Customer Reviews

Complete Guide to Colorado's Wilderness Areas

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

Each wilderness area includes a high quality, full color picture, one page of background information, a list of applicable topo maps, and several hikes with route details. Whether you're planning a trip or dreaming about getting out, this book is excellent!

This book has become my "bible" for exploring the most beautiful and wild areas in Colorado from my home in Colorado Springs. My original copy of the book was destroyed when it was left in a soft-top jeep with the windows off, during a rain storm (while hiking one of the trails in the book, nonetheless). That is why I am back here to purchase another! One word of warning: the author seems to underestimate, vs. overestimate, the trail distances. Be prepared to hike an extra mile or two! This book is great!

If you live in or love Colorado this is a GREAT book. The images by John Fielder
are amazing and the information is worth every bit of the price of the book.
I like mine so much that I had the spine taken off and put on a spiral binding
so it would lay flat.

I take this with me on my travels through northern Colorado.

A good reference providing an overview of gorgeous Colorado. The book includes a description of each wilderness area and then lists 4 hikes; a day hike, an overnight, a loop and a shuttle hike (2 cars). My complaints are that the maps are poor, and there is no mention of where to camp (for backpackers this is not a problem). There is a beautiful Fielder color photo for each wilderness area providing a glimpse of where you're heading. Overall a very good book, but you'll need a campsite guide book and a good topo map ("The Roads of Colorado" from Shearer is very good) to properly plan a trip.

I do reference this book once in a while so it's not a total casualty. But I wish it was better. The maps are weak, the trail descriptions are much too short, and the pictures are generic. Whenever I reference this book, more often than not I find myself wishing they wrote more about some things and less about others. My guess is you'll find this book to be just a bit more confusing than you'd want it to be. Summary: it's okay. Not terrible, not great.