1 comments about Teton Classics, 2nd: 50 Selected Climbs in Grand Teton National Park.

1. Route finding in the Tetons can be difficult. Richards topo + text book of the classic climbs is a great, concise and compact guide that will get you there and on route, and back down. Has most of the routes most technical climbers will do. Past that - you're copying topos out of the brag book so....

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

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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. This book helped us alot! The information is detailed and just what we wanted. We only were in Yellowstone for 2 days, so we wanted to see all we could, and there is a chapter that is just for that. You can use this kind of like a tour guide. It tells you what you'll see, some history (not too much though), what to expect, etc. It was VERY helpful. We also used this is Grand Teton. The book also give you ideas where to eat and stay (we used the dining info, we had already made our lodging plans before I got the book). I highly recommend this book. I also purchased the Bryce and Zion book, as we were going there too on this vacation.

1 comments about Yellowstone & Grand Teton Wildlife Portfolio.

1. I love the work of Henry Holdsworth. For almost seven years I've had a 20 by 30-inch print by him hanging on my wall. It shows a herd of bison moving up an S-shaped creek bed in Yellowstone Park in a snowstorm. The colors are muted and condensed into a narrow range of light that provides a subtle contrast to the huge beasts. A similar picture appears on the cover of Holdsworth?s portfolio of pictures of the wildlife of Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

   The pictures in the book cover the full range of animals that dwell in the two parks and surrounding area. Although most of the pictures show the dominant wildlife forms like buffalo, moose and elk, there are also pictures of other less frequently seen animals like grosbeaks and mountain lions. And apparently, in those few cases where Holdsworth did not have an image that satisfied his vision, he included the pictures of other photographers.

   Holdsworth is not afraid to put principal players into a subordinate position in a picture to tell a story. I was particularly impressed by his treatment of wolves. There are some good close-ups, but I really found the picture of a bull elk in the fog with the vague outlines of five wolves at a greater distance, just barely visible in the thick grass and fog, to be quite an effective story teller. Another picture of a line of wolves making their way through the snow and pines of the Lamar Valley tells a dramatic story even though there is no prey in sight.

   Holdsworth loves to take pictures under difficult conditions. Many of the pictures show animals in the steam that erupts from inside the earth in Yellowstone, but the photographer also captures foggy, misty days and animals surviving in a snowy landscape. In many of these pictures the range of light is greatly subdued.

   Unfortunately this style may also be Holdsworth's greatest weakness, for commercial purposes. The current trend in outdoor photography is highly saturated pictures with the full range of tones from the most impenetrable blacks to eye-dazzling whites. Some of this is the legacy of Ansel Adams, and modern-day photographers like Art Wolfe. Some of this is the result of the ability to manipulate the image in digital programs, like Photoshop. But Holdsworth seems to have rejected this style to follow his own path. At first I thought that this was a result of the printers' lack of art. However, the few pictures in the book that are more in keeping with current sensibilities convinced me that this limited range of light was a conscious style decision that the photographer had reached. Whether you like it or not depends on your own aesthetic.

   Even if this is not your style, the animal pictures are wonderful enough in form that nature lovers will appreciate this book. And lovers of Yellowstone and Grand Teton will treasure this book.

5 comments about Foghorn Outdoors: Montana, Idaho, & Wyoming Camping: The Complete Guide to more than 1200 Campgrounds.

1. This book is ideal for anyone who has ever had trouble finding a camping spot. More than 1,200 campgrounds in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho are listed along with detailed information, as well as phone numbers and directions to get there. This is one book you will want to keep in your camper and use again and again. Perfect for planning that trip and hitting the road!



2. Readers who had prior editions of this series will be disappointed. The new author has very little commentary. It's now just a listing of campgrounds with facts. Is there shade, are the campsites private, how's the access road, is it busy ... who knows? Many of the campground notes are literally cut-and-pasted from the prior entry. Unfortunately Idaho wasn't covered in the older edition by Tom Stienstra. Very disappointing!



3. My husband bought this for me for Christmas, to plan our anniversary trip in June. I browsed through it, disappointed with how difficult it was to find campgrounds along our route, how cumbersome looking up maps was, as well as that difficult table of contents. Just look in the book online -- what does MT3 tell you? Nothing. That's the problem.

   Check out www.publiclands.org for help finding a campsite. We're into National Parks, and the best overall guide for the Western US we've found is Fodor's Road Guide USA : National Parks of the West. It has enough detail on each park to give you a basic understanding of what you can expect. Don't try this for a hiking guide though.




4. I have found this book to be exceptional and informative, although not as useful as Tom Steinstra's book detailing the same in the Pacific Northwest. This has the correct pricing for most, although occasionally sites raise fees. It also gives short but descript explanations of amenities and sites in the immediate area. I am not sure how someone can say this is not useful, unless they do not have an aptitude for map reading. If you review the maps in the book, along with a road atlas, this is simple. I tend to highlight the sites I like on my atlas with a fine felt tip pen so I do not have to thumb through the book while driving...



