Customer Reviews

100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest

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

 

 

I've hiked dozens of trails out of this same company's trail book for Oregon and found it extremely useful, so upon moving to the Inland NW, I bought this book. Overall the book is great - it has excellent trail overviews, difficulty levels, elevation profiles, "landscape" style maps rather than traditional topographical, and reasonable text describing the trail. It's perfect for any hiker in the Inland NW wanting to find some well known and not-so well known trails in the area.

I would add that having hiked several trails out of this book that there have been times where I've wished the descriptive text was more descriptive. I've had confusing moments out of every trail "guide" book, this is certainly no exception. A good map of the area, common sense, and experience will help there. The other thing I don't like about this particular line of trail books is that everyone you meet on the trail has one of these guide books. I guess I'm not the only one on this island - but I sure love trails with very few people on it or even noone at all!

The reviewer who found the book out of date very likely had an old edition. The revised edition of 2003, with the dark blue cover, is massively improved, updated, expanded with trip options and bonus hikes, and it's as accurate as a guidebook can be in this changing world.

I anticipated the book being about hikes in the Eastern Washington area. The book however covers not only Eastern Washington but also delves into Montana, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. That isn't an inherantly bad thing, but if you're looking specifically for Eastern Washington hikes this might not be the tome to purchase.

The book is pretty detailed in its description of the trails. I found it helpful in learning which trails required permits or other equipment needed for a specific trail.(Like bear proof food containers) The side view of the trail showing elevation is extremely helpful in determining the difficulty of the hike. Additional information on appropriate maps to purchase for a more detailed look at the trail are also included. All in all a great resource book for anyone serious about backpacking/hiking.

This book is great for giving directions to most trail heads. Once you leave the parking lot and head out on the trail you're on your own. The maps in this book are useless. They are 3 inch by 4 inch maps with very little detail. The maps show the main trail you would like to be on, but fails to show the many many trails that are unmarked and look just like the main trail. This could be the fault of the forestry or park service and also the book. The book maps have no trail numbers whatsoever. There are dashed lines and arrows to guide you. When it comes to an intersection of three or more trails your guess is as good as flipping a coin. The only reason I gave this book two stars instead of one or none is because it does get you to the trail head and describes what you might find along each trail if you are able to stick to the hike you choose from the book. I would not suggest this book or the Sierra Club book for Inland Northwest trails they're both useless.

I purchased this book after discovering that the internet is woefully inadequate in listing good hikes in the Inland Northwest. Admittedly, this is probably because this area isn't what some would considering a hiking heaven since a lot of the area immediately around Spokane is pretty flat.

Because of this a lot of the hikes listed are north of Spokane and North and East Couer D'Alene. There are however several hikes close to each city, which are nice for early season hikes or 1/2 day trips where you don't want to be on the road all day.

Some of the great features of this book are the terrain profiles and the comparison chart in the back of the book. If you are looking for a specific type of hike these features make it a lot easier to find it quickly.

One thing I would like to see added to this book are trail numbers when the trail listed has a number assigned to it. For example, the trails in Riverside State Park all have numbers, but they aren't listed in the book, so I had to do a little educating guessing if the trail number I was looking at was the same trail that was being described in the book.

I like how it shows the elevation changes on a scale. Would like to see more detailed maps where to find the trail heads / roads etc. Could use more of within 45 minutes drive from central Spokane but otherwise its a good book.

As I have completed approximately 30 out of the 100 hikes that are described in this book, I feel that it has been an excellent guide with only minor discrepencies. The accuracy of "100 Hikes" is difficult to match and one rarely finds the number of pictures that is offered. A definite must for anyone planning to hike in the inland northwest.

The Inland Northwest is rich with hiking and backpacking opportunities. This guide takes you to the best places. Good directions to the trailhead and extensive information on the hike or backpack opportunities. I like the information that allows one to extend a hike into a loop. The second edition is better than ever. And the best for the region.

This book is a once noble effort that is now in dire need of an update. The Mountaineers '100 Hikes' series is usually a good bet for information in the NW USA, but in this case you'll have to do your own sniffing around to get up to date information. The book is useful, if only to give you some good ideas of the options available in this area.