes.The maps and charts are easy to follow and the brief introduction and highlighted area facts are helpful for those with short attention spans (like me) in determining whether or not to visit the area in question.The information on lodging and gear shops is up-to-date and useful.There are stacks of helpful information for birders and naturalists.For climbers, climbing routes are indicated by red lines on current color photos.No more struggling to decipher routes on hand-drawn topos!The authors, Thurber and Rachowiecki, and the folks at Viva did a good job with this book and it should be the go to resource for years to come. ... Read more

Product Description
Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (36)

unorganized descriptions
Poor guide to RMNP.First book by the author and it shows. One of the worst guides I've bought in 15 years of hiking and climbing.

The Reference Standard for RMNP
I won't repeat the review By 'MoonHermit' but I had to add my own praise. I bought 5 books before traveling to RMNP for a 4 day adventure. I wanted a book that had details on every location in the park and was well organized enough to get me to that information. Well, this thing is the Encyclopedia! That's not to say it is dry. The descriptions felt like being told about an experience by a friend. Very well composed but personal. The comprehensive index and stats chart for all hikes always got me to the information I needed.

Another area this book is unequaled is in the photographs. I was researching to narrow 500 hikes down to 5 or 10. Other books lacked the pictures to help you get a sense of whether a given summit/lake would make the cut. While a picture never tells the whole story, you need something to help make the impossible choices since most people do not have a full year to experience the park.

This book's greatest strength is probably also it greatest weakness. Its rather large and heavy to take out on the trail. The fact that I took it along on most trips is a high complement to this fine publication! When traveling light, I took my favorite "quick" reference -Day and Overnight Hikes: Rocky Mountain National Park by Kim Lipker.

Thanks Lisa Foster for having the perseverance to complete this indispensable guild. It's as if all the other guide books said "Well, I can't cover it all." I'd have to say this one does.

of no help
This is the author's first book and it shows. I do not recommend the book if you want any help in choosing and finding the location of a hike in RMNP. The best hiking guides always clearly state the location, GPS points, and miles of each hike. In this book, the location, GPS points, and miles of each hike are either completely missing or are buried in unorganized descriptions.

Simply the Best of its Kind
This book is simply the best book to buy if you're looking for a guide to Rocky Mountain National Park. It is so comprehensive that every landmark and trail of the park is covered, with beautiful first-hand descriptions of the places themselves. Topographical maps, stunning photos, and hiking difficulties are also included in the book. If you're looking for a book to educate yourself about RMNP's landmarks and how to get to them, this book is definitely the right choice.

Great book
This tells you everything you could ever want to know.Can't imagine a more complete hiking guide. ... Read more

Product Description
The Allegheny National Forest in north-western Pennsylvania covers 500,000 acres and is nationally known for it's many established hiking trails. This guide covers 50 day-hikes and 5 backpacking trails in and around the region. Information for each hike includes what to pack, time to allow, detailed directions to trailheads, maps of each trail, and major vistas and points of interest along the way. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

It's Easy to Love
As a native of the Allegheny National Forest region and a lifelong lover of the area's recreational opportunities, I'm stoked that someone has finally created an authoritative and informative guide to hiking throughout this incredible outdoor resource. Pennsylvania hiking expert Jeff Mitchell is just the man to do it. "Industrialized" Pennsylvania offers a multitude of outdoor recreation and natural beauty that is often a surprise to non-residents, and even to the natives. The northwestern portion of the state is fortunate to contain one of the few National Forests east of the Mississippi, and Mitchell proves that the area features fun for all ages and levels of ability. In addition to Mitchell's gift for natural detail, and the book's usable maps, Mitchell has included many hiking opportunities that are perfect for beginners, or those looking for an easy and peaceful ramble in the woods. There are also many hikes that incorporate the unique natural features or important ecosystems present in the Allegheny National Forest, while a few more challenging backpacking trips make the book a resource for the serious hiker as well. So obtain this book, then explore and enjoy this very valuable and enjoyable national forest. [~doomsdayer520~]

