5 comments about A Guide to 199 Michigan Waterfalls.

1. I highly recommend this to anyone who's interested in waterfalls. The photography is very nice and the directions are clear and concise. My family and I visited twenty-four waterfalls so far this summer/fall in the Marquette area using this book.



2. I carry this book with me whenever I go into the U.P. I like to photograph the waterfalls of Michigan and this guide is constant travel companion. The book gives clear directions on how to get to each of the falls. The falls are broken down into the corresponding counties. Not only is this a unique guide it is a comprehensive guide to Michigan falls. The only minor enhancement that could be made to the book to make it even better is more photographs of the falls. However, the bit of mystery of what the falls will look also is a good motivation for exploring more and more. There are more to Michigan falls than Tahquamenon. I highly recommend Bond Falls. This book is the bible to exploring the falls.



3. I highly recommend this book! We have many visitors to the UP and this book is a great asset for day trips. It is so well organized, the maps of both the counties and the individual falls as well as the written directions are very clear. I know we'll be getting alot of use out of this book and I encourage you to buy it and see all the waterfalls for yourself!



4. The book preview doesn't tell you that it ONLY has ONE waterfall in Michigan's Lower Pennisula, which is disappointing. Perhaps I should have known better. Alas, it is getting us motivated to travel North to gaze at the beauty in the Upper Pennisula where there are 198 more wonderful waterfalls. I had no idea there were so many there. The book seems very organized, more so than another waterfall book I have from another state. I can only comment on the location of where the waterfalls are with slight disappointment. Seems like it will be a good guide when we get to the UP.



5. This is for the amature to expert hiker. Find those hard to find, but just off the beaten track waterfalls all over Michigan.

3 comments about Lake Superior Rock Picker's Guide.

1. This is an excellent tool for those of us who walk the beach and ask "what kind of rock is that?" Colorful pics and just enough info about what kind of rock it is, where to find it and how it got there without being clinical and boring. I have the Lake Michigan version of this book as well and they are both excellent for the casual rockhound.



2. Neat little book. Covers all the Lake Superior shoreline both in the States as well as Canada. Very well done geology history and discriptions of the stones themselves. If you collect stones, or have wandered the shores of Superior you will love to have this little book.
   
   Denny



3. This book contains some basic knowledge about the Lake Superior rocks and minerals, but it isn't presented well. Many portions are written poorly and typos abound. And as far as more advanced information for the non-amateur? Forget it.
   
   Pass this one up for a more useful reference guide.

No comments about Traveling Michigan's Thumb: Exploring a Shoreline of Small Pleasures and Unexpected Treasures.

5 comments about Moon Handbooks Michigan (Moon Handbooks).

1. When well done, the Moon handbooks are excellent. One that I have used extensively is the Maine handbook. Accurate, lots of detail and very useful. In contrast their Michigan handbook is a disapointment due to its shallow treatment. NW and NE Michigan are so lightly done that the material is of little use in trip planning. It needs to be redone in depth. Until then, I would not recommend it.



2. If you're thinking about a MI vacation this year or just a few weekend outings in the state, get a copy of this book. After living in the state for 26 years, I thought I knew MI pretty well. But, on a recent trip to the UP (Upper Peninsula), this guide showed me new stuff every step along the way-----and it's fun to read.



3. As a former resident of Michigan and appreciator of the New York State Moon Handbook written by Christiane Bird I find this handbook lacking.
   
   I agree with Duane from Oregon that the treatment is shallow and lacking in detail. The two most notable deficiencies versus the New York handbook are the lack of maps and photos. The NYS has many, many detailed maps of smaller areas that you may not find on the typical state map. Another disturbing item is the lack of photography - the author of the NYS guide clearly traveled to almost every location and took photographs for inclusion in the text.
   
   There are also three other items that bother me - the author is not a Michigan native, the flow of the text is atrocious, and there are some overly cynical or negative comments in some places.
   
