Customer Reviews

Best Easy Day Hikes Grand Canyon

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4 star:		(3)
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For those folks looking for a handy guide to easy Grand Canyon trails they can't go wrong with this guide. Each of the 17 descriptions includes basic facts such as trail mileage, elevation change, water availability, type of trail, directions to the trailhead and other information. Each hike is described in appropriate detail including comments about the vegetation. Upon reaching the hike's destination the author has excellent descriptions of the views encountered. Adkison's writing style is clear and easy to understand. Each hike has an easy to understand map. For those wanting to pick out more canyon details I recommend the National Geographic Trails Illustrated Grand Canyon National Park Topo Map. His mix of hikes includes not only those where one would meet a lot of other people but those where one is likely to enjoy much solitude. Both rim trails and below the rim trails are included in the book. The handy small size of this book makes it easy to carry in one's pocket or pack.

One has to be careful with Amazon Reviews sometimes. There is a tendency for Amazon's editors to simply transfer reviews from one edition of a book to another. This is fine on occasion, but wildly inappropriate for hiking guides. A case in point is this second edition of Adkison's 'Best Easy Dayhikes Grand Canyon.' The feature review notes that the parking information is outdated. The first edition certainly was by 2004, but this new edition (2005) includes all the parking rules that are now in effect. Adkison has also modified information on the South Rim trail to reflect its current extension, and updated information on the Shoshone Point trail.

The bottom line is that this is now a very useful book. Most people visiting the Grand Canyon don't have time for extensive treks beneath the rim. (Indeed, permits for backpacking trips are almost impossible to come by.) But if you are interested in seeing the canyon up close and personal as opposed to simply from the tour bus, by all means get this book. It contains a lot of interesting walks which can get you away from some of the heavy congestion in the park. It will certainly repay in recreational value the purchase price.

This is an interesting and well written book, but a few cautionary notes are in order. The book is severely outdated, especially regarding parking and locating trailheads. The South Kaibab can no longer be driven to, you must take a shuttle bus. This is integral information for the casual tourist or the serious hiker.

In addition, the title of the book is a little misleading. If you visit in the summer, there really are no easy hikes within the park. This is because of the extreme heat on the south rim and the unusually dry conditions that prevail there. I've hiked in the canyon for 25 years, including many rim to rim hikes, and anyone who underestimates the canyon will probably end up humbled, at the very least.

This is a good book for couch potatoes who want to experience the Grand Canyon but aren't interested in strenuous or long treks. Just be wary of the parking info contained within, it is outdated.

As mentioned by a reviewer in April, this edition is updated and current. Though I would argue that several of the hikes in this book aren't "easy" (few in the Grand Canyon are) the author does an excellent job of highlighting very worthwhile hikes....a few of which really ARE easy (i.e. the plateau top trails). Not to say that the others are strenuous...but "easy" is stretching it a bit. However, the range of hikes covered makes this book just right for many Grand Canyon visitors.

I got this book (and many others) in preparation for authoring a DVD Hiking Guide Jon's DVD Hiking Guides - Grand Canyon National Park) If you're looking for a book with the least strenuous trails, but that give you a lot of bang for the buck, this is for you!

This small booklet provides a wonderful overview of the best easy day-hikes in the Grand Canyon. It's easy to browse the book and develop a vacation plan for taking some of the day-hikes. The author identifies a few day-hikes that offer some of the more spectacular canyon overlooks. A worthy investment.

Our family found this to be a good guide to Grand Canyon trails during our visit in August, 2000. The descriptions of the Bright Angel trail and South Kaibab trail were accurate. However, the Rim trail, which is described in detail in the book, seems to no longer exist. I don't know who's at fault. The NPS does a terrible job of marking its Grand Canyon trails. Don't assume that every trail described in the book will be there. Check with an NPS employee first.

A fine little book, light and almost pocket-sized, covering basic walks - the rest (the visual experiences of the walks) speak for themselves, so there are no grand color photos, fortunately. Although some of the material here is covered in the newspaper-like handout one receives when arriving at the rim, there is additional info here of value. Recommended.

Just got back from the Grand Canyon and thought this was very helpful. My 65 year old mom made the south kaibaa trail to Cedar Ridge. Mom stopped just below ooh ahh point but it was a relatively easy hike . There is advice at the front of the book and at the trailhead that one should read. I found this very helpful.

This is an excellent guide to the different day hikes available in the park. The book has some organizational problems, and day hikers should beware that no hike below the rim can be categorized as "easy" despite what it says in the front of the book. Some of the information is now dated, including road names, when shuttles run, and the location of the main visitor center. The Rim Trail does indeed exist and the description in the book is accurate, although the trail has now been extended to Pipe Creek Vista and does not end at Yavapai Observation Station as the book states. For ideas about what to do at Grand Canyon in terms of day hiking, this book is hard to beat.