Book Description

Customer Reviews (4)

The Best Grand Canyon Trail Book That I've Found
I'm planning a backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon.I've looked at several guidebooks and I've bought bought this book as well as Hiking Grand Canyon National Park, 2nd (Regional Hiking Series) by John Annerino, and Hiking the Grand Canyon's Geology (Hiking Geology) (HTGCG) by Lon Abbott and Teri Cook.

I liked the straightforward and informative approach that Ron Adkinson takes in this book.The Grand Canyon is a big place with a lot of alternatives for trips.I was able figure out which trails I want to take using this book.

I especially like the capsule summary of each route that have clear ratings for the difficulty, water availability, average hiking times, suggested cache points, and distance.

Compared to this book, I found the HTGCG by Lon Abbott and Teri Cook nearly as good but the focus on the geology in HTGCG makes it harder to pull out the hiking information.Though, once your route is chosen, HTGCG, helps you understand what you see.

very good book
I reviewed several other hiking books on the Grand Canyon and read the trail guides for my selected and reserved trail. This book was the best written and most complete. I would generally say that this book might be the best bet for a good hiking volume for the GC.

Excellent Grand Canyon Hiking Guide!
I have been hiking Grand Canyon since 1977 with over 9,000 miles below the rim and have hiked all the trails in this guide, in most cases multiple times.This guide has the most detailed descriptions of all canyon hiking guides; maps are more than adequate; nearly all information is up to date.Adkison's writing style is very clear.I especially appreciate his information about plant communities along the routes.This second edition is largely the same as the earlier edition.I am glad to see the addition of a section on cairns.How can this book be improved?Add an index.Looking through the guide I only found a few errors --- Western Union is no longer available inside the park and the Tanner Trail one way distance is not 7 miles but more like 10 miles!

A "Tortoise" Hikes the Grand Canyon
While writing my book "The Tortoise Diet - Win The Race To Lose!", an account of my 120 pound weight loss, I bought this book an became interested in hiking in the canyon as a fitness goal. This very informative and well written book helped inspire me to hike in 2005 from the South Rim to Phantom Ranch, and back again the next day. This May (2006) my husband and I are hiking from the South Rim to the North Rim. We will be carrying along our copy of the book to help us appreciate thecanyon more as we undertake this huge fitness challenge(my husband is 55 and I am 49.) ... Read more

Book Description
Humorous illustrations add charm and for parents who have princess of their own, the refreshing perspective on acceptable princess behavior is a godsend. --BLOOMSBURY REVIEW ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Great Book for Girls of All Ages!
I just absolutely love this book and other books by this author.I think I got it more for me than my baby girl.I love it so much that my husband and me are buying for all the little girls in our family this Christmas.

These books are just too cute
This is a cute story and a must have for a girl's collection.All of the "Do Princesses..." are really nice stories with good illustrations.

No pansy princess here!
My daughter is really into the princess craze. As a reluctant queen (I was a tomboy), I was excited to see this book, that emphasizes the beauty of all princesses (not just the ones in pretty dresses waiting to be kissed by the prince). I also recommend the Paperbag Princess if you like this book.

love it!
This book is super cute.I love the illustrations and the simple story.It's a celebration for all the princesses out there!

Refreshing Princess Book!!!!!!
After reading this to my daughter the first time I found it so refreshing after all of the "find your prince and live happily everafter" books. I worry about my 3 year old getting the wrong ideas about "prince charmings" and "happily everafters". This book does an excellent job of letting all little girls know that no matter what we like to do, how we look, or what we wear we are all princesses on the inside. Beautifully done! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

99.5/100
This is an excellent resource and planning guide. I have nothing to add to the earlier reviews, most of which are 5 stars.

The lack of GPS coordinates of the trailheads isthe one glaring deficiency and the reliance on another map resource is no substitute. The copy edit staff should have done their homework and inserted this information, since it could be done from their desks. It appears instead that they put their efforts into misleading advertising -

"Detailed trail descriptions, and GPS-compatible trail maps"

Nevertheless, I have since purchased extra copies for gifts.

A Hiking Guide for Hikers by a Hiker
Mr. Johnson's "Hiking North Carolina" is a guide for hikers by a lifelong hiker in the North Carolina High Country.North Carolina has hundreds of miles of hiking trail, and Randy has hiked most of them himself.The one risk of writing a guide about something you love so much, is to ruin the sense of adventure by including too much information.On the other hand, I have been hiking long enough to remember guides that would allow you to barely find the trailhead, much less give you good information about the trail and what you will encounter. There is a fine balance between a guide that tells too much, like the Appalachian Trail guides, and a guide that says too little, like some I see in popular magazines.I believe that Mr. Johnson's guide strikes a good balance between the two; telling you what you need to know while preserving the sense of adventure in the experience.It's the adventure that draws us into the woods after all.I recommend this guide for anyone who is interested in hiking in the state.His maps are quite detailed and well drawn, and his trail descriptions are enough to get you where you want to go without spoiling the fun of discovery.It is an excellent work and well worth including in your outdoor library.

Robert Branch
Burnsville, NC

A good starting point...
This was a good book for a general description of several trails in North Carolina, but didn't give many details.I think I was looking for something that would give me enough information to pick one trail out of them all to visit, but the brief descriptions didn't give me enough to go on.If you already know which trail you want to trek and it is one of the trails covered in the book, you're pretty well set.You will, however, need another map to know exactly how to get to that particular trail...the book has a map with a general location but no specific driving information.

A Visitor's Guide
Any traveler to North Carolina will be able to use this helpful guide to the state.It's full of information on numerous trails, including educational ones perfect for the family.

for more than just hikers, this book is for anyone who moves around at all!
I am the editor of a newspaper in North Carolina and I write a monthly travel column. I picked up a handful of North Carolina travel guides to review, and this one happened to be in my stack.

