Customer Reviews

The Essential Guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (Jewels of the Rockies)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Charlie & Diane have surprised the hiking public once again with their great new guide to the Sand Dunes. Soon to be declared a National Park, this full color book is set up in easy to understand color-coded sections, a first that I have seen. It is focused on a small area, so understandably goes into great detail, something many guidebooks can not do as they pretend to cover a huge aray of peaks, or trails, or entire state or regional hiking concepts. If you like getting every last bit of info on a cool place like Sand Dunes, well, this is your book. You will probably wake up with some grit in your teeth, but that's OK, sand is the name of the game here.

The Essential Guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is absolutely the best I have ever seen. It is extremely well organized and very informative. The authors did an outstanding job of providing area history along with available facilities and activities. They also included detailed maps, safety considerations and overviews of the various ecosystems. The photography is inspirational throughout each section of the book. I found it to be very entertaining and easy to read.

Sincerely,
Bud Norlin

This new guidebook covers ALL aspects of the Great Sand Dunes. There is something for everyone interested in this beautiful, unique ecosystem in Colorado: natural and cultural history, hiking and climbing and other recreational activities, and local events and attractions . . . this book has it all. Want to know about the eolian (wind) geology that formed the dunes? Want to know which picnic spots are the best? Want to know what rock pro you can leave at home when climbing The Prow route on Kit Carson Mountain? The Wingers seem to provide information and resources about everything! Their easy, conversational style draws you into the delights of the dunes and echoes the small-town friendliness of the surrounding area. And this is a guidebook that can travel with you - its quality binding and sturdy pages will hold up to frequent use, which is inevitable once you experience this special area of Colorado.

Having read and reviewed many a guidebook, I can say without hesitation that GSDNP&P is one of the best I've yet to come across. Indeed, its closest competition may come from the Wingers' HIGHPOINT ADVENTURES, a guide to climbing (or, in some cases, driving up) the summits of the fifty States.

Charlie and Diane Winger must have enjoyed researching and writing this book--that's obvious as its so much fun to read. Covering vitually every conceivable aspect of the National Mounument (which is expected to become a National Park shortly)--natural and cultural history, park facilities, hiking, climbing, biking, fishing--there's never a dull moment, with maps, insets and photos galore.

Although I haven't been to the Park personally, after reading the Winger's paean to the area, I'm planning to do so as soon as possible.

Although the Great San Dunes National Park is the draw, the San Luis Valley has much more to offer than a slide down the dunes or wade in Medano Creek, and the Wingers tell you where to go and how to get there. They also give you the cultural and historical context, flora, fauna and place name translations. Well written and beautifully photographed, this guide is essential for those who come to experience the place as well as the sand. They even suggest renting the classic Japanese film, Woman in the Dunes. Thanks, Charlie and Diane!

This book is a must read for anyone visiting this area. The diversity of activities which are covered in the Guide should make everyone want to vist this area. Whether you are a tourist from the "flatlands" or an experienced mountaineer, this book has something for everyone.
The Winger's have done an outstanding job describing the sights and sounds of the Park. You can almost feel the breezes caress your body as you spend your night amongst the dunes watching for shooting stars!
While the dunes are the main attraction, the surrounding fourteen thousand foot peaks have an alure all their own. Especially enjoyable was their description of the Zapata Falls area and what adventurous person could resist a trip to those Marble Caves? Spanish Gold, you say?
The book contains many treasures of its own and will occupy a special place on my bookshelf for years to come. "Essential" is surely the correct word to describe this guidebook.

This is a beautiful and informative book, filled with hiking information, places to see, fun activities, history, and hundreds of color photos. I was amazed at the variety of scenery, plant and animal life, and terrain found within the National Park and the huge National Preserve around it, as well as other great nearby natural wonders. This guide is well-written, with something for everyone. You'll spend hours paging through it "ooo-ing" and "ah-ing" over places like Zapata Falls and Marble Caves and chuckling about Colorado's alligator farm. Our family can hardly wait to plan a trip to see "the dunes" and everything around them!

This book was informative and helpful for my backpacking trip to the Great Sand Dunes, but I came across at least one subject that was out of date. The book states that there are campsites surrounding Lake Medano. Before you hike all the way up Mount Herard expecting to camp by the lake, those campsites have been closed down and no camping is allowed by the lake. There is one designated spot off the trail before it splits off towards the lake, and one or two other areas suitable for setting up a small camp. This was the only inaccuracy I came across, but it might be worth the time to call the rangers if there are any questions about current conditions. In all, though, the book was definitely a good resource to have.

Without a doubt, this book covers the Great Sand Dunes National Park and its surrounding area like a wet blanket. I am planning to visit there this summer and read this book cover to cover within a day. The information the book provides were fantastic and knowledgeable. Its also well written and side-notes initiated by that tiger beetle icon proves to be cute and informative as well. After reading this book, I can say with good assurances that I am ready to go to that park with plenty of foreknowledge.

There are few downsides to this book. First is that some parts of the book appears slightly outdated since it is 7 years old already. Another thing is that while this park is known for its sand dunes, most of the activities the book informed us take place up in the four-wheel drive country, forest, mountains and such. Such information may be useful to locals and some tourists who can spend several days there but to an "one day" tourist like me, I rather read more on the sand dunes hiking. But I guess there isn't much to write about hiking to High Dune or Star Dune since the pages devoted to sand dunes hiking are pretty limited.

Overall, this is a great book but it really needs a second edition.

Excellent book...as a avid backpacker i was very impressed with the hiking/trail descriptions included...there a TONS of them...very good educational information about the dunes and the surrounding areas as well...I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to get a little more out of there dunes trip than a trip to the visitors center...while your there try and catch a sunset from atop the dunes!