2 comments about Frommer's Montana & Wyoming (Frommer's Complete).

1. I bought this for my son who is moving July 5 to Billings, MT. The local Border's store did not have this book in OHIO. Just what he needed to begin his life in there.



2. This book is packed with helpful information. Whatever region you find yourself in, you'll find helpful information for whatever you may want to do, whether it be finding the perfect place to eat, finding a place to stay, or even things to check out, trails to hike, etc. This book was an asset to my planning of my last trip to montana and wyoming. A very worthwhile investment, highly recommended!

1 comments about Photographing Yellowstone National Park: Where to Find the Perfect Shots and How to Take Them.

1. Gustav Verderber was right on the money about everything in this book. If you only have a week to explore, save yourself some time and follow his instructions. He has mapped out when the rainbows appear on the falls, gives advice on where to photograph wildlife. Some of the trails he mentions in his book have since been closed due to erosion or wildlife management but if you talk with the Park Ranger Service (not Xanterra!) you should be able to find a comparable walk to capture the images.
   
   The book may be beneath the experienced photographer but for an amateur who just wants better vacation photos and does not have the luxury to spend a year in the park getting them, this is the perfect guide!

5 comments about Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park.

1. Excellent - arrived fast. Very pleased. Description was accurate and was delivered as described



2. I read this book while I was an employee in the park (called a savage in the book). I know first hand how amazingly bizarre some people will behave in the park. On my most recent return to yellowstone I saw a family of 4 (2 kids under ten) less than 10 ft away from a grizzly and her cubs. I have seen tourists trying to get their children close to Bison to take a picture, people touching the hot springs to "see how hot it is" (you would think steam in the middle of summer would give them a good idea)and I myself have 3rd degree burns on my right foot from breaking through thin ground that was covering a hot pot.
   This book does a wonderful job of describing just how wonderful but dangerous Yellowstone can be. I do not consider this to be morbid book at all, just informative. I think that the narrative is as entertaining as it can possibly be covering this kind of subject matter.
   If you are familiar with the park at all I think that you would find this book will give you a somewhat different view of the park than most uninformed visitors may have.



3. The last decade has seen a slew of books dealing with deaths in the national parks. The authors assure us that they publish these volumes to warn visitors of the dangers they face in the parks. The reality of course is that many in the literate public are fascinated by death, especially in unusual or exotic circumstances, and these books cater to that morbid demand. Nonetheless, they make for interesting reading and serve as a cautious reminder that visits to the wilderness, while safer than certain neighborhoods in major metropolitan areas, still contain very real hazards. This volume by Lee Whittlesey, was one of the first in this genre, and is still one of the best.
   
   From grizzly attacks to death by poisonous gasses and murders, Whittlesey exhaustively covers all known deaths in Yellowstone from before the founding of the park to 1995 when the book was published. For me the descriptions of people falling into the hot springs were by far the most riveting, and the most grusome, portions of the book. Cooked alive, the victims of these accidents rarely died quickly, but often instead lingered on for many hours, a pretty horrific way to go. Whittlesey also catalogs the many mistakes victims and some lucky survivors made to help visitors to the park avoid similar fates.
   
   One thing that sets this book apart from others in this genre is that Whittlesey, in addition to experience as a park tour guide and ranger, is a lawyer. This background shows itself in various ways. The book includes, for example, extensive discussion of court cases that resulted from fatalities in Yellowstone and how they have influenced park management. It also shows in the author's broader philosophy about the deaths in the park. True accidents, he argues, are rare. For the most part, people who have died in the parks were, he argues, actually negligent when it came to their own safety and sometimes the safety of others. This attitude towards the victims shows itself throughout the book, and most of the time Whittlesey makes a pretty convincing case.
   