I have to say -- I had high expectations for this book. A quote from CNN.com is printed on the back. Falcon Guides are, "written by top experts and enthusiasts." It's an official American Hiking Society book.

I expected a lot -- and that's what I got.

This book, in short, is amazing. The introduction is lengthy and goes over things you may need, safety information and more. Each trail begins with a one-sentence overview so you can quickly tell if it's not for you, then continues to have easy-to-find points about its general location, detailed information about finding the trailhead, distance, difficulty, best maps, elevation gain or loss, water availability (!!!), and a phone number and Web site link (finally, a guidebook that has realized we entered the 21st century seven years ago and, 9 times out of 10, we want a way to get valuable information without actually speaking to someone).

Following this, each trail features GPS compatible maps and an extremely detailed 1-4 page description of the hike you can take, in addition to pointing out things you might miss along the way (Spanish moss, anyone?) For example: "If you linger over lunch [at the Linville gorge trail] and scan the rock-hewn amphitheater, the start of Linville Gorge, you can imagine the hemmed-in feeling William Linville and his son must have felt near here in 1766 when confronted by Native Americans -- who then scalped them." Wow.

The only con of this book is its title. While I tend to despise the recent trend in the book industry of making titles as long as the books themselves with all sorts of never-before-seen punctuation, it really might be necessary here. People with an interest in walking, trail running, picnicking with their families, educating their children or moving around in any fashion should also pick up this book. The fact that the guide book appears to only encompass hiking may cause many people to skip over it. But take for example the Flat Rock Self-Guiding Loop trail (page 129) near Linville, an educational trail with plant identification signs, inspiring messages and areas to picnic -- perfect for a day out with children.

At $19.95, it's a little steep -- but it's worth it if you want to spend any part of your vacation outdoors. ... Read more

Book Description
Suitable for the novice and the experienced hiker alike, this comprehensive guide to north Georgia mountains is now better than ever.With the participation of the Georgia Conservancy, this book has been significantly revised, adding more than 50 new trails.Now arranged geographically and even more user-friendly, THE HIKING TRAILS OF NORTH GEORGIA features 144 hikes and offers information regarding environmental ethics, common terms and symbols, and mountain biking. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

maps?
The trail descriptions in this book are great. The book may be worth buying for the descriptions alone. But there are only 11 (very) simple line drawing maps for 124 trails and there are no elevation diagrams whatsoever. In fact, you have to search each trail description if you want to find the elevation change. That information could have been displayed in the margin (which is how the author displayed information he thought was important). This book has 124 trails and therefore desperately needs a section classifying the trails in groups such as long, short, scenic, strenuous etc. The only trail classification in the book is with the very long trails. Another thing that should have been included was an overall map showing how the smaller maps relate to a map of northern Georgia. I ordered two other northern Georgia hiking books, which will hopefully fill in the details missing in this one

A good reference guide
This book was highly-recommended, and it does not disappoint. It provides useful maps and directions for locating trailheads, and detailed descriptions for planning short day hikes or longer multi-day treks for experienced backpackers.

A good reference guide for hikers living in the Atlanta area.

High on a mountain
Since I moved to Georgia 5 years ago, this book has been my most reliable hiking companion. The maps and directions are good, and the trail descriptions are detailed. A handy sidebar tells you the important stuff: what towns the trail is near, what features you'll encounter, the difficulty rating, the ranger district, and the length. Trail histories and Cherokee name translations add interest to the excitement of hiking in the lush Appalachians.

The "highlights" sections for each trail are especially nice -- peaks, falls, rapids, creeks, scenic views, notable ruins, giant trees, etc. are listed along with the mileage. It also has a decent amount of room for your own notes.

I wouldn't mind if they had a new edition with more Georgia trails; I know some of the newer volumes in this series feature more Georgia trails. However, I realize a more complete guide might have to be about 900 pages and therefore difficult to fit in the Camelback. It's a good book, though, and I've recommended it to many.

Homan hits a homer
Tim Homan defined hiking in north Georgia.His trail descriptions and mileage are accepted as the most accurate.The directions to the trailheads are right on the money.

The first time I met Tim he was walking a trail with a wheel, measuring the distance.That was almost 15 years ago.In fact, Tim wrote the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest brochure trail descriptions.That brings me to the only problem with this book.Its title should be "Hiking Trails of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest" since he rarely strays outside of its management area.If you have hiked all the trails in the book you would have hiked less than half the trails in North Georgia.

Still, there are at least three hundred miles of hiking trails in this book, and you can chose your favorites based on the quick guide in the margin of the book.My personal recommendations from the book would be DeSoto Falls for a family day-hike, Appalachian Trail from Neel's Gap to Hogpen Gap for a challenging day-hike and Duncan Ridge for the most challenging multi-day hike.

The maps are improving with each edition, and Tim is now aided by the excellent help of the Georgia Conservancy.I guess the best testimonial for this book is that each time a new edition comes out I am forced to buy it because my copy of the previous edition is so dog-earred from over use.

Excellent logistic and descriptive hiking guide
This is THE serious hiking/backpacking guide for the North Georgia Mountains.Tim is very accurate and precise on logistic details such as trailheads and landmarks.He's also good at describing views, falls and flora.I have hiked up what what Tim describes as 'steep descents' and thought I should have hiked in the direction Tim wrote.His Joyce Kilmer / Slickrock Wilderness guide also is spectacular for a remote area in Western North Carolina. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

purchases
I am trying to get some background on the parks above and beyond what the official Park Service info is. I felt that this book provided more info.

