Best Easy Day Hikes Yosemite National Park, 2nd (Best Easy Day Hikes Series) [Paperback]

Suzanne Swedo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Best Easy Day Hikes Series | Publication Date: June 1, 2005

Sampling twenty-four of the most scenic and least physically challenging trails within the park, this guide features spectacular hikes accessible by paved road, and all are easy to find. This indispensable guide provides accurate hike descriptions, easy-to-follow maps, and concise trail information for the author's favorite trails. With hikes varying from half-hour strolls to full-day adventures, it has something for everyone.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

For more than twenty-five years, FalconGuide® has set the standard for outdoor recreation guidebooks. Written by top outdoors experts and enthusiasts, each guide invites you to experience the endless adventure and rugged beauty of the great outdoors.
Best Easy Day Hikes Yosemite National Park includes concise descriptions and easy-to-follow maps for twenty-four short hikes on well-defined trails through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.

Featuring:
Half-hour strolls to full-day adventures
Hikes for everyone, including families
All hikes accessible from paved roads

About the Author

Suzanne Swedo, director of W.I.L.D., teaches wilderness survival and natural sciences at universities, museums, and organizations such as Yosemite Association and the Sierra Club. She has backpacked the mountains of every continent and led groups into the wilderness for over twenty-five years. Her books include Wilderness Survival, Hiking California's Golden Trout Wilderness, Hiking Yosemite National Park, and Adventure Travel Tips (Falcon). She lives in Van Nuys, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 2nd edition (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762730544
• ISBN-13: 978-0762730544
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,015,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mid Week or Off Season Only, December 12, 2005

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Best Easy Day Hikes Yosemite National Park, 2nd (Best Easy Day Hikes Series) (Paperback)

Visiting Yosemite National Park should top the "to do" list of any outdoor enthusiast in California. It is famous for its scenic wonders: stunning waterfalls, giant sequoia trees, and imposing walls of granite. Unfortunately, most of us can only spare a few days for a trip to this grand park. Multiple short day hikes therefore offer the best approach to exploring all Yosemite has to offer and Suzanne Swedo's book is an excellent place to start.

This book describes some of the classic Yosemite Walks including the trails to Vernal Falls, Glacier Point, Lembert Dome and the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias. These walks are classics because they feature world class scenery, and if you do them on a summer weekend you are likely to share the trail with thousands of tourists from all over the world. Fortunately Swedo also includes hikes to lesser known gems like Chilnualna Falls and the Tuolumne Grove of Sequoias. Still, if you want to avoid the crowds, these trails are best explored mid-week or during the off season. That said, this book, like the trails it describes, provides a lot of bang for the buck. It is well worth the price if you are planning a visit to Yosemite.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not always accurate, May 23, 2007

By 

Nikon Shooter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best Easy Day Hikes Yosemite National Park, 2nd (Best Easy Day Hikes Series) (Paperback)

This is a handy little book to carry around Yosemite. It's suggested hikes are great.

I did find at least one error. The hike to Sentinel Dome tells you to "continue around the base of the dome on your left (west)" which is virtually impossible. There is no trail there. I finally gave up and hiked back to the trail head and spend the rest of the time down the road at Glacier Point. I found out later that I should have gone right, not left, around the base of the dome.

The hike to Vernal Falls is described well, but the author doesn't mention that from the footbridge at the base of the falls it is 100 yards to the Vernal Falls Viewpoint. I found it out later. If you've gone as far as the footbridge, you might as well enjoy the view slightly further up.

In spite of a few problems, I recommend this book for families and causal hikers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great overview, November 27, 2009

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Glenn Olshefsky - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Best Easy Day Hikes Yosemite National Park, 2nd (Best Easy Day Hikes Series) (Paperback)

I did roughly half of the hikes in this book on a 5 day trip. The book definitly points out the spots worth visitng. My only complaint was that it didn't go into the level of detail I was hoping for. The maps are very rough and can sometimes be confusing. The elevation changes are not always on either. This book is great, but supplement it with another book on trails and a detailed relief park map.