1 comments about Oregon Byways (Tony Huegel's Backcountry Byways Series).

1. Oregon Byways is an excellent book. The trail descriptions are extremely accurate, concise and helpful. I liked the photographs because they give a perspective on a drive. The list of resources, parks and places of interest in the back of the book is invaluable. I wish I had time to go on all the drives. Good job.

No comments about Fishing Oregon, 2nd: An Angler's Guide to Top Fishing Spots (Fishing Series).

2 comments about Oregon River Tours.

1. This book is fantastic! It replaces having to hire a professional guide for white-water trips. The information is clear, concise and well thought out. Maps and charts provide great detail, and the time mapping to evaluate float time is essential for all those that "do it" and not just "read it." When you float a river, the landmarks can change, flows differ, but this book helps you plan a white-water trip as if you had been down the river a hundred times already. A must have book for any first time trip. His Idaho book is just as good. I tested this book on five different rivers and it has been a life-saver!!



2. Although few paddlers from outside the region seem to be in on the secret, Oregon offers an excellent diversity of multi-day whitewater trips. Even more amazing is the fact that you can find something to do just about any time of the year and with easy logistics there are several overnight trips that regional paddlers do over long weekends. John Garren gives you the information you need to plan your trip.

   If you are looking for a comprehensive guide to whitewater or are exclusively a class 5 steep creeker this is not the guide for you--instead check out Soggy Sneakers which includes over 200 runs in Oregon--but if you want excellent river maps (with access points, landmarks, and rapids), information on river campsites (including estimated group size each can handle), and overall advice on trip logistics for Oregon's classics then this is the guide for you. The guide also includes seasonal hydrographs and several black and white photos that give you an idea of the character of each run. The shuttle maps are another great feature of this guide. For those not familiar with local roads they provide you with an estimate of travel times from key towns and factor in the quality of local roads. Thankfully, you can easily find local shuttle service for many of the runs.

   This guide includes 23 runs spread out across the state including the Clackamas (two sections), Lower Deschutes (two sections), Grande Ronde, Hood, Illinois, John Day (two sections), North John Day, Klamath, McKenzie, Metolius, Minam, Molalla, Owyhee (two sections), Rogue, Sandy, North Santiam, South Santiam, Snake through Hell's Canyon, and North Umpqua. Not all of these runs are multi-day trips, but several are and all of them are great runs for river cruisers and popular with rafters. Many of the runs are class III/IV, but a few are primarily class II and a couple even include a class V rapid.

1 comments about Compass American Guides: Oregon Wine Country, 1st Edition (Compass American Guides).

1. I used this beautiful and informative book to plan a fabulous Yamhill County, Oregeon wine tasting day with friends. The book had wonderful, accurate information about an incredible number of Oregon wineries. I am pretty fussy about wine and go tasting frequently in California. The authors of this book gave great recommendations and the wineries we picked based upon their endorsements were all top-notch. No disappointments! We left the book with our friends in Oregon, but I am buying another copy to keep at home to use for navigating the Oregon section of our local wine stores. One caveat: the authors find something nice to say about every winery they review, and they cover a lot of them. So, if you are looking for a great pinot, and the review for a particular winery focuses on the lovely garden, you may want to visit elsewhere!

No comments about Netting the Sun: A Personal Geography of the Oregon Desert (Northwest Voices Essays).

1 comments about Mountain Biking Oregon: Northwest and Central Oregon: A Guide to Northwest and Central Oregon's Greatest Off-Road Bicycle Rides.

1. The book does a nice job of describing various rides. The descriptions contain enough information for you to make an informed decision when trying to decide between various trails.

1 comments about Exploring Oregon's Wild Areas: A Guide for Hikers, Backpackers, Climbers, Cross-Country Skiers, Paddlers (Exploring Oregon's Wild Areas).

1. William Sullivan is a compendium of knowledge about Oregon. His later books: "100 Hikes in.... (Central Oregon, Eastern Oregon, Northwest Oregon)" contain great information about trails, easy to read maps, in short, they are a must for any serious hiker. I bought "Exploring Oregon's Wild Areas" with the same expectations and was disappointed. I should have read the complete title. This book attempts to give so much information about each area that it, unfortunately, doesn't give enough specifics to completely satisfy any serious member of the target audience. In addition, the maps are nowhere near as easy to read as the maps in the later books. I returned it and bought another of the "100 Hikes in" series.

No comments about 50 Hikes in Oregon: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacking Adventures from the Pacific to the High Desert.

2 comments about Oregon (America Series).

1. Whether you're a long-time resident or a wistful armchair traveler, this new coffee table style book about Oregon will take you on a stunning photographic journey through the state. Many believe the history of Oregon begins with the pioneers or they think of the arrival of Lewis and Clark at the mouth of the Columbia River.

   In reality, the state's dominating characteristic - dynamic shores and rugged mountains - where formed by volcanoes and glaciers thousands of years ago. With over 70 full color photographs from the ocean shores to the rugged landscape of eastern Oregon, the book "Oregon" will capture your attention. The book takes readers on a journey to discover the amazing diversity of the state.

   Also available in the same series are books on Arizona, Washington and New Mexico.

   According to the publisher, the pages are graced with images that "epitomize the state" - crashing surf at Cannon Beach, waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge and the ice-blue water of Crater Lake. You'll also explore remote parkland, from Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, where pristine natural beauty has been preserved.

   Reader can also retrace the historic Oregon Trail, wind surf on the Columbia Gorge, enjoy wine-tasting tours, explore sand dunes, float in a hot-air balloon, or cruise along the magnificent 400-mile-long coastal highway.




2. As someone who used to live in Oregon, I can appreciate the natural beauty of this state. But even I was impressed by the vistas photographed in this book. Being a perfect coffee-table book, this pictorial trapse thru the state of Oregon reveals beauties of mountains, lakes, streams, forests, beaches, and yes, cities and farm towns too; with pictures from all four seasons. A great book to look thru.

No comments about Oregon Birds.