Had it's points
The book was chock full of great ideas and valuable information. It list every conceivable day trip/hike that you could take. There is one negative to the book and that is that the cover leads you to beleve that it will be full of colored photos and it does not. Sure there are photos to peruse, but they are all in B/W. This was dissappointing. But, this travel guide is indeed full of helpful advice to aide a first time visitor. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (11)

Very useful book
This book is very easy to navigate through & the author gives great topgraphical maps for each hike section.I've been using this book to plan my trip this year & it will let you know what to expect on the terrain mile by mile.Each trail has a difficulty rating, appx. travel time, seasons best to hike, GPS compatible, and some VERY basic info on contacting the park.

I would recommend buying a complete map to Yosemite which will help to plan your entire trip.I've recently purchased National Geographic Destination Map & it will give you all the additional info you need.It gives much more info on campgrounds, how/where to purchase permits for the backcountry, driving distances within the park & other accomodations.

Perfect!
This book is just what you need when visiting Yosemite National Park if you do any hiking at all. It is thorough, well written, acurate, and easy to use.

great book for casual hiker
I bought several yosemite books before my visit, but this is by far the best book I found for the many hikes now that I am here.Perhaps there are better ones, but this one is quite good.One great feature is that for most hikes it gives a 2D elevation change cutaway map for the entire route so that you can judge for youself the level of difficulty of the hike.Many books seem to disagree on this point.(You can see the big spike at half dome for instance as a comparison.)The maps even have GPS coordinates.The maps do have rough topographical shading as well (though color would be better for this).

hiking book collector
I spend all winter planning my hikes for the summer. I own and have used most of the titles for Yosemite. Hiking Yosemite National Park has most of the most popular trails but two other books do a better job:100 Hikes in Yosemite National Park and Lonely Planet Hiking in the Sierra Nevada.

My main complaint is the incomplete descriptions, too short and too vague.If you get off the trail you'll run the risk of getting lost because there are no "big picture" maps.A topo is absolutely essential if you want to understand your location.

Excellent and concise guide
This is an indispensible guidebook for any hiker who loves Yosemite. I use it almost daily during hiking season and it helps in selecting hikes, planning them, reaching the trailhead and gauging whether a hike will be worthwhile. Each hike contains an accurate, though brief, description of the rigors of each trek. Occasionally I quibble with the authors ranking of a given hike, but usually they are on the mark.

A few cautionary notes: there are no detailed maps in the book, except general maps which introduce the hiker to each specific place. Te map for the John Muir trail, for example, is very basic. Don't expect detailed maps for each hike because there are none. The descriptions of how to reach each trailhead are excellent, unless you have little experience with Yosemite.

My favorite part of the book is that the Touloume Meadows High Country area is not neglected. Swedo has various categories and list the hikes they think are best suited to be placed in every league and the valley floor is not the only area of the park that is stressed .If you spend any time hiking in Yosemite, this book is essential! ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Hiking Book
My boyfriend and I purchased this book before our trip to Alaska and it was great. It provided very specific directions to various hikes and accurate descriptions as to the conditions of each trail and their overall difficulty. We only did 3 hikes in this book, but plan on using it when we return to Alaska...hopefully in the next year! The waterproof cover is an added bonus.

Note: The book does NOT cover Denali, other than the few trails around the national park entrance.

Best Guide to Hikes Throughout Alaska
This is a great book with a great mix of hikes throughout the state. There is good balance of short and long as well as easy and more challenging hikes. It does not try to be exhaustive in its coverage, but gives you enough ideas to occupy your time in any area of the state.It should be useful to either a once in a lifetime tourists ora resident who has an opportunity to hike the different regions of the state.

This was a great book in its first edition, this second edition takes a good design and makes it near perfect. The hike maps are superb, most hikes have elevation profiles, great reviews as well as all the important info you could need - distances, fees, maps, difficulty ratings...

I've read a lot of Alaska hiking books and this one stands out as a state-wide guide for finding hikes to take.It is not the strongest guide to equipment or technique. But if you want a book to give you great suggestions for hikes, pick this one up. ... Read more

Product Description
The mountains of western North and upstate South Carolina are a hiker's paradise. Rich with human history, they are also home to some of the greatest biological diversity in the world. Hikers here are treated to thousands of miles of trails offering fantastic views, stunning wildflower and fall foliage displays, and gigantic trees in old growth forests.This guide lists 57 day hikes ranging in length from 2 to 13 miles, with destinations like the waterfalls of Dupont State Forest, the Blue Ridge Parkway's beautiful Craggy Gardens; the ruins of George Vanderbilt's palatial Buck Spring hunting lodge on Mt. Pisgah; and the summit of Cold Mountain. Each entry includes everything you need to know to get out and hike: maps and detailed directions, mileage, elevation gain, trail highlights, fees and hiking regulations, a list of films and novels set in each location, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Great Guide!
Having hiked extensively in the Carolina Mountains for 40 years, I open new trail guides with a weary skepticism.With this book my skepticism was unjustified. Ms. Bernstein's book does not attempt to be exhaustive, but it covers a wide variety of trails in two states. In it, you will find a trail for any hiker in any season of the year.

The trail descriptions (at least for the 35 or so I have hiked) strike a nice balance between length and detail with no sacrifice of relevant accuracy.The maps are unclutteredand well integrated with the text.

Now I can take a hike here!
This is an easy to use guide to some great hikes here in the Western Carolinas. I live here and hike with a club. Until now, I've usually been following the leader and haven't really known what the hike "looked like" or where exactly I was going. I don't have great map reading skills and I don't use a GPS. In fact, I'm a person who couldn't take my relatives and friends from out of town on a moderate hike here in the Carolina mountains. And I'm not the only one with that problem. But that will change. For each hike, the book provides detailed driving directions and a simple map. For the actual hikes, there are very clear trail maps with text that describes exactly what I'll see along the way, shows which path to take at each intersection and notes what landmarks I'll see along the trail. I did a 7 mile hike this weekend using the book and felt totally confident. It was a new experience to not only complete the hike but also to know exactly what it had encompassed. Happy Trails.

