Customer Reviews

Alaska's Accessible Wilderness: A Traveler's Guide to AK State Parks

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There is a reason you see used versions of this book for sale. I was very disappointed in that it only covers 6 parks. Considering the number of state parks in Alaska, this is a pretty poor showing. Those that are covered are covered in a "this is what I did" vein and not in a "this is what is available" manner that I was expecting.

This book is different, and that's its charm! Instead of a simple turn-left, turn-right, camp-here guide, it is a trip-planner and day-dreamer's book of beautiful wilderness images and essays. Because the design and photos are top-rate, it would also work as a gift book or post-trip keepsake. Sherwonit introduces each park with a 1st-person travel essay, describing hiking, paddling, and animal-watching adventures, and the author's own personal connection to these places. Then there are great how-to sections, sidebars, and lavishly illustrated maps. The softcover, square-shaped format make it more aesthetically pleasing than a small, narrow guidebook, but less unwieldy than a coffee table book.

Alaska is so vast, overwhelming, and superlative, it can be hard to imagine how to explore it, but this book helps the reader visualize and plan. If this book is so pleasing, why isn't it better known? I think it's the title. "Accessible" wilderness might make readers think of wheelchair paths, when in fact, this book is about wild and remote parklands that are simply *easier* to reach (though not always easy). Another reason this book is overlooked is that it focuses on Alaska's state parks instead of its more famous national parks (like Denali National Park). But again, that's the book's strength. Tourists cruise past Denali STATE Park without realizing what they're missing, and many "Outsiders" have never heard of places like Kachemak Bay State Park and Wood-Tikchik. Though every park covered is unique, all but one are within 325 miles of Anchorage, the state's urban hub. (One of the parks, Chugach State Park, actually backs up to Anchorage, bringing moose, bears and salmon to our backdoors.) As an Alaskan, I'm tempted to keep our great state parks under wraps, but I'd hate for readers to miss this fine book by a writer who really knows and appreciates the state's natural treasures.

The book includes descriptions of some of Alaska's parks. I find it a cross between a travel narrative and a travel guide. The photos and narrative provided good descriptions. The title is a alittle misleading in that the book focuses on a few of the main state parks and does not provide details on every state park on the road system. What it does provide is the authors experience of the 'sense of place,' what it might be like to be there. For that, it is well worth it.