2 comments about Camping Utah (Regional Camping Series).

1. Whether you are a summer visitor traveling in a Class A motorhome or a weekend tent camper in Utah's backcountry, you shouldn't be without this indispensable resource guide. Camping Utah is a reference guide that to the best of my knowledge covers all of Utah's three hundred and seven public campgrounds. Included in the book are the campgrounds that are managed by the National Park Service, the National Forest, the Bureau of Land Management, Utah State Parks and Recreation, and local counties and city-owned parks. The guide is packed full of information on the campgrounds and their surrounding areas. There is detailed information on road conditions and driving directions, any recreation vehicle restrictions, the number of campsites, the elevation, the setting, the amenities, a reservation source, best season to visit, and activities in the area. The details in the book describes the types of toilets you'll find, whether or not there's a horseshoe pit, and if a trailhead is located near a particular site. The book is organized in regions that match the Utah's Department of Tourism literature. You will find that the book is more accurate than the literature put out by the managing agencies. The author was able to visit all the campgrounds listed in the book except four, due to either the campground being under construction or because of road closure. This book will simplify your task in searching out where to stay so that more time can be spent enjoying Utah's great outdoors.



2. This guide provides reasonable information on campgrounds. I found it hard to use for trip planning purposes and there is no index.

3 comments about Raven's Exile: A Season on the Green River.

1. A meditation on the Green River, water in the West, and wilderness.
   
   I first read Meloy's EATING STONE, a book about desert bighorns. In comparison to that book, where the specificity of the theme reined in the author's imagination somewhat, RAVEN'S EXILE ranges widely. I think it should be read as a meditation/rant rather than as a factual account or even a memoir. At times the language is poetic; at other times I found it imprecise and over-the-top. Sometimes Meloy's outrage at American culture's lack of concern for wilderness, the hubris of building huge cities in the middle of the desert, and the arrogance of wanting to replace native fish with others that give better "sport" is acutely expressed and trenchant; sometimes the text degenerates into idiosyncracy and misanthropy.
   
   Recommended, but I tend to think Craig Childs' book on water in the desert addresses the topic better.



2. This book is a gem. If Abbey had a feminine counter-voice Meloy's would be it. Like Desert Solitaire Meloy speaks of the raw, untamed beauty of the southern Utah wilderness. We travel with her and her husband Mark down the Green River through Desolation Canyon and deep into the wild places of the human psyche. Meloy takes us back to our more primitive self with an eye for detail and a soft, gentle humor. She transports us on a journey that few of us will ever take. Through her eyes we see the river from a myriad of uses and view points: the prehistoric Fremont culture, early river runners to the modern river rat. Like Abbey before her, Meloy gives us a sense of place that comes alive through her words. This is an ode to a wild river and as she feared, possibly a eulogy. Desolation Canyon its environs remains one of the more endangered places in the southwest. The wild in all of us lost a voice with her untimely death in 2004.



3. my family has been reading and then re reading this book for at least 10 years.. for us its like poetry and takes us all back to some faboulous river trip memories..

1 comments about Utah Byways: 65 of Utah's Best Backcountry Drives.

1. If you are going to Utah and want an offroad adventure buy this book! Tony will bring you to places you will be talking about forever. Great routes, great book. You won't be disappointed.

5 comments about Lonely Planet Southwest: Arizona, New Mexico, Utah (Lonely Planet Southwest).

1. I have recently encountered poor Lonely Planet books, but this was not one of them. It is the good old LP at work.
   The coverage of Las Vegas, however, was extremely poor. I spent there 24 hours and this book didn't have enough info for even that short of a trip. The rest is great.
   The California LP had twice as much info on Las Vegas.



2. I purchased this book before a recent visit to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos. I lived in Albuquerque for 4 years about 6 years ago, but I hoped to find new insigts on places to eat, explore, etc. Basically the guidebook told me where not to go. It failed to mention some excellent restaurants in Albuquerque including The Dog House, Las Mananitas, Il Vicino, etc. In Santa Fe I attended a class at the Santa Fe School of Cooking which was a five star class - not mentioned in the guidebook. In Taos I visited a community of alternative homes constructed of tires and cement (earthships.com will explain more) - again not mentioned in the book. I did go to look at a ruin near Espanola that was recommended, but the reservation does not allow admittance.



3. This book was incredibly helpful to me. The maps are awesome. It's organized well. I hiked and did Route 66. The book was great for both. The table of contents is super accessible. Buy it and take it everywhere!



4. Living in Australia, planning a road trip around the Southwest is not an easy consideration. I received this book and suddenly the Southwest was withing smelling distance. The reading is easy and expressive. I have a clear idea of where I will go and what I will do. No matter if I were travelling with children or on my own, I'd be clear about what is available to me. This will be the trip of a lifetime and this sensational book is a catalyst for my planning. Fully enjoyable, this book allows the magic of anticipation to grab me and give me colourful dreams.