   But not always. When discussing the 1986 death of William Tesinsky (by mauling from a grizzly bear) Whittlesey notes, "Bear 59 was a semi habituated bear, ... But she had never even approached a human aggressively." This is not entirely true. I should know, because I was chased by Bear 59 on June 20 of that very year while hiking (alone) between the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River and Yellowstone Lake. Indeed, it was my report to the Lake ranger station that led to the temporary closure of that trail, and the bear's eventual relocation by the Park Service. At that time, Bear 59 had two cubs and a large person walking nearby was, as the ranger explained to me, considered a threat. But 59 no longer had the cubs with her when she killed and partially ate the unfortunate Mr. Tesinsky. No doubt, as Whittlesey says, he was too close for 59's liking while trying to get the perfect photograph. But the retelling of this story, that follows the park's official report which I saw a few years later, is interesting in that it does not mention my earlier encounter with 59. Whittlesey the lawyer argues that, much as we don't want to admit it, negligence is more common than accident. He forgot to add that humans, including park rangers, might sometimes unintentionally omit certain bits of information that do not fit their preconceived notions.
   
   (I asked a ranger about what had become of my incident report during a 1998 visit to the park. She said that it had not been included since the bear had not actually come into physical contact with me. I understand that answer, but it certainly does undermine the claim the bear had never before shown aggressive tendencies. In my case, I was unaware of her existence till I saw her charge out of the woods, two cubs at her heals, and easily 50 yards away.)



4. As the title suggests, many stories are recounted in detail. Some of these stories are a bit shocking, and we are reminded that the wildness of nature knows nothing about the sanctity of human life. The book would be especially interesting to prior visitors who are somewhat familiar with Yellowstone National Park.



5. I've lived in Yellowstone Park for about 6 years now, and every summer I'm appalled how easily the tourists leave thier common sense at the gate. This should be required reading before anyone is allowed to enter. This book is as entertaining as the Darwin Awards, with a few sad twists, and some fun wild west shinanigans thrown in. Some of the accounts are far more detailed than others, as there was more research information available. It has personal meaning to me, because I frequent the cemeteries mentioned in the book, and it gives more depth to that experience. (If you're ever in the Gardiner, MT area check out Tinker Cemerery--very cool, very old. There's also one by the horse corrals at Maammoth Hot Springs, you can park there and take a short hike on the trail--it's mostly employees from the days the army was running the place.) Bottom line--this is a terrific, necessary book. If you fall or jump into a pool of boiling geyser water you will die--if you're lucky it'll be quick. The animals are wild, and most of them a hell of alot stronger and faster than you. Yellowstone is definitely worth the trip. Just, please, if you come here don't be stupid. Happy trails!

4 comments about Wyoming Atlas & Gazetteer, Fourth Edition.

1. This atlas is a great book to have on hand while driving through Wyoming, especially via the backroads. It's a must-have for any traveler and resident.



2. This was very well made, for an atlas. The format and legend was easy to understand, and it certainly helped my not so great navigational skills.



3. DeLorme has done it again! Stellar mapping and attention to detail make this a grand publication. Two thumbs up!



4. The Delorme atlases/gazetteers are valuable references especially if you are traveling the back roads. Compared to a regular road map, there is much more detail to find your way just about anywhere in the atlas coverage area. If you need a lot of detail, you can then purchase topographic maps. Special features are also noted. Get one of these for any state where you plan to explore off the beaten trail. I already have atlases for five states, and the collection will surely grow in coming years.

5 comments about Photographer's Guide to Yellowstone and the Tetons.

1. A caveat: I am a total amateur who takes pictures only during the one or two annual vacations using very simple equipment!
   
   I just came back after 5 days at YS and GT parks. I was very impressed by how accurate Joseph's suggestions were -- in terms of the preferred times, angles and such to take pictures from. For example, Joseph had suggested taking pictures of the Old Faithful NOT from the benches in front of the Inn, but from the lodge side or from another angle which would include some colorful runoffs in the picture. I managed to pick up a rainbow with the waterfall from Uncle Tom's trail in my video (my still camera did nt pick it up). Other suggetsions also turned out to be as accurate and useful. More importantly, it is absolutely free of fluff and hence you can read it in a 2 hours flight to YS!
   