A Wilderness Road Map
a wilderness roadmap
book review by Chris Lareau

For the million hikers who come to our woods every year, choosing a trail might be a burdensome process, even if you grew up here like I did. Instead of wandering around in the forest, readers of Jeff Mitchell's new book can easily pick and choose at their leisure, ahead of time.
Camera buffs can find out which trails have the best views. Biologists can ponder over the four trails with the most wildlife. Like waterfalls? If you have read Hiking the Allegheny National Forest, Exploring the Wilderness of Northwestern Pennsylvania, you'd know there are five different spots that have waterfalls or cascades. (And I thought we only had a single waterfall! I'm such a dope.)
Mitchell, an attorney from Tankhannock, breaks down 201 miles of hiking trails for those of all interests: for people who want to see old-growth forests (we have some of the oldest in the East), for parents with kids, even for hikers interested in caves, rock outcrops, and large boulders or rock cities. Mitchell even gives his opinion on which places have the most to see.
In spite of its title, Hiking the ANF also includes important descriptions of trails in contiguous state parks (including Cook Forest, the Akeley Swamp, and Chapman State Park. For the first time, someone has finally put all this in one book. The state parks are a tremendous asset and so far they have been grossly overlooked. (A longer version of this review appears at [...]) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A must buy book for hikers in SL area.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone who hikes the Wasatch mountains around the Salt Lake area. Whether a person prefers easy hikes or difficult/advanced hikes, this book has it all. I could easily turn this into a 2 page review highlighting the good content in this book, just buy it!

Ryan.

Hard to use
I bought this book because people rave about it like it's the be all and end all in hiking guides for Salt Lake's canyons.I do think it has a lot of very helpful and detailed information but I find it terribly difficult to use.There is no standard format for trail descriptions.Some of them indicate level of difficulty but most do not.Some of them include directions to the trail head but others do not.What the heck!How is that helpful???Thanks for all the detailed information on the hikes but I don't really care a whole lot about it when I can't even get to the dang trailhead!I have found myself using the book to find a hike and then using the internet to figure out how to get to it.I'm returning this book.

A good hiking bible
Found places I have never heard of to hike. Great information and for those who like to hike, its a great reference point.

Wasatch Hikers Best Guide
Hiking times are real, not just best guesses. When planning those half-day hikes, timing is everything! Lots of info on plants, animals, sites, best routes, alt routes, common sense advice, etc. Good book, buy it.

Great resource for Salt Lake City outdoors
This is by far the most detailed hiking guide to the Wasatch I have come across. It covers a good range of difficulties, from easy hikes to mountaineering scrambles. Has much more detail than books that cover the entire state of Utah. I recently moved to SLC and have been using this book consistently. I find that hike descriptions given in the book match reality in almost all cases for me which is not the case with some other similar books (especially hiking times). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Not the best guidebookfor the area.
This seemed to be a decent guide...and then afterusing it, it was found to be lacking. The routes are sometimes awkward, and missed better routes that are easier to trek, and thus safer. Some of the trails are either poorly noted, or have changed since publicaton in 2001.

This is a guide that can be greatly improved upon.

There are locals in the area who can give far more accurate directions, and better yet, guide you to the places safely, if you are notexperienced at hiking this terrain. Thisoptionis highly recommneded to photographers or those hiking with children/teens and weekend warriors/older folks.

Kelsey's Canyon Guide is thought of more highly by those with both books.