Best guide to the best day hikes
This pocket guidebook to the best day hikes in the Carolina mountains deserves the highest praise. Each entry provides detailed, straightforward directions for each hike, accompanied by clearly presented maps and pictures of landmarks. While the book offers valuable resources for experienced hikers, it would also be an excellent choice to give to a friend who may be just beginning to explore the outdoors, as the introductory material explains the essentials of hiking safety and includes a checklist of necessary equipment. The lively essays placing local points of interest in their historical contexts are another major strength of this guidebook. I would never have guessed, for example, that the North Carolina and Georgia state militias fought a battle over the boundary between the two states--fifty years before the Civil War (see page 145). Milestone Press should also consider producing mp3 audio narrations of the hikes and the accompanying essays to enjoy while on the trail.

A Guide to a Hiker's Paradise
The mountains of the Carolinas are an embarassment of riches for hikers, with literally thousands of miles of trails. The problem has been choosing the most interesting hikes. There are several trail guides, but unless you are willing to spend a lot of time studying maps to create your own circular route, you'll be stuck hiking in and out on the same trail. Hiking the Carolina Mountains solves that problem by providing details of 57 hikes, most of which include loops. The book is also the first that I've seen that covers areas such as upland South Carolina and DuPont State Forest in North Carolina. Hiking the Carolina Mountains also provides detailed information on how to drive to the trailhead, interesting sidelights on the history of the area, and readable maps, all of which are usually missing from trail guides.

This is the book need to hike the Carolina mountains.

WNC Hiker ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Must for Your Fanny Pack
Hiking the Escalante Wilderness can get very confusing even if you are proficient at the use of USGS topo maps. Hence, whenever I have gone I have taken this book. He devoted a lot of time to not only giving you a much-needed guidebook, but also to giving you a lot of history, biology, botany, and even deals with hundreds of side canyons/routes...But some of the information might be outdated (e.g. the pools in Death Hollow) and his descriptions that seem clear can be vague (how to safely scale the last 50 yards to Phipps arch); there are other, wrong, places that look exactly as he describes the correct place (e.g, finding the mail route west and out of Death Hollow - there is a bend lower in the creek that looks the same, but is not the route). He also relies heavily upon his odometer readings to find trailheads and all car odometers don't jive with his readings.

Very accurate
Having hiked the Escalante canyons a lot before reading this book, I found upon reading it that the book seemed to match my memory of places fairly exactly.That doesn't mean a lot, so I took it with me on a few of the more backcountry trips and found it so extremely accurate and useful that I am now using it as the primary information source for some trips to areas that are new to me in the Escalante region.I'd definitely recommend this book.

A Very Nice and Quite Usable Guidebook
The Escalante is a vast area of great charms. This is a nice hiking guide to some of the more accessible areas of the Escalante.These hikes are not for the faint of heart - they require good backcountry skills.What makesthe book truly great is Rudi's natural history background.Extensivedrawings and text add richness to our visits to the red rock country of theEscalante.43 hikes listed, drawings, maps and many b&w photographs.

Excellent and extremely useful information
I not only enjoyed reading this book, but found it extremely useful inplanning my first trip to the Grand Staircase region. It gave me anaccurate idea what to expect from each trail. ... Read more

Book Description
This is a hiking guide to the Paria River drainage of southern Utah. The upper part of the system begins near Bryce Canyon National Park, and flows south to the Colorado River and Lee's Ferry.Lee's Ferry is not far below the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.Many people have now heard of the hike down the Paria, but there are many less-known and less-visited parts of this drainage included in this book.

This guide covers the entire river system, including a couple of mountain climbs in the far north, plus the dozen or so slot canyons in the middle and lower end.The more famous slot canyons are Bull Valley Gorge, the scene of a pickup wreck (still lodged in the slot) which left 3 hunters dead.Also,Round Valley Draw, the Buckskin Gulch and of course the Paria itself.This 3rd Edition includes for the first time Coyote Buttes and its best know part, The Wave, an international destination for fotographers.For this edition, 16 pages and several new hiking areas have been added, plus the author re-hiked many canyons and updated all of them.This editon has 178 fotographs.

As in previous edtions, the history of early-day ranchers and cattlemen are included.The history of gold miners at Lee's Ferry and around the old ghost town of Pahreah is also discussed.And the best story of all is that of John D. Lee, and his involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre (about 120 people were killed), and his life on the run from Federal authorities.It was John D. Lee who was sent by the Mormon Church to the lower end of the Paria River to hide out and build & operate a ferry across the Colorado River.His entire life story is told. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Hiking and Exploring the Paria River
Husband wanted book, I ordered it.He likes it.

The Metric distance ruined this book
As an American I lived my life of [...] years in feet and miles.I too heard my [...] teacher (nearly 45 years ago) say better get used to metric the US is the last country on the planet not using it and SOON you will have to use it.Never happened! (except for beverage providers who saw an oportunity to give us less product for the same price!) Wilderness hiking can be very dangerous, you need to know where you are, and I can't be pulling a calculator out every page to figure out how far 13.7 meters is!!Otherwise the book is filled with very good information.Pick up a detailed map at the trail head the maps in the book are too small to be of any help.

Comprehensive but dense
Got this book in preparation for a trip to the area. It's very comprehensive, but looks like it was laid out with an old fashioned typewrite. Still, if you plan to hike the Paria River, it's definately a good resource..