   I feel it is crucial for a native to author travel guides - I find interested natives are the most capable of conveying the true sense of a place. As for the text flow, this is most noticeable in the form of incomplete sentences and sentences that begin with conjunctions. The author also slips into the passive voice far too often.
   
   Finally I feel that some of the cynical comments are simply out of place. They may put some readers off locations that are well worth visiting. Travel should always be a happy, relaxing experience!



4. Tuis guid allows to know most of places interseting in the Michigan, with a lot of details, address, contacts. It is divided in 12 parts to deal with every area of Michigan one by one.



5. I have to concur with other reviewers. This book is disappointing and over-priced. It is not very user-friendly and lacks good maps. It is better than nothing and includes a personal touch. For example, it warns you which campsites tend to be noisy and over-run with tourists. But overall, I wanted more information on particular areas -- especially regarding lodging and dining options and better maps. I'm still looking for a good Michigan guide.

No comments about Michigan's Best Campgrounds: A Guide to the Best 150 Public Campgrounds in the Great Lakes State.

2 comments about Scenic Driving Michigan.

1. Wonderfully detailed road trips useful for a state resident or visitor. My husband and I have selected our Michigan vacation stops based on the tour descriptions of natural viewpoints,towns,and shopping venues. Generally vacationing throughout the U.S., we have utilized other books in the "Scenic Driving" series and all are equally delightful! Highly recommended and worth every cent!!!



2. I returned this book. I was disappointed that it only covered small driving areas of Michigan. I thought it would cover larger areas that we could travel and see senic sites at the same time. I would not recommend it.

No comments about Michigan's Upper Peninsula: Great Destinations: A Complete Guide (Great Destinations).

5 comments about Lake Michigan Rock Picker's Guide.

1. for your next trip to a Lake Michigan beach. As a novice rock collector who was both fascinated and curious as to the identity of the stunningly beautiful stones covering many Lake Michigan Beaches, this book answered countless questions. A large variety of Lake Michigan rocks & fossils are identified and beautifully illustrated, with accompanying information on where they are likely to be found. Following Bruce Mueller & Kevin Gauthier's tips on how, when and where to find rock specimens has astronomically increased my success in rock collecting. The information on the formation, history, preparation [cleaning/grinding/polishing techniques] and craft/jewelry uses of Lake Michigan stones provided in this book are priceless. Humorous and philosophical at times, this wonderful book has what it takes to educate, entertain and reveal the nature of the treasures lying along Lake Michigan's shoreline.



2. Very informational for children to adults. Great reference. Colored pictures a definite plus



3. This book is the best book on rocks I have ever read or bought! Each rock has a explaintion and colored photos. The book inspired me so much that when I went to Sleeping Bear Dunes I had to stop in at Mr. Mueller's "C & M rock shop in Honor Michigan" He was there and signed my books and was so helpful in answering any questions I had. His store is a must for anyone who is a rock nut or just wants to learn and see some beautiful rocks and fossils of the Michigan area. I am so happy with this book! It's a gotta buy book!



4. I have a small shop in a small town along Lake Superior and i am not familiar with all of the rocks and people are always asking me what kind of rock they have found. This helps me find what they have found.



5. I take this book with me every time I travel to Lake Michigan from my home in Athens, Georgia. The book comes in very handy and is inspirational to boot. My son and my nephew both pore over the book. The color photos are invaluable as well - other similar books I've purchased had black and white photos printed on regular (non-glossy) paper, and the photos were quite worthless as you couldn't discern details at all.

5 comments about Canoeing Michigan Rivers: A Comprehensive Guide to 45 Rivers, Revised and Updated.

1. The people who wrote this book definately did their homework. I've gone down a few of the rivers in the lower peninsula and this book was an impeccable guide. Now, Lower Peninsula rivers aren't exactly the meanest or fastest, but there are enough twists and turns to keep your attention and to want a book like this aroud, if only to know what's all out there. There was also good attention paid to campsites and drop off points gone through in great detail. I once tried a dropoff point agains the recommendation of this book and paid for it dearly.
   
