Hiking from Here to WOW: Utah Canyon Country [Paperback]

Kathy Copeland (Author), Craig Copeland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 2008 | Series: Hiking from Here to Wow

This second book in the new full-color WOW series covers 90 trails in southern Utah’s spectacular canyon country that epitomize the “wonder of wilderness.” The authors hiked over 1600 miles through Zion, Bryce, Escalante-Grand Staircase, Glen Canyon, Grand Gulch, Cedar Mesa, Canyonlands, Moab, Arches, Capitol Reef, and the San Rafael Swell in order to compile their list of 90 WOW hikes. Coverage ranges from short dayhikes to multi-day backpacking adventures. The book describes precisely where to find the redrock cliffs, slick-rock domes, soaring arches, and ancient ruins that make southern Utah unique. And it does so in a refreshing style—honest, literate, entertaining, and inspiring.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kathy and Craig are dedicated to each other, and to hiking, in that order. Their second date was a 20-mi (32-km)dayhike in Arizona. Since then they haven't stopped for long.

They've trekked through much of the world's vertical topography, including the Nepalese Himalaya, Patagonian Andes, Spanish Pyrenees, Swiss Alps, Scottish Highlands, Italian Dolomites, and New Zealand Alps. In North America, they've explored the B.C. Coast, Selkirk and Purcell ranges, Montana's Beartooth Wilderness, Wyoming's Grand Tetons, the Colorado Rockies, and the California Sierra.

The Copelands are veteran guidebook writers who have an ardent fan base in their Don't Waste Your Time, Where Locals Hike, and Done in a Day series. This is the second title in their WOW series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 446 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Press; 1 edition (July 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089997452X
• ISBN-13: 978-0899974521
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Hiking & Camping > Excursion Guides

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow... Great Hiking Book!, August 12, 2008

By 

Karen Rahoi "Paul Rahoi" (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hiking from Here to WOW: Utah Canyon Country (Paperback)

I had previously purchased the Copeland's book on the Canadian Rockies, which was the best hiking book I had purchased (I have a large collection), so I had high expectations from this newest Utah book-- I was not disappointed. I have 4 other "Utah" hiking books-- this one is again the best. When you first open it, and glance through the pages, you get a strong sense of high quality. Jam packed with nice color pictures which are truly inspiring. The opinions are (IMO) well founded (the Copeland's have good discernment about what makes a "WOW" hike). Facts/details/maps are clear and plenteous without being overkill, providing all the info you need/want to know, and not a lot extra.

Cons? You have to dig deep into the nitpicking bag to find fault, but... I would have preferred ratings on the hikes like they did in their Canadian Rockies book. It's true, these are ALL "WOW" hikes (as they state in introduction), but some are more "WOW" than others! :-) Three or even two classifications of "wow" would have been nice. A few of the pictures (out of hundreds) have motion blur. The background on the maps is an orangish brown... they look classy, but for those who make photocopies of maps to take on the hike, a white background would have been better. Like I said, this is really nitpicking.

I highly recommend this book.

27 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hiking is a conversation with the earth, February 8, 2009

By 

Kathy Copeland "co-author of Done in a Day Banff" (Canmore, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hiking from Here to WOW: Utah Canyon Country (Paperback)

Occasionally we receive a note from someone who's purchased one of our hiking guidebooks and is disappointed to find it does not include GPS data. Each of these notes is, in substance, identical to the book review Michael Boyd posted in this forum. None of these readers has ever stated a specific destination or site that our book describes and that he or she failed to reach. So they're not actually finding fault with our book. They're instead expressing their belief that a GPS unit is required hiking equipment in all circumstances, therefore all contemporary hiking guidebooks should contain GPS data. We write opinionated guidebooks, so we of course welcome readers' commentary. But we vehemently disagree with this particular point of view.

GPS is utterly unnecessary if you have a complete, precisely-written description of the established route, which is what we provide for each trip in every book we write. Actually, GPS is worse than unnecessary. It's a distraction--a vestige of the office cubicle, which is what most of us seek to escape when we go hiking. You're trekking long distance, off trail, cross-country? By all means, carry a GPS unit; your survival might depend on it. You're using our guidebook? Bring your compass, but leave your GPS unit at home; you won't need it. Excluding GPS data from our guidebooks was a conscious decision. We did not want to suggest hikers must purchase, carry and use a GPS unit. We opted instead to carefully craft our books, liberating hikers from the "GPS is necessary" myth.

Compared to a compass, a GPS unit is heavier, bulkier, more fragile, more complex, more time consuming, occasionally foiled by topography (particularly canyons), dependent on batteries, and way more expensive. Including GPS data in our books would not serve the vast majority of hikers. It would deprive them of a joyful sense of discovery. Moreover, it would deter them from developing the rewarding, potentially lifesaving skill of learning to read the land. Hiking, after all, is a conversation with the earth. Constantly fiddling with and peering at a GPS unit interrupts that conversation.

Mr. Boyd, in his review of our WOW Utah book, also says he prefers the maps in Michael Kelsey's books. That's odd, given Mr. Boyd's allegiance to technology. Kelsey's maps were hand sketched. They suggest rock-art and ruin locations but do not pinpoint them. The maps in our book were painstakingly designed and are illuminated by our detailed, highly-visual descriptions of where en route hikers should look for archaeological treasures. We're confident hikers will find our WOW Utah book a unique resource: not only an efficient, accurate guide, but also a source of inspiration.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Guides for Utah Hiking, March 24, 2009

By 

William W. Gorman Jr. (Treasure Island, Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hiking from Here to WOW: Utah Canyon Country (Paperback)

This is a book that is written by people who have done all the hikes and know the trails. (Because the authors are obviously strong hikers you must use caution when accepting their ratings of the difficulty.)They describe in detail each of the hikes and have pictures that will interest the reader in deciding whether that is a hike for the scenery they'd like to see. They provide elevation changes and list elevations at the beginning and end of the hikes. This is a good feature in the event that a hike can be constructed to go in the opposite direction for a downhill hike as opposed to a strenuous uphill one. The maps provided are not for direct use in hiking as they are not a substitute for topographic maps which should be a must on every hikers "must carry" list. The book covers areas not covered by other books and does list some interesting Indian Rock Art locations and the hikes.