5. Does a very good job of covering a large area. This book exhibits the best of the Lonely Planet series: a combination of facts, interesting suggestions, opinion and background information. Good maps and graphics. I like that camping suggestions are included for many places.

No comments about Utah Birds.

2 comments about Frommer's Zion & Bryce Canyon National Parks (Park Guides).

1. This guide is smaller than the typical Frommer's and can fit handily in your back pocket. There is plenty of coverage on the best hiking trails and scenic drives through both Zion and Bryce National Parks as well as easy side trips you can make while visiting. There is also full coverage of the hotels and restaurants in the area. As always, Frommer's also includes a "Best of" section to help you zoom in on the best options for the things you're most interested in.
   
   Overall, this guide is very helpful. In addition to the basics, there are plenty of helpful tips on how to avoid crowds, what to bring with you, how best to see animals, etc. The authors cover all the bases clearly and concisely and make planning a trip to these beautiful national parks a much easier process.



2. You can never go wrong with the Frommer's Park Guide series. We just got back from visiting Bryce Canyon and Zion Parks (and the surrounding areas). We brought this book with us and were very satisfied with it. We LOVED the compactness of it (easy to throw in a backpack/carry on bag). It gives a good overview of each of the parks as well as some of the surrounding sites and areas around the parks. The description of the hikes were accurate as were the resturant/hotel reviews. The downside (as is the aase with all of the Frommer's Park guides) is that it offers very little background history on the parks. You might want to pick up a book about each of the parks when you get there if you want some geological and historical background. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book!
   
   NOTE: I HIGHLY recommend taking the River Hike in Zion. Just bring a pair of old sneakers and you're good to go. Our two children (ages 4 and 8) did just fine (it has a somewhat rocky bottom). We saw people doing the hike in sandels and even barefoot, though I wouldn't recommend it. Also, we stayed in the Canyon Ranch hotel in Springdale (Zion) and LOVED it! Large, clean rooms set far back from the road. We stayed in Bryce Country Cabins located in Tropic (Bryce Canyon). Great for a family with kids or if you want to escape the "riff-raff" of the Rudy's Inn complex and want a more quiet place to stay.

4 comments about Gem Trails of Utah.

1. This book was an extremely useful tool for my wife and me as we combed the back country of Utah, gathering rocks. From the litle-known sites like Painter's Spring in West Desert, to the world-famous Dugway geode beds, this book gave us the directions we needed. The petrified wood sites in southern Utah were especially appreciated.



2. This book was the best guide to out of the way Utah we could have hoped for. Some of the sites are very well known and collected, others not so. Our vacation consisted of following the locations in the book, with plenty of sidetracks of our own inbetween. The specimens from some sites are fantastic. Using this book as a guide in the way we did, we learned how to spot promising areas anywhere. We have subsequently purchased the Gemtrails of Arizona, and New Mexico and loved them the same way. A review of one of these mentions wishing for GPS coordinates. Although a moden update with those might be nice, we rarely had difficulty finding the sites. And as I mentioned, the inbetween explorations were productive and beautiful too.



3. I should have realized that with the item being 30 years old (revised 1987) that the information was very outdated. Not seller's fault. Should have read description better.



4. I say don't buy this book. It has not been updated as stated. Ours has a copyright date of 2006.
   
   Me and my family just got back from Moab, and we tried to find several of the sites listed for that area.
   
   First of all, this book's maps were incorrect. Flat out wrong. Roads incorrectly depicted in this book, and I mean major highways, not small dirt roads. Ex: Pg 191. Wonder what else was wrong? But, we had other maps and compensated for that fact.
   
   Then, the site directions were so vague, it was next to impossible to be sure that you were in the correct location. The book did not lead us to one find.
   
   We persevered, and with the help of local advice, did manage to find some very cool rocks and excellent fossils.
   
   In this day and age, if you want to revise and update a book like this, do it right. The maps were terrible, handwritten affairs. Use a good, clear topo-map, at least. And, like our 4WD book had, if you want to be in the 21st century, you could add GPS coordinates. It wouldn't have helped us, since we didn't have GPS, but it would at least show some effort was put into re-working the material.
   
   I wasted my money on this title, I suggest you save yours for another title.

1 comments about Fodor's Utah, 2nd Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. We're planning a family trip for this summer. Since some of it will be through Utah we picked up this book to help with planning. It has a lot of information and is very well organized. After reading about the different national parks and how much there is to do, we'll probably going to have to plan a second trip to see the things we won't have time to see.

No comments about Salt Lake City Then and Now (Then & Now Thunder Bay).

No comments about Utah Trees & Wildflowers: An Introduction to Familiar Species of Trees, Shrubs and Wildflowers (Pocket Naturalist - Waterford Press).