Your Guide to the National Parks: The Complete Guide to all 59 National Parks (Second edition)

YES! IT IS ALL THAT GOOD!!!!!! WOW! AWESOME! AMAZING! "THE DEFINITIVE BOOK" on National Parks. The only one you really need to buy! It will make the most anal, compulsive reader HAP- HAP-HAPPY! If you're like me, you're planning a trip to a few National Parks and you're buying a bunch of books to extract all the valuable info you need for your road trip. Well, look no further. I'm planning a trip to the Grand Circle in Utah. We are visiting Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon. So, obviously, my first purchase was the book that focused on these particular parks... "A Complete Guide to the Grand Circle National Parks." It's fine. It focused on these parks. My next choice was a Nat Geo book.... "The National Geographic Guide 8th edition." Goodness gracious, it's Nat Geo, it has to be good, eh? Hmmm, not really. I wasn't impressed. Well, I'm compulsive. I have to gather all the information I can and I glean as many books as possible to amass my data! I saw this book and thought, all 59 parks? I don't really need all that info. It has info on 53 parks that I don't need right now but... it had great reviews, so, I bought it! Am I ever so happy I did! It is awesome! This book blows away all the others! The author, Michael Oswald has each park laid out in a very concise orderly fashion. Regardless if you're planning a couple of hours or a couple of days at each park, he gives you all the info you need! It is very orderly! Here is an example...he provides the general information about each park and this has a white background like you would find in any book but he is the King of sidebars...each sidebar has a colored background distinguishing it from the regular text. It contains all the logistical info you need about the park... the address (for GPS), phone #, website, date of establishment, hours, park fees, etc. Stuff you might highlight in another book but presented right here in a sidebar! He basically did all the highlighting for you. In fact, each park has multiple sidebars. Next, he has charts! One chart lists all the hikes... the name of the hike, the location, the length and the difficulty rating w notes. Another chart has camping information. Each park has a weather graph w average high and low temperatures for 12 months and average precipitation. AND, the photographs! IMHO the photos are better than Nat Geo's guide. I find them relevant so you know what to expect from each park. Then there are the maps! The maps are larger and more detailed making them more legible for you, the reader! He pinpoints trailheads, 'don't miss' spots and the usual paved and non paved roads, parking areas, campgrounds, ranger stations, etc. Overall, the format he uses, remains consistent throughout the book for each park. There are 708 pages and the size of the book is larger that the aforementioned books. It is 9" x 7 ½ " whereas Nat Geo was 8 ½" x 5 ¼" and the Grand Circle was 9" x 6" . The slightly added size really makes it vastly superior! The maps are easier to read and the photos more stunning. Even tho it is bigger and heavier than the other two this is the book I will take on my vacation! If you buy only one book, this is the book! If you buy bunches of books like I did and (will always do) this will... hands down, be your favorite! YES, it is all that good!!!!! KUDOS and THANK YOU to the author, Michael Joseph Oswald!

This was exactly the book that I was looking for. We have been to 12 national parks and I wished that I had bought this book years ago. It gives you a nice summary of all the parks and some of the best things to see in each of them. It will often tell you the best times to go and the things that you need to see while you are there. Will this book tell you everything about the park? No. but it does get you a great start. Does it include topographic hiking maps? No. but it does include detailed maps very similar to what you would get at the park entrances. I love how it starts out every park with a little history of the park and the features that are found there. I love how it tells you options for recreation while you are there (ie hikes, horseback riding, ATVs, biking, and Ranger programs). It is totally worth the money especially if you have the desire to see several National Parks.

One of the best guides on all the national parks in one place. It's very condensed but has just the right details of what to do and what to see in the park, and where to eat and stay. Of course, the suggestions are influenced by the author's experiences and tend to be on the more adventurous side, for people who hike. There are also suggestions for families with kids. There are itineraries and suggestions on the routes to take to avoid traffic. However, as with any guide, your actual experience may vary. We went to Yosemite over July 4th weekend, and since all the popular areas were packed we spent a miserable 7 hours in the car on one day, trying to get to attractions suggested in the book. So we made our own plan and had a really great time at the attractions on the Tioga Pass Road - Tuolumne Meadows in particular for a nice gentle hike. These hikes were mentioned in the book, but not highlighted in the best of the park section. So study this book, but then use your judgement given the weather and crowds. I'm still giving it 5 stars, as it's the best I've found after studying at least 10-12 different books on National Parks. The reason is it's the most comprehensive coverage you can get in one book.

Allows you to prepare in advance for your trip. Info on all activities including hiring, biking, accommodations, and special options you might miss without this guide. Also proves schedules and ranger contact info. For the last 20 years this guide (and previous editions) have been an excellent source of National Park info for outdoor lovers and rv campers like us.

Unser ständiger Begleiter durch die Nationalparks im Westen der USA! Es sind wirklich tolle Erlebnisse, die uns dieses Buch verschafft hat. Wir haben es hauptächlich für Wanderungen genutzt und um die besten Spots zum Zelten zu finden.

This book is comprehensive and filled to the brim with all the right stuff, great maps, background of the parks, tips on trails, not to miss spots etc. Must have when you are planning to visit parks. One small point of improvement; I know it's been left out on purpose, but I would have liked a register in the back to help find things quicker, also the order seems strange to me so I keep flipping through to find the park I wanna read up on. Still not enough drama to take a star off though.

Good book about all the national parks much better than the lonely planet and national geographic ones.

This book is very comprehensive. Clear maps, and lots of information about each park. I love it!

Si vous visitez les USA et allez dans quelques parc nationaux, il vous faut ce livre, sinon vous serez juste un touriste passant dans ce parc sans voir les secrets les mieux cachés.