Buy the Kelsey guide instead
I recently completed an outing to the Cedar Mesa/Comb Ridge area for which I had specifically purchased this guidebook. On first glance it appears more comprehensive then the Kelsey "Non-Technical" hiking guide, but first impressions can be deceiving. Most annoying were the UTM co-ordinates. Aside from the fact that they are inaccurate, see below, they are also largely worthless. An example from the "Fish Mouth Cave" description includes these handy co-ordinates: carpark-0,620,633E;4,142,890N, 1st Alcove-none, 2nd Alcove-none, Fish Mouth Cave-none, carpark-0,620,633E;4,142,890N! Why bother? Kelsey has no UTMs at all, but he obviates their need by providing accurate and helpful written descriptions of the hikes he describes. The Tassoni descriptions are, imho, MUCH less helpful. Kelsey also provides clear, color "fotographs" (Kelsey spelling--kind of annoying, really) of the features/attractions on the hikes he describes. Page 80 of the Tassoni guide includes a picture of the Abajos mislabled as the La Salles, and p.85 features a picture of Comb Wash-somewhere. In one fell swoop Tassoni has become inaccurate AND irrelevant! Oh, the Tassoni pics are also grainy B&W images of the wrong, irrelevant feature. The Tassoni guide is not entirely unhelpful, but your money would be MUCH better spent on the Kelsey guide.

Good resource; be careful with GPS coordinates
This guidebook is definitely a good resource for exploring this fascinating corner of Utah. I largely agree with Tom Budlong's earlier review.

A word of warning to GPS users. This guidebook is copyrighted 2001. In May 2000, the US military discontinued GPS "selective availability", greatly improving the accuracy of civilian GPS signals from that date on. Unfortunately, it appears that the author recorded many of the GPS coordinates in this book prior to this date. Thus, the author's GPS coordinates are frequently inaccurate- I've found some errors of 200 meters or more. The author's coordinates are still helpful, but GPS users accustomed to (spoiled by?) high accuracy should be wary.

Author advocates too much wilderness
I was dismayed to find, in the Introduction, urging from the author for readers to contact their congressional representative to designate excessive amounts of Utah acreage as wilderness areas, thus rendering them useless to much of the population that lives in these areas, of which I am one, and many who visit.While I believe that these areas should be kept from vandalism and destruction, I also believe educating the populace on the proper treatment of the land is a better alternative to closing off access to many who do not have the physical ability to hike long distances to see the beauties of nature.

Not wishing to support those who want to keep my family and I from enjoying and responsibly utilizing the land around us, I considered returning this book.But in spite of the author's extremist environmentalism views, the book offers good descriptions, maps, and photographs of some beautiful sites that I am anxious to explore with my young family.So, I will keep the book and try to ignore the preaching.

Good News - Bad News
Bad news first.
-- Directions to trail heads are infuriatingly compressed, hard to read, and in some places silly (ex: Major state route paved highway intersections are identified with GPS coordinates.)
-- Despite the 2001 copyright, 7-1/2' maps names are not given, but the obsolete and no-longer-available 15' maps are given.
-- Some of the detail maps are not oriented north-up -- hard to use for our north-up oriented minds. Worse yet, the maps don't say where north is, despite the north arrow in the map legend that lies, since it always points up. Hard to orient yourself, even after you discover the lying arrow.
-- The maps have no scale.
-- No index. Unpardonable sin, especially in these days of computers.

OK, now good-bad news:
-- Lots of GPS coordinates. But they are in a table following each route description, not embedded in the description. So you have to flip pages back and forth, and try to figure which set of coordinates apply to which text passage.
-- This is the only book that covers the area efficiently. Mike Kelsey's books cover larger areas. (Perhaps there are others that I have not found.)

Ready for some good news?:
-- It appears appropriately comprehensive. I say appropriate, since it is not totally comprehensive about the area. This leaves room for independent exploration, and does not divulge secret last best places.
-- Use the nicely made table and overview map starting on p.45 to efficiently sort through the walks he describes in the rest of the book. ... Read more

Product Description
This thoroughly revised and updated guide features 109 hikes in Yellowstone National Park. Readers will find detailed maps, field-checked information on all of the trails, elevation charts, difficulty ratings, and ratings and information on backcountry camping. Hiking tips and information on avoiding confrontations with bears round out this classic guidebook.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Great, but OUTDATED
This book is a great resource for planning a hiking/backcountry camping trip at Yellowstone.There is a newer version available, however, so I would encourage you to purchase that one instead.