Worth It's Weight!
Found this guide book very helpful in a canyoneering trip down this nice canyon. I read the book before an April 2003 Paria Canyon trip starting at White House Trailhead and going all the way to Lee's Ferry. One thing was missing from my pack though....the book!

My trip I carried the BLM map/travel guide you can purchase at the Paria Ranger Station.It was $8.00 and I had a detailed map with camp sites and all known streams for water.The Kelsey Book has little dots or symbols for the sites which were pretty useless when the maps are so small in print.I was glad on the trip I had the BLM Guide for the trip.

Check the weather forecast before you leave and again at the ranger station.The summer of 2003 in September there were flash floods in the canyon from storms over 40 miles away!

The Paria Ranger Station reports temperatures to the weather service and rain/snow amounts.You will have to go to noaa.gov site for the info. Enter Kanab or Salt Lake City in the today's forecast box and then at the bottom of the forecast page will be additional forecast info - press the forecast discussion.On the new page enter state summary and look on the page for Paria Ranger Station!! There the high and low's will be listed with any precipitation amounts. The ranger station calls in the info every day.

Remember to pack the book for your trip to help you with your travels down this great canyon.

A rare guidebook
This book is outstanding.I'm an avid canyoneer and these books got me started.Many think they're too good.I follow the canyoneering boards and people consistently complain that Kelsey gives away too much information and allows, "just anyone who buys the book" to get in the deepest, darkets canyons.The land managers down right hate these books because people get into trouble.I think a good guidebook tells you about an area and it's up to the individual to be responsible and not exceed their abilities.

Aside from the extermely thorough and detailed area information, Kelsey takes pains to explain the history of the area and to prepare you for what you need to do spend time in these strange lands.I have hundreds of guidebooks from around the world and none of them comes close to Kelsey's in these areas.They are a treat to read.

There are a few quirky things about Kelsey's work.He lists everthing in metric.I agree this makes perfect sense from a technical (the rest of the world is metric and it makes much more sense) point of view but still have to do a poor job of converting everything back to miles in my head.It would be better to list miles in brackets after the kilometers.Kelsey is also (apparently) very fit because his hiking times are impressively rapid.I usually add 50% to his times to get a realistic estimate of how long it will take me.

All in all, I couldn't recommend Kelsey's books more.He is an extremely hard working, dedicated author.His works are jewels for this area and will long be recognized as not only the geographical authority but also the historical authority in this wonderful part of the world.Buy everything he writes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Book For Beginners
Are you planning a hiking trip and not sure what to bring or what to buy? Well, this is the book for you. I found a lot of great tips and good advice from safety to how to build up to long hikes. Great Book !!!

An excellent "how-to" book
I bought this for my husband, who has recently taken up hiking.He loves it and in fact reads it at bedtime every night.Says it is the best book he has seen for beginners.And, not a bad price either! ... Read more

Book Description
Smart, instructive, and beautifully designed, every book in the Trailside Guide series contains the essential information readers need to master outdoor activities and have fun in the process.

Norton proudly reissues these best-selling guides with fully revised "Sources & Resources" sections (including where to find the Web sites, gear, services, books, clubs, and organizations that make for foolproof outings); updates to reflect the latest in gear technology, wilderness medicine, and first aid; and advances in techniques.

You can take it with you: Trailside Guides are designed to be used on the trail. Their handy size makes them easy to take along on outdoor adventures.
Picture this: Trailside Guides show you how it's done. Each book has more than 100 color photographs and dozens of informative, full-color technical illustrations you'll refer to again and again.
Buying Guide: Each Guide has all the information readers need to make informed decisions about what gear is available, and what they should buy.
Step-by-step: Tutorials take readers through every aspect of a given outdoor activity. Each Guide covers planning and preparing for a trip, getting in shape, technique, safety, and first-aid tips, and how to have more fun along the way!
Easy to use: Trailside Guides provide information quickly. Every book contains detailed illustrations, information-packed sidebars, and a complete index and bibliography.
Technique tips: Any physical activity is more fun when it's done right. Trailside Guides are written by experts and contain lucid explanations that help the reader quickly achieve proficiency.

It's a big world out there. Get into it with the Trailside Guides. Color photographs and drawings throughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great book for begginers and serious backpackers!!!
I bought this book looking for a guide of some kind to help me know what to exspect, equipment I needed, and how to plan a trip. I got all I was looking for and more, I live and have grown up what most would consider a typical countryboy and have been hunting, camping, and fishing since I was old enough to walk, but I had never been on a long backpacking trip and have really always wanted to try it and this book is a great way to do it, it tells you everything you can think to ask and some you hadn't.I am going to head out on my first trip with confidence and ready for things that are going to happen. I have to say this guy knows what he is talking about andI would recamend you to buy this if you are planning even a short day hike. also the book is made to carry along in your pack with its plastic covered covers and pages. I would like to thank the auther in closing for this book it may have saved me alot of problems and maybe alot of injures.

Fantastic!
I'm new to backpacking.I bought a few backpacking books recently, and none of them are more interesting and clearly written than this book.Karen Berger has a great, down to earth writing style without being too "breathy" or wordy.She gets down to the point, shows specific examples,and breaks things down in a way that can be understood by anybody.

A solid introduction to backpacking
In 1996 I took my first backpacking trip ever. It was in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Became lost, carried too much weight...but enjoyed myself anyway. Two years later was onKatahdin in Maine. A big smile on my face...had just completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

After that first fun, yet disaster prone trip, stumbled upon the first edition of this book. Read it cover to cover and quickly learned many aspsects of backpacking I was woefully ignorant about.All that summer put into practice what was in the book.

Over the years since I've read that book have done much backpacking. Two end to hikes on the Long Trail, a thru-hike on both the AT and the Pacific Crest Trail. From reading the book was able to get the confidence to tackle longer hikes...and be fired up for them as well.

