Customer Reviews

Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies: The Opinionated Hiking Guide

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My husband and I spent a couple of weeks in the Banff/Jasper/Kootenay region last summer and relied mostly on this guide to choose our hikes. Boy was that a good decision. This guide has all the basics (round trip distance, elevation gain, estimated time, difficulty rating, directions to trailhead, etc.). What's more, it has a ranking system from "premier" to "don't do" based mostly on aesthetics. We tried hikes of all ratings and fully concurred with the author's opinions.

The book is also organized very well to help you find your hikes. It is split up into day hikes and backpacking trips (we are day hikers). Within those groups, the hikes are grouped into "quality" rankings and are numbered. The front of the book contains maps of each covered park (Waterton Lakes, Jasper, Banff, Yoho Kootenay, Mt. Assiniboine) with the associated hike numbers so you can find the locations of the best hikes, and/or see which are grouped closer together. And index in the back helps you find hikes by name.

If you're looking for information on accommodations or other activities in the area, this is not the book for you. Also, if you care about color photos (I don't), this isn't for you-- all pictures are black and white. However, I did not find that this absence detracts at all from the book's usefulness. The descriptions are quite mouth-watering enough on their own (and are often humorous).

This is one terrific hiking guide; I only wish similar ones were available for more parks!

"Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies," by Kathy and Craig Copeland, bills itself as an opinionated hiking guide to the Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, and Waterton Lakes National Parks in western Canada. The Copelands are experienced and obviously very fit hikers who offer their take on worthwhile hikes.

The book is divided into a series of chapters, each covering a hike or area of interlinked hikes. Each chapter offers basic data such as the distance of hikes, elevation change, and a rating for difficulty. The Copeland's rating system of easy, moderate and challenging presupposes at least some level of basic fitness and should be taken seriously with respect to the challenge posed by the terrain and the highly variable weather in the Canadian Rockies. Each chapter includes commentary on the special aspects of the terrain covered by the hike, typically grouped with sketch maps and photos and a recommendation for the appropriate supplemental map.

The Copelands also offer much useful information on the weather, wildlife, and other potential hazards in the Rockies, along with sound recommendations for equipment and trip planning.

The Copelands write in an entertaining style; this author found their opinions on what can be experienced on various hikes to be well-founded, based on several seasons of hiking in the Canadian Rockies. This book is highly recommended to the non-technical but enterprising hiker looking to explore the Canadian Rockies.

Review of FIFTH EDITION (published July 2006)... I originally ordered this book through Amazon, but after not shipping for more than a month I decided to order it directly from the Authors. I was pleasantly surprised to have my email answered within a few hours, and to receive a phone call from Kathy Copeland shortly afterwards. As I was awaiting for the book to arrive, I had several email exchanges with Kathy, in which she freely gave hiking suggestions for Glacier NP, and answered specific questions. Before even seeing the book, it became obvious to me that the authors have great satisfaction in experiencing great hikes, and perhaps greater satisfaction in helping others have the same experience (something I can really relate to, and the very qualities you want in the author of a hiking book). With that quality of service, I had great anticipated the arrival of their book. I was not disappointed.

While the writing style is unique (interesting, humorous, whatever), make no mistake about it-- the book is "COMMON SENSE" to the core, both in content and in it's organization. And it follows the "golden rule"-- the authors provide exactly the kind of information that they (and most hikers) would want if they were to purchase a hiking book. The emphasis in rating hikes is primarily placed upon the WOW-factor of the hike (i.e. how much does this hike STIMULATE me scenically, be it through sweeping vistas, lush meadows, iridescent lakes,... whatever). Distances and elevations are specified in both English (miles/ft) and metric (km/m)... for those of you in the US who have never spent hours converting figures in a hiking book published in Canada, believe me, this is something to be VERY thankful for!

The beginning of the book includes a "Trip Locations" section-- overview maps of the various national parks, dotted with trail numbers, and on the same/opposite page they list names of the hikes and their rating (Premier, Outstanding, Worthwhile, Don't do). So the hikes are arranged visually by park location.

Shortly afterward, a "Dayhikes at a Glance" section arranges the hikes by rating (Premier's listed first, then Outstanding,...etc.), first for the dayhikes, then the backpacking trips. These tables also show distance and elevation gains. This is precisely the kind of information you need to plan a trip. An index of the very best "Wildflower Hikes" is a nice touch.