   When I first looked at Joseph's pictures, I felt like there was probably a tad excessive use of filters to exaggerate the contrasts (the blues appeared to me to be a bit more blue than what would have been real). I never got to verify this as the sky was grey in YS and GT when I was there! Anyways, it is just a matter of taste. If you like Joseph's results (they are stunning), you can use the detailed input he provides on the use of the polarizer and the filters. Even otherwise, his suggestions on just the spots and times to take pictures from make the book very valuable.
   
   The book is organized based on features -- waterfalls, geysers, animals and so on. That is probably useful for many. However, for family vacationers, coverage by location (Norris, West Thumb,...) would probably have been easier to use. I had to correlate the suggested times for photography from Joseph with the info I got on how to cover each location from another excellent book (YS Treasures by J Chappel).
   
   Overall, I strongly recommend the book.



2. I bought this book to take along on a vacation trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons in mid-June 2007. I found it to be a great source to take photos of often photographed natural icons at different views and angles as well as some shots that the average traveler would not know about without this book. For instance I would not have known about the great shots that can be taken of the Mormon Row Barns with the Tetons in the background without this book. Perhaps more seasoned photographers may know about these different places but I for one would not have had a clue. I would have ended my vacation with the same shots of Yellowstone and the Tetons that everyone else has. The book took me off the beaten path where I got some great shots and expierenced the pleasures of getting away from the main road.
   
   Other valuable information was the instructions on what time of day is best to shoot a certain shot, tips about exposure, and valuable tips about using filters that made my pictures stand out.
   
   The book was concise, accurate, and very easy to follow and understand for an novice like me.



3. I would have given the Photographers Guide to Yellowstone & the Titons a 5 Star Rating if there was an index in the back of the book for easy reference while out in the field. It is difficult trying to remember what page the subject that your looking at is on. That being said, it is still a good reference book on the area and I do not regret buying it.



4. Good pointers for each geographic location.
   
   Could be updated to add digital photography tips, but my long experience enabled me to accommodate for that.



5. This is a very helpful book when photographing Teton and Yellowstone. I was able to decide exactly what equipment to pack prior to the trip and it was exactly what I needed.

5 comments about Frommer's Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks (Park Guides).

1. I`ve always heard these were good books , after I purchased this I found I must have been lied to. I`ll never buy another Frommer`s anything.



2. My family went to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks last June and this guide was a great resource. At the moment, I'm planning another national park trip and pulled the book off the shelf so I could get a guide by the same author.
   
   He marked Signal Mountain Lodge in GT as a "** find" and was it ever! It's managed by a different vendor than the other lodges in the park and I'd stay there again if I return. I used his suggestions for "If you can only go on one hike, do this..." and the suggestions were awesome. The hike to the top of Signal Mountain (most people drive rather than take the 6 mile easy walk) was so beautiful and peaceful that I hiked it a second time before leaving.
   
   This book gave suggestions that you'd expect to get from a friend who has just visited an area and says "Hey let me give you this great tip."
   
   I would definitely recommend this book.



3. We bought this book, but ended up using other guides. It is a fine reference for some people, but I'd recommend:
   Yellowstone Treasures: The Traveler's Companion to the National Park (Great for more in-depth research)
   and
   National Geographic Road Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (NG Road Guides) (Quick roadside reference)
   instead.



4. This book was not what I expected - I would not recommend it at all. It stayed in the car packed away. I also bought Scenic Driving Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, 2nd (Scenic Driving Series) and Outdoor Family Guide to Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks (Outdoor Family Guides) which were excellent.



5. I found it very helpful in mapping out our trip that we will take this summer. great insight into where to stay and eat.

5 comments about Scenic Driving Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, 2nd (Scenic Driving Series).

1. This book is OK for the main roads in Yellowstone and the Tetons. I had hoped for more of the "off the main track" roads. You can get most of the info here from free brochures and park literature. But it is well written and fairly complete. If you just want to travel the Grand Loop with all the other tourists, it will guide you. If you want to find a little wilderness, you need to find another guide to driving the back roads (or just get the hiking books and save the gas!)