Now that I head up beginner backpacking trips myself, I always reccomend the book to anyone starting out with this past timne that has become a lifestyle for me.

I rated this book 4 stars, but would actually give it 4 1/2. Why not five? Berger is still skeptical of lightweight hiking (despite her new book about the subject) and it shows in not only inbook but hiking videos, articles, etc.But, for the beginner, the solid info about traditional backpacking will get them on to a great start! Worked for me!

Comprehensive and fun to read ...
I bought this book recently to expand on what I know about hiking and backpacking. I mainly do day hikes, and living in the desert of the southwest, I obviously end up doing a lot of desert hikes.

This book is very comprehensive, but by no means an all-inclusive description of what you need to know about hiking and backpacking.

It puts great emphasize on backpacking and not so much on hiking, although both activities are very similar in their nature. The book puts its main focus on backpacking in the Northeast of the USA, and talks a lot about the Appalachian Trail, which the author has hiked from one end to another.

The book contains all types of useful and important details about equipment, behavior on the trail, personal safety etc. Personally, I would've liked for it to mention more about travelling by foot in the desert, but that said, you can still find the most important information about desert hiking scattered around the book.

Pros:
* Very comprehensive - Contains information about most things you need to know about hiking and backpacking
* Easy and fun to read - very nice format
* Contains checklists
* Author is very knowledgable on the subject and an accomplished hiker/backpacker
* Good value for money

Cons:
* Not enough information about desert hiking/backpacking
* Very heavy - not something you'd want to bring in your pack unless you had to. On the flip side, it makes it more durable than your average book.
* Not all that good as a reference - best read from beginning to end.

All in all, I would rate it a 4 since it's a quite well written and comprehensive book. It covers what most people would expect to find in this type of book. It falls short of a rating of 5 mainly for the reasons mentioned in CON above.

(This review is of the February 2003 edition)

Excellent resource
This book is a terrific resource for those just starting out or those who would like to know more about hiking and backpacking.The author's topics cover everything from the complete basics like, why you should hike, straight through to the more complex, like how to adjust your compass for declination.She also makes extremely helpful suggestions on purchasing products such as tents, sleeping bags, water purifiers, stoves, and basically all types of gear.The author has a writing style that generates interest in the reading material.She also focuses on particular topics, like handling problems only women encounter in the outdoors, or what you should know before taking children hiking.This book is a must have. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

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.

The most useful guide, by far, for hiking South Carolina!
Falcon Guides' "Hiking South Carolina," by John Clark and John Dantzler, has it all:great maps, articulate andinformative narratives, over 50 interesting photos, and a plethora of details that provide readerswith everything they need to know to enjoy South Carolina's naturalheritage.It even has an introduction by Judge Alex Sanders, President ofthe College of Charleston, whose unorthodox insight is humorous andinformative.

As is the case with all Falcon Guides, the maps are superb.There are detailed maps of each of the book's 62 featured hikes, each witha locator map inset, plus an overview map of the Mountain Bridge NaturalArea network of trails and a numbered, locator overview page that pinpointson a single state map the location of each of the featured hikes.

Theprose is well-written and informative, with descriptions of history, flora,and fauna, in addition to helpful directions to guide hikers and enablethem to avoid problems with confusing trail indicators. The authors hikedall described trailsover the past two years to insure the accuracy andtimeliness of all information. "Hiking South Carolina" even hasdescriptions of recently completed segments of the new mountains-to-seaPalmetto Trail, plus an overview of this exciting project.

If you likedetails, this book is definitely for you.For each hike, it has superbdirections to trailheads and information on distances, trail conditions,fees, rest rooms and other facilities, nearby lodging and amenities, andwhere to obtainadditional information. The appendix contains a directoryof over 300 trails, plus a comprehensive bibliography, phone numbers, websites, hiker's checklist, and more.

As Chair of the South Carolina SierraClub, this reviewer recommends "Hiking South Carolina"enthusiastically and without reservation. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Hiking in your own Backyard!
Its wonderful to find a book that won't get you lost. And it fits in a backpack. You can tell the author took the time to go to these places and describes them with accuracy. A must for every hiker and wanna be's.

Third Time's a Charm
I love the San Francisco Bay Area and try to get to that region as often as possible.Hiking, biking, and simply "getting away from it all" opportunities abound within minutes of one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the world.I can never decide if I like the Santa Cruz mountains in South Bay or Marin County more, but if you are looking for detailed trail descriptions of the latter, the third edition of "Hiking Marin" is a good place to start.

This book describes trails in some of the most popular sections of Marin County, including Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Point Reyes National Seashore, Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods. Hikes in many other less well known "Open Space" areas are also included.Although the title mentions 141 hikes, there are actually 168 trail walks described over seven sections of Marin County (chapters A-G in this guidebook) with two additional chapters (H and J) on new hiking opportunities since the first edition went to press in 1995.Nearly all 600 miles of trail in the county appear in one or more loop hikes of this book. Almost anyone can find a walk suited to their abilities within the confines of this guidebook. Detailed maps and route descriptions will help spare walkers the frustration of missing a key turnoff.

So why does a book like this only get 4 stars?More for what it is missing than what it includes. Trail descriptions are heavy on routes and intersections, but natural and cultural history are essentially absent. Three hikes described in this book begin in Muir Woods National Monument, for example, but none describe the colorful history or biological importance of this stand of old growth forest. I find that information like this enhances my enjoyment of hiking.There are also very few photos.Finally, I found some technical problems with the "downloadable maps" that are new to this edition.The authors refer readers to their website where they can download any map or trail description from the book (with a password found at the beginning of each chapter).When I went to their site, however, my browser claimed the pages related to the book "could not be found."Hopefully this little glitch will be cleared up later.