5. All inclusive of number of campgrounds and locations, but descriptions meager, and repetitive. Allows little discrimination between campgrounds.

4 comments about Travel Smart: Montana/Wyoming/Idaho.

1. Trying to pack 3 states of immense geography into 272 pages? I'm sorry, but I didn't find any real substance here. Most of the info is sketchy and seems very limited. It only seems to scratch the surface. Pick a state and stick to it.



2. This book is not exhaustive...and isn't intended to be. It's the lowdown on the best places to go and stay and visit. It's written in a breezy, informed style that is fun to read and, from what I can tell, extremely accurate. Judging from the places I've been able to visit recently (Jackson Hole, Bozeman, Yellowstone) the author is right on. I'd recommend this book highly to anyone traveling into this region.



3. i thought this book was an excellent primer...i was able to gain an understanding of each area of the states covered: what each has to offer sporting-wise, weather-wise, lodging- and food-wise. of course it is not as in depth as a single state guide book would be, but for those of us looking to explore all three, it provided a solid foundation from which to begin charting our course. enjoyable writing, as well. i had never read 'travel smart' books...getting another today because i was so pleased.



4. As reviewer Joe Pickett said, this book is well-written and enjoyable. My personal preference is for single state travel books, because they are more exhaustive in their coverage, and thus more useful when traveling. The reason for this review is my amusement at finding an earlier review of this book from 2000 written by Joe Pickett. Joe Pickett is the name of the fictional hero of author C.J. Box's excellent mystery series set in Wyoming, and these books started appearing in 2001, after this review, with the award winning Open Season. I love these books, a perfect blend of mystery and western. So what say you, Mr. Box? Did you write the 2000 review for this book? I also can't help but wonder if C.J. Box is your real name. Perhaps you are a relative of Edgar Box, Gore Vidal's famous pseudonym.

No comments about The Wyoming Camping Guide - Second Edition.

1 comments about National Geographic Trails Illustrated Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA: Topo Map (Trails Illustrated - Topo Maps USA).

1. This is the essential topographical map for hiking in Grand Teton National Park. Like other Trails Illustrated maps, this one comes with all sorts of practical information on the back side of the map. None of this will be new to you if you've read the guide books above, but it's moderately useful having it repeated here.
   
   This map lists some trails but the information isn't full enough to be really useful. Be sure to have a trail guide.

No comments about Best Easy Day Hikes Canyonlands and Arches, 2nd (Best Easy Day Hikes Series).

5 comments about Moon Handbooks Wyoming: Including Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Fifth Edition.

1. By far the best guidebook to the entire state of Wyoming, with excellent detailed sections on Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The book, which is superior to some others in the Moon series, is a labor of love by the author for the land, people, and small towns of the state. Pitcher provides great detail on what to see everywhere; colorful local and regional histories; and affectionate, slightly tongue-in-cheek descriptions of small towns. Sure to enhance a visit of any length.



2. Most of the "name brand" travel guides are for fly-by tourists (though I do appreciate Frommer's guides much more than the rest of the big names). Well, if those books are for tourists, then Moon's handbooks (along with Lonely Planet's guides) are for TRAVELERS. And Moon's Wyoming Handbook is, as others here have said, one of their best. It's thick, it's juicy, it's meaty, it's expansive, it's authoritative and wry. So wherever you are in that great big "empty" terrain, it's got some practical information for and historical and cultural insight into places all around.

   Wyoming has fewer people than any other state (yes, fewer than Rhode Island and Alaska). But it's places of interest are many and varied, though scattered far and wide. You need a good guide and a GOOD READ to cover the miles and the days. I admire author Don Pitcher's efforts here.

   If you choose one guidebook, make it Moon's Wyoming Handbook. If you'd like to get a second general guide to the region for comparison and cross-reference (including more descriptive listings of selected accommodations), I'd add Frommer's guide to Wyoming, which includes Montana as well.




3. I happened on this book in the library and thought it was the best travel book I have ever used. This is nothing missed in this handbook. Great maps and advise.



4. An outstanding guide to a wonderful state. One book, of course, cannot cover all there is about any area this big, but this book does an outstanding job for Wyoming's history, lodging, attractions, background information, etc.

   As for any area, it's good to supplement with other specialized topic and / or area guides, but for a general guide to a large state, this one does a great job.

   Logically arranged, well-written, and very readable, you can almost read it straight through; it's one of the better travel guides available.




5. In preparation for our two-week trip to Wyoming, I purchased this book and read as much as I had time for beforehand. During our trip, I found it to be a handy reference for whatever area we were in (mostly Yellowstone/Grand Tetons). The detail is great and some of our lodging choices and attraction choices were made with reference to the book and it was always accurate. I highly recommend it for those heading to Wyoming.

No comments about Day Hikes In Yellowstone National Park, 4th.