No comments about Olympic Peninsula Rivers Guide.

No comments about Washington from the Ground Up (From the Ground Up).

No comments about Washington Gold and Gems Maps Now and Then.

No comments about Washington Discovery Guide: A Remarkably Useful Travel Companion for Motorists, RVers, and Other Explorers.

1 comments about Sedro-Woolley, Washington (Images of America).

1. I purchased this book for a friend in the hopes that it would arrive on time and be in excellent condition. I found it to be exactly what we were looking for and it was sent promptly. We will look on e-bay for items in the future based on this first buying experience.

3 comments about Winter Hikes: In Puget Sound and the Olympic Foothills.

1. Winter Hikes is a useful guide for all seasons. For the most part, the only thing that makes the hikes in this book "winter hikes" is their elevation. In reality the hikes in this book are enjoyable all year.

   The summary information provided with each hike includes the distances, estimates trip time, trail type and other useful information such as the potential avalanche danger on the trail. It also includes the starting elevation and elevation gain of the trail so you can judge the potential for encountering snow.

   The rating system takes some getting used to. Since many of the trails are in the lower elevations, don't expect jaw dropping views at every turn. Even highly rated trails will spend a lot of time in the woods.

   Although I have said this guide is useful year-round, I think it is best for 3 season hiking. During the summer you should use other guides that provide better coverage of the high elevation trails.




2. This book mostly covers hikes around the Olympic peninsula, not in or around the Puget Sound/Seattle area, as might be indicated by the book's title. I was trying to find a hike near Seattle this past weekend, and the book fell completely short. The closest hikes to the Seattle area were more than an hour's drive away, which I wouldn't really consider to be in the Puget Sound area. The Olympic hikes look good, though, so all hope is not lost. They do have detailed information on the hikes that are featured in the book, though. I'd definitely recommend this book if you're planning on doing some hikes on the Olympic peninsula, but not if you're looking for hikes around Seattle and the Puget Sound area - there are some great hikes within Seattle (Discovery Park) as well as nearby (Issaquah alps), but unfortunately these are not covered in this book.



3. What makes a "winter hike?" Well, you can hike almost anywhere in the winter that you can in the summer, with the right equipment and skills. Mooers offers hikes, though, that are easy to get to. Access counts.
   
   I've used this book to find places that keep me from developing cabin fever in the winter. People who do a lot of hiking will know most of these spots, but there were a few I hadn't heard about. Good directions to the parking.

2 comments about Backcountry Ski! Oregon: Classic Descents for Skiers & Snowboarders, Including Southwest Washington.

1. What makes Van Tilburg's latest guidebook so good has a lot to do with why Van Tilburg was the perfect person to write it. He's not only an expert skier and snowboarder, but he's also an expert mountaineer, canyoneer, and wilderness medicine physician. When he guides you on these classic descents, you are in good hands. He not only shows you the best places to go, but makes sure you have the information to stay safe and get home in one piece. Let's face it -- if we were experts we wouldn't need a guidebook. If we need a guidebook, we need one written by someone with experience and good sense. Van Tilburg is a good man to follow.



2. Backcountry ski oregon is a nice guide. The photos are not as good as the ones in oregon descents but it offers a few more routes. Some of the routes are part of ski areas. useful book

1 comments about Hiking the Ancient Forests of British Columbia & Washington.

1. This book has great pictures and maps of most of the trails it discusses, and for each trail, there is a description about the area it is in, how to get to it, and information about the hike along the way. Plus it mentions the status of the area, whether it is protected or not. All in all it's a great book for information about hiking in old growth and it should be a must have for anyone planning a trip to this area.

5 comments about National Geographic Guide to 100 Easy Hikes: Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware (National Geographic 100 Easy Hikes).

1. There's several books with basically the same theme and roughly the same hikes - e.g. those by Alan Fisher and those by the Appalachian Trail Club. This one does have more hikes described than any other single volume I've seen, but it doesn't have enough maps or sufficiently good trail descriptions to make it a hiking "bible". Only recommended for those folks who've already exhaused the other available guides and are looking for more.



2. Having been on many trails in the region (and now many more thanks to this guide), I highly recommend100 Easy Hikes. It's as good as it gets for hitting all the hot spots in the Washington DC area- from nearby jaunts on the trails of Rock Creek Park to the lesser known gems in the Shenandoah. Additionally, the author's insider tips and her clear directions to the trailheads make this guide exceptional.

   I was particularly impressed the "best of" recommendations. They were right on target. Neither bluebells nor waterfall classics escaped her attention. The maps, as you'd expect from the National Geographic Society, are clear and easy to follow. Anyone looking for a basic resource on the area should have this guide.




3. I have been looking for a book just like this for some time now. Having hiked a fair amount in and around Washington I was running short on ideas for new hikes. I had tried the Appalchian Trial Guides and some other books that are out there but felt that while they were great on trail details they didn't provide much of the practical information that you want when heading out to a new destination. Especially enjoyed the author's editorial comments and trail descriptions which combined to make the book a pleasure to read. The author must be a dog lover as well which earns her points in my book. She marks each trail to let dog owners know if their pooches are welcome.



4. Just tried to use this book for hike in North Point State Park and found it difficult to follow. Luckily, we had another guide with a map. This guide often does not have maps and the directions lack points on the compass, i.e. north, south, east, west.



5. I love this book! Many other hiking books for the D.C. area list hikes that are much further out, but this book lists easy to get to, fun hikes that don't require an entire day for the hike and travel time. I have purchased this book for friends in the area as well, and we are looking at future hikes together.

1 comments about Insiders' Guide to Washington, D.C., 7th (Insiders' Guide Series).

1. THE INSIDERS' GUIDE TO WASHINGTON, D.C. is a great book, with an absolutely impeccable description of historical sites, music venues, theaters, shopping malls, neighborhoods, and freestanding stores of all kinds. It shows the DC area, despite its reputation for having the nation's highest percentage of couch potatoes, to be an area with enough ethnic diversity to provide healthy diet ideas for anyone with any kind of celebrity crush.
   
   There are, however, certain parts of the book that really need to be taken like the humor in comedy movies/shows featuring Alyson Hannigan, Jennifer Garner, Cameron Diaz, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Melissa Joan Hart, and Jennifer Love Hewitt. One of these is the section on the Virginia suburbs, which says that the schools south of the District are excellent, when, in fact, from all available evidence, the schools in Howard and Montgomery Counties in Maryland are much better in many areas. Another is the "Media" section, which fails to account for such changes as classic rock station WARW's recent change to Triple-A, with its new call letters being WTGB, and a local classical station's change to Adult Hits, the call letters WXGG, and the nickname "George 104" (after George Washington).
   
   Overall, however, whether you're planning to visit or move to the Washington, D.C. area, or are just proud to be American, this book will enrich your life.