In the final analysis, if you are a Bay Area resident, this book will provide you with many hours of enjoyment.But if you are a tourist other guides to the region may be better.They may not have as comprehensive a selection, but pictures and a fuller discussion of local trails might make finding a good trail easier. Even so, this is a good guide to what's "out there" in Marin. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

A Peak Lover's Guide to California Hiking
Ron Adkinson has written numerous hiking guides for Falcon Press. One suspects his massive list of publications is really meant to subsidize his true passion:hiking.Not a bad way to live.This particular guide covers much of Southern California and hidden within its pages are some true gems.

Adkin's book is divided into four parts:Death Valley, the Mojave National Preserve, Southern California Mountains, and Joshua Tree National Park.In each area he includes a number of hikes that are classics:beautiful hikes mentioned in many guides and on which you are certain to encounter many people.But the book also contains numerous out of the way gems that you won't find elsewhere.In the mountains section, for example, he includes Pacific Crest Trail rambles along Sierra Pelona ridge and the Scodie Mountains, scenic areas you won't find described elsewhere.Indeed, people hoping to "get away from it all" will find ample opportunity to do so among the pages of this book.

Adkinson has a strong bias towards climbing peaks.You won't find a lot of nature walks in this guide, although he does include a sprinkling of short family hikes (the Cholla Cactus Gardens in Joshua Tree is my favorite).But if you like good views, this is the guide to get.The only reason this book receives 4 stars instead of 5 is for what it does not cover.It is simply unthinkable that a guide to Southern California hiking should exclude the whole of San Diego and Orange Counties.These areas have some beautiful country that deserves coverage in a volume of this scope.Unfortunately the recent (2003) fires destroyed many fine hiking areas (including most of Rancho Cuyamaca State Park) so it is all the more important that modern guides update what is available in this area.

Despite the lack of comprehensive coverage implied by the title this is an excellent book.Get it and enjoy. ... Read more

Book Description
Fully revised and updated, the third edition of this celebrated Sierra Club Totebook is an information-packed guide to America's best-known national park--destination of more than four and a half million visitors annually.
Hiking the Grand Canyon provides detailed, authoritative descriptions of more than one hundred of the best trails--from easy, level day hikes along the Canyon's North and South Rims, to rigorous but rewarding rim-to-river and trans-canyon expeditions. Author and seasoned Grand Canyon adventurer John Annerino offers invaluable information to help visitors plan their trips, ensure their safety and comfort, and enhance their enjoyment of the Grand Canyon's natural wonders--including sage advice on hiking equipment and technique, clothing and food requirements, and map selection; vital information on water sources and on climate and weather; and tips on lodging and camping, as well as on how to book guided hiking, rafting, muleback and horseback trips, and climbing and caving expeditions. Also included are chapters on the park's natural history and geology and on its Native American history.
For adventurers familiar with the Canyon's many attractions and first-time visitors alike, this is the most "user friendly" and comprehensive guide available to one of our nation's premier natural wonders. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

A Cross Between a Trail Guide and a ???
I was disappointed by this book.Mr. Annerino seems to be trying to impress us with his knowledge far too often and is long-winded most of the time.I much prefer authors who try to inform instead of impress, especially in a book that is basically a how-to-hike-in-the-Grand-Canyon book.

For example:
"... the Tonto Trail is the major east-west camino through the Grand Canyon."Now many, maybe even most, people who live in the parts of the US with a Spanish influence know that camino is Spanish for road.But how about other English speakers around the world?

Or another example:
"Assuming that the Colorado River isn't rumbling along at 30,000 cfs or more, you can follow the left-hand (south) side of the river ...".How much is 30,000 cfs? Is that unusual?I think the author meant that to say something like "if the river doesn't cover the trail, you can ...", but I don't know for sure.

I much prefer Hiking Grand Canyon National Park, 2nd (Regional Hiking Series) for planning a trip and Hiking the Grand Canyon's Geology (Hiking Geology) for understanding the geology.

Hiking the Grand Canyon is an indispensible trail guide
"John Annerino's Hiking The Grand Canyon is an indispensable trail guide."

- Jay Merritt, Conde Naste Traveler



"Wherever you go in the canyon, you're likely to be treading in the footsteps of John Annerino... Hiking The Grand Canyon is an exhaustive guide.

- Mark Kirby, National Geographic Adventure



"Canyon Pioneers. Like Harvey Butchart, John Annerino has spent a fair bit of time exploring and writing about the Grand Canyon. Hiking The Grand Canyon is the AAA Triptik, a canyoneering primer."

- Nancy Schute, Outside Magazine



"Hiking the Grand Canyon is easily the most comprehensive guide to trails and routes in the Grand Canyon."

- Bill Weir, Grand Canyon, Moon Handbooks



"An excellent reference for Canyon trails is Hiking The Grand Canyon by John Annerino."

- Linda Vachata, The Arizona Republic



"Best information sources, " "Hiking The Grand Canyon, Revised and Expanded," by John Annerino, Sierra Club Books.

- Brad Bollinger, The Press Democrat



"Annerino's Hiking The Grand Canyon is a must have book for the Grand Canyon hiker. This is the Grand Canyon trail guide I turn to most often. Anytime someone asks me a Grand Canyon question I can't answer off the top of my head, this is the book I pull from the shelf."

- GrandCanyonHiker.com



"Hiking the Grand Canyon is a great resource with mileage logs, trail descriptions, ratings, history, water caches, and just about everything else you need to know to overnight or spend a couple of weeks in the Canyon."