2. This second edition adds two new drives, and updated information from the 1999 edition.
   
   Most surprising, for a guidebook, is the intimacy of tone, and enthusiasm for the parks and the beauty of the surrounding areas.
   
   This book contains substantial, and well researched information on the historical, geological and natural features of the parks, and the tone is that of a close and intimate friend, sitting in your passenger seat, pointing out the window and exclaiming, "Hey! Look at that!"
   
   Far from the staid and removed tone of many guidebooks, this book is truly an "Insiders' Guide," and makes me want to check out the other books in the series.



3. This book was right on the money with all the things to see while driving through the parks. In combination with this book Outdoor Family Guide to Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks (Outdoor Family Guides) and the Trails Illustrated maps of both parks:
   Trails Illustrated Yellowstone Map Old Faithful
   Trails Illustrated Mammoth Hotsprings Yellowstone National Park NW
   Trails Illustrated Tower Canyon Yellowstone National Park NE
   Trails Illustrated Yellowstone Lake Yellowstone National Park SE
   National Geographic Trails Illustrated Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA: Topo Map (Trails Illustrated - Topo Maps USA)
   (which can also be purchased at http://www.ngmapstore.com), we had a very easy time getting around the park and where things were located. It made planning a whiz!



4. We used this book every day we were in Yellowstone. It was such a help in planning each day, knowing where to stop, what to expect in terms of how long hikes were, finding restaurants and shops, etc. I would read the information about each place aloud to the kids, which helped pass the time between stops. One word of caution, though. We are not the type of family that does a lot of hiking, camping, climbing, etc. We did find that some of her descriptions of the difficulty of the hikes and trails were a bit underestimated. Between the heat and the altitude, this is important to keep in mind! Other than that, I think this is a must have!



5. I used this guide extensively on a 3-day drive through both parks. It's packed with information and is well written and organized. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks.

1. For general planning of our trip, this book provided some useful information but the book does not give enough detail for a day to day planner.



2. For one contemplating a trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons this book will be a fine handbook and guide.It is very detailed in regards to information about the parks and offers the reader a fine source of information for things to do on your visit.



3. If it's your first time in Yellow Stone or the Grand Tetons this'll be your bible .. the hikes listed in both places are well presented and with the maps included will help you plan you time in this wonderful part of the world .. The information on where you are likely to spot animals is really useful - Elk, Bison, Moose and Bear ... all accurate! The highlights and intineraries suggested helped with planning the trip .. but in addition to the traditional 'must sees' the book also suggests some wonderful off the beaten track experiences as well. Has info on where to stay and eat ..I stayed outside the park and would recommend either Teton Village or Jackson Hole as a good base with lots of top class accomodation. For European travellers Jackson Hole was the only place that I could get a mobile phone signal!



4. Maybe it's because the author admits that he ventured off to complete this project only a couple days after getting married, leaving his bride behind. Perhaps a publishing deadline loomed large. I'm not sure what Lonely Planet's excuse is, but this book is the most thrown together, unhelpful guide I've ever seen in their repertoire! I've appreciated their "secret" tips and organized guides for many of my world adventures, and this one is just way below par. Abyssmal on any scale.
   
   I did tons better researching on the internet on my own, which might be the best approach to these parks anyway, so that you're sure to get up to date information. This guide doesn't even mention the great guest ranch outside the park at which I snagged six nights a few months before my visit, how to make sure that you get tickets for special ranger-led, half-day back-country adventure hikes with 15 person limits, or that there are boat and kayak rentals/tours in Yellowstone from concessionaires.
   
   The book literally gives you a headache, trying to figure out how to make sense of the vast amount of listings presented. A menage of maps and thrown-together tidbits are pretty meaningless without the necessary organization to figure out an orderly travel plan. It would have been a lot better if the book took you around each of Yellowstone's loops and through Grand Teton in a more logical format.
   
   I alos found much of the information to be grossly outdated and inaccurate, and so many basic outdoor activities weren't explored in depth, and no real useful information or how-tos were given. I was thoroughly disappointed with my selection. With the vast amount of knowledge that I've accumulated through my own research, I could certainly re-write this guide myself!



