Hiking Olympic National Park (rev) [Paperback]

Erik Molvar (Author)

Book Description

Series: Regional Hiking Series | Publication Date: November 1, 1996

This book describes a 585 mile network of maintained trails in a wilderness ecosystem that stretches from the beaches of the Pacific to the heart of the Olympic Mountains.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Written by veteran trail-guide author Erik Molvar, this book describes a 585 mile network of maintained trails in a wilderness ecosystem that stretches from the beaches of the Pacific to the heart of the Olympic Mountains. The trails provide a full spectrum of challenges, from strenuous backpacking trips over glacier-clad mountains to short strolls trhough a temperate rainforest.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: FalconGuides; 2nd edition (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560444576
• ISBN-13: 978-1560444572
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #261,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Washington

More About the Author

Veteran author and backcountry explorer Erik Molvar discovered backpacking while working on a volunteer trails crew in the North Cascades of Washington. He is the author of more than a dozen FalconGuides for such places as Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Olympic National Park, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Park, as well as Hiking Colorado's Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Got a week? use this trail guide., June 19, 2003

By 

Jilly (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hiking Olympic National Park (rev) (Paperback)

I ordered the three Olympic Mountains trail guides that seemed most highly recommended -- Molvar, Blair, and Wood -- and was impressed by each. I needed a guide for a 7 to 10 day visit to Olympic, of which I had no prior knowledge. Wood's book is definitely the most comprehensive and technical of the three. If I lived near Olympic or had more time, it would definitely be my first choice. Blair's book of day hikes is also an excellent book, with useful topo maps and a 1 - 5 star rating system that makes choosing the day's hike that much easier, especially for out-of-towners. It is chattier than Wood, in a sort of happy-day-hike way (pointing out picnic spots and giving more local history, for example), and includes hikes from a few to 10+ hours. The happy medium between these two books is Molvar. It is written in a friendly narrative, but with enough information to put together a several-days hike. Its weak point is its lack of topo maps, but the trail maps are still very useable, and the elevation profiles are helpful. It also includes beach trails not found in Blair.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best guide, but..., October 14, 2000

By 

wardicus (On top Dodger Point, Elwha Valley, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hiking Olympic National Park (rev) (Paperback)

Molvar's book is a fine trail book, but it is light on trails, light on details and light on facts. He cuts several trails worth exploring and I have found Robert Woods Olympic Mountain Trail Guide to be consistently better on facts. The upside to Molvar's Guide (and why I have it) is the inclusion of the beach trails and the elevation profiles. The profiles are extremely useful. So heres my recomendation for this book... Use it to plan your trip, but leave it at home. Use Robert Wood's guide to lead you.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Backcountry Reference, August 30, 2003

By 

Scott weaver (Olympic Pennsula) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hiking Olympic National Park (rev) (Paperback)

I am a voulunteer Back-country Ranger for Olympic National Park, and this book is in my pack every time I head out into the back-country. His details are just what I want. I do not care for books that are so indepth that you know the hike before you start. What adventure is in that. He describes the location of back-country camp sites better than other authors. His book is very user friendly. Highly recommended.