- GrandCanyonTreks.org



"A pocket-sized Sierra Club Totebook, Hiking the Grand Canyon describes the rigors, attractions and landmarks of more than 100 trails. It's an excellent hiking primer and companion for the trail with mileage logs, trail descriptions, ratings, history, water caches and other essential information."

- SideCanyon.com



"Hiking the Grand Canyon is an invaluable resource!"

- HitTheTrail.com



"Hiking the Grand Canyon, Sierra Club's best selling Totebook, has been featured in Backpacker, Frommer's Grand Canyon, The 50 Ultimate Hiking Adventures, U.S. News & World Report, and National Geographic Adventure."

- Wesley Darden, Lost Horizons

stay away
I bought this book expecting a well thought out and detailed description of the trails with smaller maps and recommendations on what best to see inside the canyon.I was wrong. It is a bunch of pretentious writing with details that will do no one any good.If you want to know who climbed what peak inside the park and when this is your book.If you want to know about the trails look somewhere else.

ONE of the guides that works for the Grand Canyon
This guide seems to have excited a lot of controversy. And I can understand why. John Annerino's guide to the Grand Canyon is just as individualistic as all his other books.
Mr. Annerino is a rough-and-ready writer, something of a non-fiction Jack Kerouac of the Southwest and the Borderlands. His literary principle is enthusiasm for his subject. And when his subject is a complex but highly organized entity like the Grand Canyon system, the book winds up structured in a way some of his other books don't. What you can't miss is his knowledge of this canyon.
I found this book an excellent update, if only partial, of the Naturalist's Guide to Hiking the Grand Canyon by Stewart Aitchison. He covers more trails than other, more current guides, such as the Falcon guide by Ron Adkinson, who doesn't write up the platform trails east of Grandview on the South Rim, the Beamer Trail, or Comanche Point. (A new edition is due out of the Falcon guide; maybe the deficiency will be made up.) Not to mention areas further afield, such as the Arizona Strip.
Some have criticised the lack of maps. This is valid, but the tendency of late seems to be for publishers to include only very sketchy maps, rather than copies of topos. And maps are easy to get for the Grand Canyon.
I have been more surprised that some object to Mr. Annerino's admonitions to the user to get in shape and keep in mind the peculiar hazards of the GC, comprising both desert and middle-latitude sky-island. Given the peculiar fame of the Canyon, its allure for travellers from all over the world, including those who aren't really in shape, and the UN-reality of the Canyon upon first contemplation, I believe his warnings are in order.
On top of this, I found Annerino's review of history and other trail lore very entertaining. And you have something to read when you're resting, without carrying MORE weighty books down and around and up.
My advice to Canyon hikers is to consult ALL the guides you can get. John Annerino's guide is, in my view, an indispensable part of the small group you'll read again and again. Another, more recent, is "Hiking the Grand Canyon's Geology", by Lon Abbott. But keep in mind, whatever you use, that access issues can change, so check with the National Park Service and other hikers. I recommend the Internet Yahoo groups for the Grand Canyon, as well.

Very Infomative
John Annerino gives his readers an abundance of information about the trails and geology of the Grand Canyon. My husband and I especially like the compact size of the book - great for tossing in a daypack while hiking the canyon. ... Read more

Book Description

Blending sage advice with personal experiences and anecdotes, this unconventional book is an unusually thoughtful account of long-distance trekking on the Appalachian Trail. Mueser draws upon interviews and questionnaire data gathered from over 100 long distance hikers hoofing it through the Applachian Mountains.

Customer Reviews (15)

Very Helpful
I would think this is one of the must reads if you are thinking about thru hiking the AT.

Filled With Facts
The book was filled with a lot of good information for someone looking to hike the Appalachain Trail.

I did have one problem with the book. I found it to be a slow read and I had trouble reading it for long periods of time. It reminded me a lot of my school text books. But if you can overcome this set back you will learn a lot from the book.

The most interesting fact I found was that it costs on average $1 / mile to hike the AT.

Summary of Hiking Issues
This book, based on a number of surveys, provides a broad understanding of what hiking the AT is all about.It explores the motivations of thru-hikers along with answering lots of questions most of us have when planning to hike all or sections of the AT.Easy reading, well organized and lots of facts.

Great book for the aspiring A.T. thru hiker.
If you only read one book before hiking the Appalachian Trail, this is the book. The book is very informative and really helping me prepare for my thru hike.

Terrific Statistical Information
Roland Mueser has written a terrific book that contains the results of interviewing dozens of hikers.He chose to tackle the subjects of why thru-hike?, footwear, food, equipment, and much more.He also did some scientific testing of his own when it comes to fighting insects.Mueser did a 4-mile run in the woods with DEET and re-did the run without insect repellant so he could tally the bug bites and report his fingings.

Mueser has put together the results of over 100 surveys so that he could bring you some great information that pertains to the long distance hiker. ... Read more

Book Description
A hiking guide and travel guide at once, provides travelers with everything they'll need to hike in Italy's breathtaking Tuscan region.

This unique guide features hikes in Tuscan Hill Country, the mountains of the Alpi Apuane, the Cinque Terre and Ligurian Coast, and the Northern and Central Apennines. Includes helpful information about weather, best times to visit, how to drive and get around in Italy, suggested camping and lodging establishments for overnight hikes and great eating and local customs, as well as a list of English-Italian translations of relevant hiking and navigating terms to ensure trouble-free traveling between destinations.

Hikes vary in difficulty and are accompanied by directions to the trailhead, a detailed map, hiking time and distance, beautiful photographs, and fascinating commentary on the natural, historical, and cultural wonders you'll encounter along the way. 51 maps, 50 black & white photographs, index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Enthusiastically recommended for any hiker planning to visit the Tuscan area.
Ecologist, educator, and avid hiker who has traversed thousands of miles J