Customer Reviews

Hiking Grand Canyon Loops (Regional Hiking Series)

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

 

 

George Steck is a preeminent hiker and route finder for traveling in the little-known regions of the Grand Canyon. His decriptions of the routes are given in a very readable and entertaining manner. George is a wonderful raconteur and his writings reflect that fact. The book is excellent reading for both the new and experienced Grand Canyon hiker as well as the armchair adventurer.

This is a great book for experienced Grand Canyon hikers. It opens up some very interesting new options for long hikes in the Canyon. However these hikes are long, tough and rarely anywhere near a trail. Oh by the way, also very beautiful and peaceful. Novices following them stand a good chance of getting lost or hurt. The hiking directions are general not specific.

That's really what this book is. Mind you, there is no doubt in my mind that the author has set forth some AMAZING hikes, but the format is not as informative as it could be. The book includes the required information about the park and it's permit system, the importance of water sources, canyon geology, etc. The routes described tend to be uncommon ones involving a lot of bushwhacking and almost all off-trail travel, which is exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately the route descriptions lack much of the substance that I usually expect from a hiking guide. They are instead collections of the author's anecdotes and reminiscences from past hikes. If you care to hear a story about a lizard eating a scorpion or the author's son's gastric distress you will not be disappointed. Often MILES of trail passes in the descriptions only with mention of how he found an old camera there, once. You can certainly read them and, if one reads VERY carefully, glean useful information from them- most notably information about water sources on these remote hikes. But I worry that much information is dated. Most of these descriptions are of hikes the author did in the 1980's! And some information is blatantly inaccurate- not information on the routes, mind you, but for instance he discusses catching rides downriver with rafting outfitters. This has been illegal for a few decades. Rafters cannot move anyone downriver who is not on their permit- though they CAN shuttle you across the river if they are feeling generous. Certainly, I found useful information in this book that I probably wouldn't have gotten very easy anywhere else, but I am a highly experienced hiker. If you are making your first forays into the Grand Canyon and especially if you are sticking to established trails and routes, this is not the book for you. In this the other reviewers are very accurate, but this point deserves more emphasis that they give it. On the other hand if you are an advanced Grand Canyon hiker looking for interesting and remote routes, are capable of doing your own routefinding in this demanding environment, and don't mind wasting a few hours here and there backtracking or getting lost, then this is actually an entertaining source for those obscure routes. Also, most such obsessive hikers are used to dated reference materials.

Took a while to get this in the mail, but that was not really a concern. great condition, great book, great deal. This is not a book for the casual Grand Canyon hiker to make immediate use of; it is for experienced hikers that need a few tips. makes great armchair hiking material, too!