Complete Guide to Colorado's Wilderness Areas [Paperback]

John Fielder (Photographer)

Book Description

Series: Wilderness Guidebooks | Publication Date: May 1994

Since the passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964, Congress has designated 41 wilderness areas in Colorado, totaling some 3.4 million acres ranging from desert to sagebrush to alpine crags. In addition, other undeveloped areas and national parklands have been proposed for wilderness status. In its newly revised second edition, The Complete Guide to Colorado's Wilderness Areas continues to serve as the foremost guide to these magnificent wild places.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Fielder is Colorado's best-known nature photographer, publisher, teacher and preservationist with 39 exhibit-format books and guidebooks to his credit, including John Fielder's Best of Colorado and Colorado 1870-2000. He is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the Sierra Club's Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography (1993) and the Aldo Leopold Foundation's first ever Achievement Award (2011). John Fielder's photography has influenced people and legislation, and he has worked tirelessly to promote the protection of Colorado's open space and wildlands. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Westcliffe Publishers (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565790529
• ISBN-13: 978-1565790520
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #481,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Colorado

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For A Wonderful High Country Tour - Vicarious or Actual..., July 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Guide to Colorado's Wilderness Areas (Paperback)

This book continues to satisfy my thirst for touring the Colorado high country albeit from an arm chair in Illinois.

What I like about it are the pictures, the brief historical notes about how this or that area became designated as a wilderness area, and, of course, the descriptions of trails--both accessible and out of the way. (In mentioning the pictures, I do not want to give you the impression that this is an album. The pictures are here and there, well chosen to show the character of the area but not page after page as might be done with a "coffee table" book.)

The trail descriptions give details of the route, show schematic maps, rate the trails in terms of strenuousness, miles, altitude, and so on.

The copyright (which in the current edition for sale was 1994 as I write this) is some time back so if you are going beyond the vicarious I would suggest augmenting this book with later ones to learn of recent changes to land ownership, access, and other sorts of details.

However, the book is a great way to begin deciding on an area to visit. It is great as a survey of the enticements of different areas because of its brevity and focus on the wilderness itself. After all, the mountains have not changed that much since the book was issued.

I keep giving my copy away to friends who are planning trips to Colorado, which is why I'm back here buying another one, so I guess that means it's a good gift as well.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a "must have" for Colorado Hiking., June 26, 2001

By 

Todd Egan (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Guide to Colorado's Wilderness Areas (Paperback)

I'm a native Coloradan. No matter what I want to do, be it a quick day hike up to a 4 day backpacking trip, this book has it. I own other hiking books, but this one gets by far the most use. I love the historical descriptions of each wilderness area. The maps are good enough to get your bearings and find the trailhead. Plus each Wilderness Area has a "John Fielder's Favorite" hike which always spectacular.

One thing, though. A reviewer below said the maps are inadequate... If you plan on anything more than a day hike, you should have topographical anyway. This is true for most if not all guide books.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flat-out awesome!, July 7, 2000

By 

Jim Dozer "Follow the evidence- it always lea... (Littleton, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Guide to Colorado's Wilderness Areas (Paperback)

As one of the few Colorado Natives, I have seen much of the state. But our local boy John Fielder has seen much more. His ratings, descriptions and maps have been 'right-on' with what I have seen thus far and with the Fielder photography, it provides a great additional perspective on the already detailed descriptions. I 've gotten lost in the book a few times just dreaming of my next outing!