Customer Reviews

Backcountry Adventures Arizona: The Ultimate Guide to the Arizona Backcountry for Anyone With a Sport Utility Vehicle (Backcountry Adventures) (Backcountry Adventures)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found this very informative showing good facts and details, examples would be gps coordinates and road information (like you'll pass mine shaft on rt then road forks). One will find that the book also has a detailed road description in reverse, in case you are on a road traveling from the other end. You will also love the maps, lots of them, on every page. Then on each page the author talks about what hazards to look for and what sights to see, goes into good overall detail, very well done. The book goes over facts of 4 wheeling for the novice and the pro so that all can enjoy the outdoors and be safe at the same time. When traveling these roads you'll have the guide next to you with page marked for constant referance. Take your camera and a tripod to record your trip.

I have had the So Cal book for a few years and love it, so I expected this book to be just like that but of a different region/state. The AZ book doesn't have the same amount of information. The trails are just as detailed with GPS points but I wanted to say that I feel that the author didn't put as much time into this one and thats why not rated a 5. Its still a great book and in my opinion still the best choice out there for anyone who likes the road less traveled and own any type of SUV. There is great information about all the trail's history, color pictures and the rating system is something that you could trust before you hit the trails.

I found that this book was great for our off road adventures in our new Jeep. The area we visited was Sedona and Jerome, AZ, area. What we liked about this book is the odometer readings were very exact, that the book had you zero out your odometer frequently and reset the odometer. The descriptions of the off road trails were very accurate. The rating systems for difficulty factor and scenic factor are very realistic. Also the milege of the trip and the time it takes to finish the route are included in each trip. You can also use GPS coordinates.

Many of the best trails in AZ are listed in this book. The GPS and Map references help get to the trails and out the other end. The history of the trails and info on the animals, mines and formations make driving these trails even more fun to ride.

The trails in the book are not hardcore 4-wheeling but do take you to a lot of fun places in arizona. Most stock SUVs can take these trails. There are a lot of good camping spots throughout the book. the trail descriptions and GPS coordinates are more than adequate to get you there. The only thing I didn't like is The trail maps are all rotated and so North is not always up which makes it a little harder to orient oneself.

This is another hit for the Backcountry Adventures series. This is the fourth of these books that I have purchased. They are very well done giving lots of information other than just about the roads. I have used the previous ones to navigate many backroads, especially in Colorado, with no problem at all. It would be nice to have a few more of the tougher trails included, but this is written with the stock SUV in mind. Excellent especially for someone just getting into wheeling, but also good for the experienced crowd because of the references to the scenery and other sights available even on the easy trails. I'm looking forward to trying some of these trails!

Can't say enough about this book. A friend & I use this book almost on a weekly basis & wouldn't be without it. We have enjoyed so many of these backroads that we otherwise would never have found on our own.Difficulty of trails and the GPS coordinates are right on.Only problem I can think of is the book is a bit dated. But overall its a 10.

This is a solid reference for discovering AZ backcountry roads & trails for exploring but it has some problems. It has a very good reading section on local and AZ history and historic figures to provide context. Its descriptive of trails and roads and a good planning tool, but not very useful in the field unless you're a geocacher used to relying on latitude/longitude references:
1. The maps are not uniformly oriented to North, so they're confusing when you try to use them in conjunction with a road map or a GPS map screen. Trying to use these maps while actually on the trail drove me nuts.
2. Maps are too sketchy; often omitting your access from main roads, and major landmarks. Things like stream fords, problem spots, bridges,etc should be indicated. For example, it would be nice to note that a trail you're interested in exploring is right next to a major resort, as would having a simple notation like "...10 mi. to I-17" on the access point.
3. There should be a simple thumbnail keymap shown with each individual trail map to provide a regional location. If planning a trip and chosing trails, you have to constantly refer back the beginning of the section to locate the trail on the regional map.
4. Long/lat waypoint listings are overemphasized and the space would be better used for decriptive text. Waypoint data could be shown on the map.
5. The book is printed very high quality, but it does weigh a TON!

Great book but not entirely up-to-date. The author needs to run each of these routes at least once a year to keep it up to date.