The introduction section(s) also cover all the standards you typically would expect (i.e. preparation, weather, bears, trail ethics,...etc.).

The back of the book includes a "Trip Maps" section-- these are not topo maps (which are generally useless tiny black/white photocopies in hiking books anyway), but appear to take the form of sketches, though apparently done using computer software. The maps do not illustrate 3-dimensional relief (i.e. valleys, ridges, mountains), but everything is clearly named: the path of the trail(s) shown in red, the lakes/rivers in blue, mountain peaks as black triangles, and parking/trailheads as black circles. The scale is also shown. The inclusion of distances and elevations (which is included in the individual hike overviews) would have made the maps perfect for a hiking book, but they fall short in this area (improvement project for the next edition?)

The individual hikes are very logically arranged. First, all of the day-hikes are listed in one section, followed by another section listing the backpacking (extended) hikes. VERY helpful if you mostly day-hike (as e do), or mostly backpacks. Within each of these sections, the authors list the Premier hikes first (ordered geographically as you move northwest through the Canadian Rockies), followed by all the Outstanding hikes,....etc. VERY helpful in identifying what hikes should be at the top of the itinerary. The description of each hike first includes the authors "Opinion", followed by all of the "Facts". Again, VERY helpful, because when facts/opinions are combined (as with most hiking books), you have to wade through all the factual info to get the opinions (i.e. determine if the hike is worth doing). Likewise, when you want to get the facts, you sometimes have to wade through opinions. Keeping them separate was a smart decision.

Each hike begins with a table which lists: Location, Round Trip Distance(s), Elevation Gain(s), Key Elevations, Hiking Time, Difficulty, and Maps (pg on which map is found, and specific topo map which can be purchased).

Nearly all hikes include a sizable color picture(s) of the most scenic portion(s) of the hike-- exactly what you would want to see. The opinionated descriptions describe exactly what makes this hike appealing, the degree to which it has appeal, and if unappealing, then suggested alternatives in the vicinity. VERY well done.

Suggested improvements? I think the authors place a heavy emphasis upon solitude, but for a significant number of people, this is not nearly as important as the scenic splendor. Yet, some hikes may have slipped a notch in the rating scale because of their heavy use. It would be helpful if hikes of this nature were denoted with a special symbol of some sort, both in the overview tables and in the table which introduces the individual hikes. To their credit, the authors frequently mention (in the Opinion section) which hikes see heavy usage, but a prominent visual cue indicating that the hike was demoted a rating level (for lack of solitude) would make an excellently arranged book even better.

I also own Grame Pole's book "Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies" (1999 edition). While this is one of my better hiking books (I own about a dozen), the Copeland's book is better in a variety of ways. If you want multiple opinions, buy both. If you want just one, then "Don't waste your..." money on anything other than Copeland's book: "Don't waste your time in the Canadian Rockies".

The writing is lively and informative, and the color pages give a good idea of the terrain covered by these hikes, but this book lacks maps and is very expensive - around $15 higher than a book called the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, by Brian Patton, which is what all the locals recommend (as I found out after I'd already bought this book).

I've read a lot of hiking guides my life and agree with the authors of this book that most are banal and are poorly written. This book is an exception to the rule and I think it's one of the best hiking guides that I have ever read and is entertaining too. True, it might not have the best maps, but the hike descriptions and maps in the back of the book are really all you need to have an awesome hike. The authors divide the book into day hikes, backpacks, and shoulder season hikes (out of season hikes where snow plays a big factor). Then the authors rate the hikes: premier, outstanding, worthwhile, and don't do. I've hiked 17 of the 21 premier hikes and was not disappointed by any of them. One thing the author's don't suggest is where to camp. If you want to do the premier day hikes, than I would suggest you camp in the Lake Louise Campground, as all but 5 of the hikes are within a 30 mile radius. One of the reviews complained about bear closures and how the book didn't mention that. Well, the book does mention that a lot of the trails do get closed from time to time when there are bears located in the area. So, it doesn't really matter what guide book you buy, there is always the possibility that a trail you want to hike may be closed. And yes, one of the reviewers was right, most of the premier hikes require that you are in good physical condition: read the elevation gain and distance to determine whether you are capable of completing the hike. All in all, I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who is planning to hike in the Banff, Jasper, or Yoho Provincial Parks in Canada.