   The problem about getting hardcovers of natural wonders like rivers is that all too often the data becomes obsolete after a couple years. For this case is seems that it's still pretty to date, but check on the web anyways just in case conditions change.



2. This book is really good to have in the car or for planning a trip. It is really handy having the maps next to the description. Good accurate maps and great insight.



3. What a great book! I am a beginner kayaker having never kayaked a river before - and was nervous even thinking about it. This book was very descriptive and informative. We did the Platte River from Loon Lake to Lake Michigan and it was a blast. Very relaxing. The maps of the rivers were great as was the description of the landings and portages. Looking forward to my next river, and this book will help decide which one!



4. It would be nice if it were easy to scout out a river before driving to an access point and paddling it. This book does it for you. The directions to access points and places to park are very detailed and good. The maps are excellent and very clear. There are written notes on the problems or special circumstances you will encounter, which are very intelligent and accurate. I checked the rivers I have paddled and read the remarks, and they are just what you need to know, and they are true. The author really knows what he is writing about, this is not a book thrown together by someone who hasn't actually been on the river. If you want to know which Michigan rivers are in this book, here is a list:
   
   Lower Peninsula:
   Au Sable
   Au Sable South Branch
   Betsie
   Black
   Boardman
   Cass
   Chippewa
   Dowagiac
   Flat
   Huron
   Jordan
   Kalamazoo
   Little Manistee
   Little Muskegon
   Mansitee
   Muskegon
   Ocqueoc
   Pere Marquette
   Pigeon
   Pine
   Platte
   Rifle
   Shiawassee
   Sturgeon
   Thornapple
   Thunder Bay
   White
   
   Upper Peninsula:
   Black
   Brule
   Escanaba
   Ford
   Fox
   Indian
   Manisique
   Michigamme
   Montreal
   Ontonagon (East Branch, Mainstream, Middle Branch, South Branch)
   Paint
   Presque Isle
   Sturgeon
   Two Hearted
   Whitefish



5. All the information you need to explore new rivers. Giving it as a gift to all our paddling freinds and family.

5 comments about Paddling Michigan.

1. This book, Paddling Michigan, and Canoeing Michigan Rivers by Jerry Dennis and Craig Date were both purchased by our Scout Troop to aid in the planning and execution of our Scouting Outing Canoe trips. Both books are great, but the boys preferred the Canoeing Michigan Rivers over this book Paddling Michigan, although both books are being used by the Scouts.

   This book has it all to plan an outing, the maps, river description, challenge, a "standard time factor" and excellent commentary on the expectation of the canoe trip. The Senior Patrol Leader Council, the event planning committee of Boy Scouts aged 14-17, was able to take this book and properly plan, organize and execute several canoe trips. It had all the information needed to make the proper decisions without having to go visit the river first, or rely on comments from someone who knows someone who said that access to the river was available from County Road 48.

   The Scout Troop now uses this book as a first resourse for planning canoe trips in Michigan and has greatly aided the exploration of the rivers of Michigan with confidence!




2. Although I have not had a chance to read this book cover to cover, I skimmed through much of it and found that it has an overwhelming amount of great information for the Michigan Paddler. I have searched the internet for months trying to find information like this without success. This is by far the most comprehensive list of places to paddle along with detailed information on routes, access, skill level, rapids, camping choices, optimal time to travel, distances, travel time in hours, etc...I cant wait to put this book to good use!!



3. This is the best reference I have found for Michigan waters. There is a good mix of evaluations from rivers through populated areas to remote trips. From an easy family paddle to sea kayaking trips. As a bonus it evaluates the fishing oportunities on most of the waters, camping areas, and real world suggestions for your trip. The only thing I could ask for is more of the same on more rivers. Great book.



4. Great companion book to "Canoeing Michigan Rivers". I liked that the book covers lakes, too. The maps were very good as were the descriptions of portages. The size of the book was a bit large. I liked the size of the aforementioned book better.



5. This is pretty good book. My only complaint is that it makes no reference to the stretch of the Muskegon river through Big Rapids on which I live.