Customer Reviews

Enjoying Big Bend National Park: A Friendly Guide to Adventures for Everyone (W L Moody, Jr, Natural History Series)

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

 

 

I chose the book over others because I thought it would touch on all kinds of adventures in the park, not just hiking. I was really surprised (disappointed) that there was no mention of rafting at all. By all accounts, rafting or paddling the Rio Grande is a must-do while visiting Big Bend. Even the front cover is of Santa Elena Canyon, which is one of the most common areas for guided river trips!

My second "dislike" is with the organization of the book. Here are the chapter titles:
*Two Hour Adventures
*Half Day Adventures
*A Full day Adventure
*Adventures with families and small children
*Adventures for the physically fit
*Adventures at an easy pace
*Adventures for people with limited mobility
*Adventures in a vehicle
*Adventures for nature lovers

So, if you are a physically fit nature lover looking for an all day hike, you've got to sort through at least 3 chapters to find what you're looking for. There are "driving adventures" included in most of the chapters, not just the vehicle chapter.

The photography is nice and it does give you a good idea of the hiking and driving options available in the park, I just wish it were laid out in a more logical fashion and maybe the author can include river trips in a future edition or change the name to "hiking and driving adventures for everyone"

Good Title - Very Enjoyable Read

This is an especially great book for someone who has never been to Big Bend National Park, but even a seasoned traveler (6 times for me) to the Park will enjoy reading this book. I always like to see what someone else thinks of my favorite places and trails, so reading Gary Clark's impressions of Big Bend was interesting and about as close to being there as I can imagine.

I loved reading about the difference in hiking styles, Gary's former "beeline race to the finish" vs. his wife's leisurely, "butterfly hiking", meandering down the trail. I had my husband read that section twice just to make sure he got the message!

The mix of geology, nature, practical advice for safety, beautiful prose, humor and more made this a wonderful read and a very useful reference. I highly recommend this book for planning your trip and it is just the right size to tuck in your suitcase and carry with you throughout the park.

The photos go from breathtakingly beautiful vistas to darn cute little critters that I hope to get a glimpse of on my next visit. And reading this book makes me want to plan that next visit right now.

Very informative and a good way to prepare for your trip to Big Bend. Not a great guide for the off-road trails but does a good job of other areas of the park.

Big Bend National Park is one of America's places of great natural beauty. "Enjoying Big Bend National Park: A Friendly Guide to Adventures for Everyone" is a guide for planning a trip to this national park for readers of all backgrounds, regardless of their age or health. Big Bend has many things to attract tourists, and author Gary Clark thoroughly describes the park's many features. "Enjoying Big Bend National Park" is a top pick for nature tourists.

This book is easy to read and well organized to best manage and plan one's time at Big Bend. Being a seasoned vet of Big Bend, I even ordered a few books for friends and family new to Texas so they can enjoy and experience Big Bend as much as I have. I even learned of new advetures to try on my next trip to Big Bend.