I just spent three weeks hiking in Banff, Jasper, and Yoho National Parks. "Don't Waste Your Time" was the most helpful guide book I could have imagined.

I don't need to repeat every point made in the other five-star reviews on here; but I would like to point out the one feature that made the Copelands' book so useful to me - and this is their ratings system:

The Copelands don't just list dozens of hikes without telling you which one is better or worse than others. Instead they rate them and tell you how worthwile each hike actually is, and why -- and just having hiked for three weeks with "Don't Waste Your Time" in hand I can say, they are pretty much spot-on.

If you would have YEARS to hike in the Canadian Rockies, you could do without these ratings, of course. But if you have only a few days or, at most, two or three weeks, you will be very grateful for the Copelands pointing you towards the very best in hiking the Canadian Rockies have to offer.

One reviewer on here writes that the "Canadian Rockies Trail Guide" by Brian Patton is the "bible" with which "the locals" hike -- which supposedly means that "the locals" do not hike using "Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies".

If that is really the case, or not, I don't know. However, I think this argument is a bit of a no-brainer: People visiting the Canadian Rockies have different needs than the locals. The locals don't need to get the most out of a few days of hiking - visitors coming in for a few days do.

And that's where "Don't Waste Your Time" is superior. It may not list as many hikes as the "Canadian Rockies Trail Guide", but it is so much more helpful in deciding where to hike every day.

If you want to buy only one hiking guide for the Canadian Rockies, buy "Don't Waste Your Time". If you want to buy two guide books, also buy the "Canadian Rockies Trail Guide". To a certain degree, these two complement each other.

I purchased this book to research where the best above-timberline scenery and scrambles would be in Banff and Jasper, and was not disappointed. I can't remember ever seeing a better guidebook -- some in the same league, like J. Gordon Edwards' book, but not a better one. Usually, the lack of good color photos is the major drawback to guidebooks, but the number and quality of the photos in this book is amazing, and the text is really helpful in getting a feel for what the place is like, above and beyond the simple mileages. Even if you're not hiking there soon, this is a great armchair book.

I might have rated this book only as 4 stars, due only to lack of topographic maps... but on reflection, if you're going to be out hiking, you'll be carrying topographic maps with you anyway, not an entire hiking book, so that's not really a drawback.

I noticed that one review compared this book unfavorably with Brian Patton's "Canadian Rockies Trail Guide." The latter is also an excellent book (I have both the 8th and a previous edition), but is more "factual" and less opinionated in tone, has black and white rather than color photos, and doesn't attempt to compare quality of trails with each other. Both that book and this one are very good (I have both and they complement each other), but the color photos and willingness to venture opinions (and just plain enthusiasm) are among the strong points of the Copelands' book. Highly recommended.

The Don't Waste Your time series of guide books is incredible. After an awesome trip to the North Cascades, I trusted Kathy & Craig with my next vacation, and chose to go to the Canadian Rockies. With the help of this book, I had little trouble shuffling plans as necessary (based on weather) and getting to as many fantastic places as I could in my time up there. You could choose another book, but why waste the time when these guys have done all the grunt work for you! Besides, the books are fun to read and give you an awesome idea of what to expect.

Trust me, any hike rated 5 boots is going to amaze you...

The main problem I have is that the series doesn't continue to other ranges!! C'mon Kathy & Craig, how about a book on the Sawtooths? the Sierras? the Alps? the Andes? I'm eagerly waiting :)

I borrowed the earlier edition from a friend to use for a long weekend in Banff NP. No question the title is accurate. I took one highly rated hike (Sentinel Pass) and was blown away with the scenery, once out of the larches. Views from the pass are worth the effort.

Day two we had planned Plain of Six Glaciers but the weather was lousy and took off to Lake Agnes. We should have paid attention to the guide. It was not our best use of time, the views were very limited. The lake and tea house were noteworthy though.

The rain damaged my buddies edition and I bought him this version. Contains improved maps and color photos. I should have bought two just for the photos. If you are inclined to get above tree line for great views, it seems the author has you mind. Only four stars as the maps are still a bit lacking.

I purchased 5 or 6 books on the subject and this is far and away the best guide. Very detailed, reliable and practical info, basic maps in the back with references to Gem Trek topo maps for each hike. Definitely worth the price. Don't waste your time or money on other references. The book is a bit dense and heavy to carry, but (as the authors point out), just make copies of what you need and leave the rest at home!