4 comments about Michigan State and National Parks: A Complete Guide.

1. This book carefully explains each park, allowing for the advantages and disadvantages. I found it extremely helpful in planning our camping adventures in Michigan. I only wish Ohio's parks were as nice. This book is a must have for picking a place to camp anywhere in Michigan.



2. My family and I enjoy camping and visiting the State parks all over Michigan. I have found this book to be very accurate, and helpful. There are easy-to-read descriptions of the parks, and great maps included. Color photographs would have been a nice feature to the book, but the loads of information inside make up for it. I highly recommend this book!



3. Overall, this is a pretty good book. It claims to be a "Complete Guide" - but there is very little coverage of National Parks in Michigan. None that I could think of, and that I wanted to research, were listed.
   
   The coverage of the State parks is good, however, if you're looking for National Park coverage, you'll need to look elsewhere.



4. A good source for Michigan State and National parks. Good narratives and directions. However, park maps are small with no camping spot numbers marked, this is essential information when making reservations over the phone. If this info were included with the book... a solid 5 stars.

2 comments about Best Hikes With Children Michigan (Best Hikes with Children).

1. Get your kids out-of-doors! Jim's books are all good - but this one fills an important niche, and does so just perfectly. It's really not comprehensive, as Michigan offers some excellent day-hiking, and much of it is appropriate for kids. But there's more than enough to keep you and young explorers busy, and Jim's excellent notes on each hike will help you decide which to try first. Kids over 9 or 10 (especially those already very out-doors oriented) might be bored with many of these. But that fact is part of what makes the book so valuable. These hikes are actually the harder ones to find - hikes that are especially appropriate for really young kids (and perhaps their weary or indoorsy parents). The trails are short, sweet, and especially entertaining.



2. This book is a must-have if you're visiting Michigan with small kids. It is better than expected. There is great variety -- different types of hikes for different ages and abilities, even backpacking. The maps are good, and each hiking adventure is well described with all the information you need. Much more than hiking -- also camping and backpacking, as well as fishing and boating options. Many of the hikes are great for adults, too, who are just beginning to hike or backpack.

5 comments about Flyfisher's Guide to Michigan (Flyfishers Guidebooks).

1. Being fairly new to fly fishing for trout, I was looking for some help in where to go and what to use so I would not have to start from scratch. Jim has obviously been there and done that. His tips, techniques, and sites are outstanding. This book is a must for anyone getting started and a great asset to those who are looking for additonal information. Thank you for sharing your experiences in such a great book.



2. This book is a great guide to the many rivers I have spent time on in Michigan. It is not going to put you on the honey-holes, but it will provide you with good maps and the right strategies to have a sucessful day on the river. It also provides area business #'s, which I have found helpful on several occassions. Jim Bedford knows what he is taking about. Great investment.



3. This book is includes all the streams, rivers, and waterways of Michigan, with information on what fish are in them, seasons to fish, lures to use, and other information. I found it to great not just for the information it has on the fish, but on all the other stuff- how to get to the best spots, things to watch out for, noise/distractions around the river, ease of access, etc. Using this book, you will have a realistic picture of what the fishing experience is going to be like.



4. This is an outstanding book. Jim Bedford writes a clear, easy to understand guidebook for the masses, not just the elite. I have read many guidebooks and this is in my top five. His research is exhaustive and knowledge extensive. If you plan to dampen a fly in Michigan you need this book!
   Rik



5. This guide is as inspirational as it is informative. Includes many odd bits of information (catch and release sections, no fishing from bank areas, areas too deep or too narrow to fish effectively) that would be very difficult to find out other than from hard experience. Very informative as to what fish you can expect to find in certain sections of streams -- I could go on and on. But won't. Just buy it!

2 comments about Lonely Planet Road Trip Lake Michigan (Road Trip Guide).

1. Great book with good suggestions of places to visit, stay and eat. Helped us out a lot.



2. This book has a lot of helpful tips and advice to help guide you through an outstanding road trip! I found the maps to be very useful and used them several times on my trip. (traveled from Chicago to Mackinac Island)

No comments about Lake Michigan Backroads: Your Guide to Wild and Scenic Adventures in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana (Backroads of ...).

No comments about Michigan Family Field Trips: Fun Sites for Kids.

No comments about Lake Michigan Travel Guide (Trails Books Guide).

No comments about Lakeland Boating Ports O Call Lake Michigan.

No comments about 50 Hikes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula: Walks, Hikes & Backpacks from Ironwood to St. Ignace (50 Hikes).

5 comments about Shipwreck Hunter: Deep, Dark & Deadly in the Great Lakes.

1. This is the second Book that I have read by Volgenau. This book tells the true story of modern day adventurers who dive deep in the Great Lakes to find shipwrecks. Fascinating story about the dangers of diving deep. Lots of interesting mariner and Great Lake history as well. Shipwreck Hunter: Deep, Dark & Deadly in the Great LakesMuch different than his first, Islands which is fascinating in a different way-great historical information and travel ideas about the Great Lakes.Islands: Great Lakes' Stories



2. To be honest, I was a fan of Mr. Volgenau when he was a writer for the Detroit Free Press, but this book is really something else entirely. A little bit of fascinating history, lots of drama and a compelling human story as well. I had a hard time putting it down. Definitely recommended for those interested in diving, as well as fans of the maritime history of the Great Lakes. Mr. Volgenau's background as a journalist really shines in this brutally honest look at the dangerous world of deep diving and the people who have the sauce to do it. Loved it.



3. The inside story on how most of the ships in the Great Lakes were found and are still being found.



4. This engrossing book is an excellent tale of the Great Lakes, shipwreck hunting, and underwater diving. I personally know, or thought I knew, the main diver profiled, Danny Fader and his wife, Jeanne. Volgenau paints a very thorough, honest portrayal of both. They are two of the most honest, caring, endearing individuals one could ever meet. If there is any fault with the book, it is that the author tends to get too bogged down with the technical details of shipwreck hunting. There is such a thing as too much detail.



5. It was a OK book about the same one sided as you get from some Andrea Doria Diver books. Why dose He try to glamorize these old men as historians and hero's of the deep when most are not! Most all are just plain salvors and looters of the deep. The book states that one main character in one sentence takes only pictures and in the next breath they are prying a strong box open.And in another Bio he states correctly that one divers problems with the local government (Law) and writes about the one case this diver won but forgets to mention about the cases he lost.Was this intentional? In closing it is nice to know how paranoid some of these old salvors are (were) If they were so innocent sharing locations and information would be the norm as some legitimate groups do today. And I think the author would of done a much better job in including some more facts and interviewing others out of the good old boy network.