Hiking Colorado's Weminuche Wilderness [Paperback]

Donna Lynn Ikenberry (Author)

Book Description

Series: Regional Hiking Series | Publication Date: May 1, 1999

The 492,418-acre Weminuche Wilderness is one the largest and most spectacular wild areas in Colorado. Less than 25 miles northeast of Durango, the Weminuche offers a wide variety of hiking opportunities with sweeping tundra landscapes, alpine lakes, and breathtaking peaks. Hiking Colorado's Weminuche Wilderness is the best comprehensive guide to this outstanding wilderness area. Written for all types of trekkers, this book will provide you with detailed and accurate information about 39 hikes ranging from short strolls to overnight backpacking trips. Trips on viewing wildlife and other natural history notes are included, and detailed maps, elevation profiles, and trail finder charts make planning your hike a cinch. Whether you have a week to explore or just a day, make Hiking Colorado's Weminuche Wilderness an essential part of your trip to this spectacular wilderness area.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The most comprehensive guide to the Weminuche Wilderness area, with detailed and accurate information on 39 hikes ranging from short strolls to overnight backpacking trips. Includes detailed maps, elevation profiles, trail finder charts, and tips on viewing wildlife.

Product Details

• Paperback: 161 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 1st edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560447168
• ISBN-13: 978-1560447160
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,915,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars On the right trail, June 13, 2000

By 

O W Thomasson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hiking Colorado's Weminuche Wilderness (Paperback)

As an experienced hiker that is new to the Weminuche Wilderness, I found that this book gave a lot of very useful information. There are many trails in the Weminuche to choose from. Miss Ikenberry tries to help the reader make the appropriate choices based on physical ability, personal interests, and length of time available.

One of the most difficult aspects of describing the difficulty of a trail and how long it will take to traverse is that the writer doesn't know the reader. Also, as she says in the book, a trail that is easy one day could be difficult on another. So how can you convey the difficulty level to the reader who may be a novice or an experienced hiker?

Miss Ikenberry addresses this by providing as much information as possible so that the reader can make the decision. Included in the text is very detailed descriptions of the trails, turn right here, cross the bridge there, .3 miles to the trailhead, etc., with elevation charts showing the rise/drop in altitude per mile for each trail.

She also includes information about how to find trail heads, where to park, where to camp, and sights to see on each trail.

The one drawback to the book was that the pictures other than the cover were in black and white. To see the color, you'll just have to go see it for yourself.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Colorado's Weminuche Wilderness, March 6, 2003

By 

Mike R. Vining (South Fork, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hiking Colorado's Weminuche Wilderness (Paperback)

You've probably read about the Weminuche Wilderness in either Outside, Backpacker, or National Geographic Adventure magazines, or maybe you've heard about it from a friend. Now, with your interest perked you are probably looking for a guidebook. Well, this is your guidebook. I own copies of many guidebooks, but this book puts trail information in a more visually appealing format. The illustrations show the user, at a glance, the terrain gain and loss, trail information in relationship to terrain features, and stunning photographs wet your appetite for adventure. The Weminuche Wilderness is the largest wilderness in Colorado and the author covered seven hundred miles of trails inside the wilderness to provide first hand detailed information to the hiker. Areas that are covered in the book are trail highlights, distance, difficulty, gain and loss, map information, managing agency, and trail condition. The accuracy in the guide tells the user at what tenth of mile you make a stream crossing or fork in the trail. Although the author writes about thirty-nine trail systems in the book, these are generally long trails that can either be broken down to shorter hikes or linked up with other trails for a different variation. At the back of the guide is a easy-to-use trail finder table and the author's list of recommended trails. Are you seeking a trail with a spectacle waterfalls or looking for a first-timers backpacking hike? The author can help you out with a list of recommendations. If you are seeking out Colorado's fourteeners, of which three are in the Weminuche Wilderness, or climbing Colorado's centennial peaks, this guide will help you stay on the right trail. No hiker to the Weminuche should be without a copy of this guidebook. It's the best way to maximize your wilderness experience in one of Colorado's largest wilderness.