A FalconGuide to Death Valley National Park (Exploring Series) [Paperback]

Bert Gildart (Author), Jane Gildart (Author)

Book Description

Series: Exploring Series | Publication Date: January 1, 2005

Discover thirty of the best drives and hikes in this remarkable national park so you'll know where to go and what to do to get the most out of your visit.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Located on California's southeastern border with Nevada, Death Valley National Park is the largest national park in the continental United States and includes the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. Encompassing nearly 3.4 million acres, it's a land of great mystery, beauty, and natural geological oddities, from the lunar landscape of Zabriskie Point and the dramatic colors of Marble Canyon to the heat-crackling stones at the Devils Golf Course and the shifting sands at Eureka, Panamint, and Death Valley Dunes. A FalconGuide® to Death Valley National Park directs you to thirty of the best drives and hikes in this immense and diverse area, showing you where to go and what to do to get the most out of your visit.

Inside you'll find:
detailed maps and trail information
accurate directions from major access points
information about the area's history, ecology, and geology
safety precautions, and how to cope with the heat

Whether you plan to stay for a day or a week, use A FalconGuide® to Death Valley National Park as your guide.

About the Author

Bert and Jane Gildart are hikers, writers, and photographers specializing in outdoor recreation. They live in Bigfork, Montana.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 1st edition (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762728078
• ISBN-13: 978-0762728077
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #916,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars very dissapointed - deserves 1 star, September 15, 2005

By 

Blaze (Pleasant Hill, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A FalconGuide to Death Valley National Park (Exploring Series) (Paperback)

I have been a fan of Falcon Guides. I was dissapointed to see that it doesn't include the usual charts of elevation gain and loss on hikes nor an overall rating of elevation gain and loss. It is confusing how it combines drives and hikes. I was also dissapointed that it seems to focus on drives rather than hikes.

I have a number of the Falcon Guides and have generally found them very helpful. This one has the hikes and drives all mixed up together. I took it to Death Valley recently and found it essentially useless. We ended up using the National Geographic topo map and the free material provided instead. If you want a hiking guide, this is not it. It doesn't provide the regular info. that the Falcon Guides usually do, such as an elevation map for the hikes, etc. I plan to donate it to the library and get something else for the next trip.

I gave it 3 stars before taking to Death Valley and Amazon wouldn't let me change the number of stars upon my return.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good touring, as opposed to hiking, guide to the park, February 1, 2009

By 

The Belgo "lebelgo" (Walnut Creek, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A FalconGuide to Death Valley National Park (Exploring Series) (Paperback)

This book describes 30 activities in and around Death Valley National Park. Most involve driving, often with 4WD, but some involve short-distance hiking. This is probably a good book to take if you're going to spend 3 or 4 days in the park, especially if you have 4WD or at least a high-clearance vehicle. The hiking selections, however, are quite sparse, and have very limited information. For example, there is no information on elevation changes, and the crude maps don't even have any topographical lines. This is a good guide for logistics as to what to see in the park, primarily from a motorist's perspective. Be aware, however, that this is by no means a hiking guide.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very basic but does the job, April 27, 2008

By 

J. Huang (New Haven, CT USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A FalconGuide to Death Valley National Park (Exploring Series) (Paperback)

Hard to find any dedicated Death Valley books at a physical bookstore. Bought this book based on the reviews left here. Surprised by the slim size of the book, as compared with guides to some of the other national parks (only 143 pages vs. 250+ for Moon's Yosemite guide). However, does the job for a driving tour of the park. If you're looking to do more on foot, look elsewhere.