5. Before my Yellowstone trip, I had purchased many books and maps and visited websites-you know the drill. This book helped with many insider tips-when talking with other visitors, they had consistently asked me how I knew these things, and I told them-the Lonely Planet guide. Even two park rangers wanted to know how I knew these lesser known tips-and they were impressed with the information. My favorites: how to get the best view of the Grand Prismatic pool (I'm not going to give that one away) and how to avoid bears on trails-which I'll let out of the bag-sing show tunes! Yes that sounds ridiculous-but when I saw a bear about 150 ft ahead of me on a trail and started singing Ethel Merman, well, bears are smart enough not to stick around for the encore!

3 comments about National Geographic Road Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (NG Road Guides).

1. We used this book quite frequently during our recent vacation to Yellowstone. It provided an excellent quick-reference to the roads and roadside attractions we were approaching.
   First, we checked which section of road we were on from the map on the inside front cover. That led us to a couple of synopsis pages with brief, accurate highlights. It was very handy for quickly assessing roadside attractions, and identifying places we wanted to go.
   For more in depth research, we used "Yellowstone Treasures", which we also HIGHLY recommend!



2. I just returned from Yellowstone and the Tetons. I used this book throughout my trip. It is clear, easy to use and well-written. The left hand page is a map of a short distance, say 14 miles, the right hand tells you about the sights. I used it in conjunction with a more detailed book (Moon guide), and found both useful in tandem. The only drawback is that it assumes you are entering the park from the West Entrance, so I had to use stick on notes to guide myself backwards by numbering the stick-ons in the order of my route. It was no big deal and hardly a reason not to buy the book. Two thirds of the annual 3 million visitors enter via the west, so you can understand the authors' reasons.



3. The title says it all, if you are doing any kind of travel around the park past the major sites, you must have this map. It shows elevation changes, more details than the standard map given at the park entrance. It's as helpful as any guidebook. And made of a very durable and waterproof material.

5 comments about Yellowstone Treasures: The Traveler's Companion to the National Park.

1. I found this to be a very useful reading companion on our 10 day trip to Yellowstone. I have some health issues that prevented me from always going on the walks around features. I stayed in the car and read from this book and relayed the info by walkie talkie.
   
   I did find the organization of the book a bit unwieldy but the info in it was interesting.



2. We used this book in combination with a quick road guide (the National Geographic Road Guide) for a full-featured tour of Yellowstone National Park. This book is FULL of easy-to-read and detailed tidbits about every feature of the Park you'd want to know about. It includes things about geothermal features, wildlife, history, fires, hiking trails, and so much more!
   It was fun to come across something in the Park, flip open this book, and be able to read more about what we were seeing. Very interesting and educational! We bought other guides, but THIS IS THE ONE WE USED.



3. In one word - excellent! If you are going to Yellowstone this is the only book you will need. Heads above Fordor's or Frommer's travel books on Yellowstone. On our trip to Yellowstone in mid-June 2007 we also took along the Frommers guide to Yellowstone loaned to us by a friend. We never needed it because Yellowstone Treasures has it all and in an easy to follow comprehensive do everything and see everthing guide.
   
   I bought this book from Amazon because of the positive reviews. I scanned the book before we left and as we approached the east entrance my wife started reading to me what we will see and learn as we drove. The author left nothing out and we could find no miscues. It was our "bible" that we never left our room without.
   
   Many of the other reviews on Amazon give you details into how the book is setup and the general contents so I won't go into that. I just can't give this book enough kudo's. Five star rating for sure!



4. This is a good book to have with you in Yellowstone. I especially liked the road logs. It is a good resource that brings together information that would otherwise need to be gathered from multiple resources and is sometimes not even available elsewhere. Combined with T. Scott Bryan's "The Geysers of Yellowstone", it was very well used on our trip!



5. Highly recommend this book. Well written explaination of what you are seeing. Much better than the park service materials.