Great book
I used this book extensively on a recent trip to Yellowstone.I found the book was an excellent resource in planning hiking trips in the park.It rates most of the backcountry campsites as well as the difficulty of climbs.It proved to be a valuable resource and I would highly recommend it to anyone planning hiking trips in Yellowstone.

Useful before trip
I found this item useful in reviewing the trails and planning which trails to take prior to arriving at Yellowstone.The only things that I feel could be improved were: more detailed maps of the trails, a more detailed description of the vertical aspects of some of the trails, and how difficult parking for certain trails would be during the prime hours of 10:00 to 5:00,

hiking newbie
The organization was strange, but OK once you get the hang of it.The content was excellent.Just the right level of detail.Although I'm new to hiking (and Yellowstone) it made me confident about choosing 3 2-night backcountry options.Until I got this info I was confused.I guess I should wait until I do the hiking next month to compare the sites I got with the recommendations, but it was the help in planning that I appreciated.

Confusing and inaccurate and tiring
I recently used this book on my trip to Yellowstone NP. I found much of the information confusing, inaccurate, and tiring. Misinformation was given on trailhead locations, the author makes up his own names for hikes which aren't what the trailhead signs say, rivers to be crossed over on logs were left out, hike mileage was inaccurate, etc. Most tiresome was his going on and on about alternate routes when at first you just want to read about the hike itself in a clear and accurate manner. Also, would it have been so hard to add an alphabetical index of all hikes in the back? Only thing I found spot on was the car mileage distance listed from place to place. I've been hiking for a couple of decades, this is the first hiking book I've been dissapointed with. ... Read more

Product Description
Stony battlements of the Wind River Range pierce the Wyoming sky with 12,000 and 13,000-foot summits, defining a rugged landscape with more than 2,000 lakes.This glacier-carved range holds some of the finest backcountry fishing for various species of trout, and tantalizes climbers with world-renowned summits such as Wolf's Head, Pengora, and 13,800-foot Gannett Peak. Hiking Wyoming's Wind River Range covers nearly all of the wilderness trails in the range, offering suggestions for day hikes, extended trips, and off-trail exploration.Detailed descriptions and maps will get you to the trailheads and help you plan your trip.This guide also includes tips on safety and hiking with children, elevation charts, photographs, no-trace camping information, and a backcountry equipment checklist. Whether you are a veteran hiker or first-time wilderness traveler, Hiking Wyoming's Wind River Range will lead the way to outdoor adventure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Great Reference Book for Wind River
We used the book to help plan our trip to the Wind River Range.We also used the book as a reference during the hike.The descriptions of the trails were accurate, and very useful.

Filled with good information!
If you are a backpacker, like I am, you will revel in the great information on what to prepare for and how to negotiate a trip into the Winds. 2010 is planned out, so we are putting a trip into the Wind Rivers on our calendar for 2011. This book has been invaluable in getting us going!

A pain to use
This guide book is a pain to use.Mainly because of the poor maps.The hiking guide is organized by trailheads, but the overview maps that are given do not cover a large enough area to plan a 4 or 5 day trip, which is the main reason I bought this book.I find myself flipping from section to section trying to piece together the trails in my mind.I've bought many other Falcon guides, and have been happy with all the rest.Since I know of no Wind River alternative guidebook, I bet you'll probably still buy this; I would, it does have some good info.But, I recomend buying a Wind River map while your at it, or use some sort of computerized map (google earth).

Very Informative
I have found this guide to hiking in the Wind River Mountains to be very informative. The author goes beyond just descibing the difficulty or lengths of hikes. He describes the geology, landscape, vegetation, and even whether a lake holds fish and what type of fish it holds. At times, I felt as if I was on the hike myself. I have been very pleased with this purchase.

Hiking August 17 - 22 - 2005
I just completed a six day haike in Soutghern Wind River area and I found the book Hiking Wyoming's Wind River Range very informative prior to making the hike.However, it could be more complete as to the various hikes and it needs some update in regard to the tails that i took.I will at a later date give my comments inmore detail ... Read more