Lonely Planet Hiking in the Rocky Mountains (Walking) [Paperback]

Clem Lindenmayer (Author), Helen Fairbairn (Author), Gareth McCormack (Author)

Book Description

Series: Walking | Publication Date: June 1, 2002

Venture onto the backbone of North America, exploring the famous Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain National Parks. Discover hidden wonders, do the big-name hikes or scale a 14,000ft mountain with this comprehensive guide.

Detailed descriptions for more than 50 trails, from day hikes and weekenders to multiday backpacking trips
Precise, two-color contour map for every hike
Illustrated guide to Rocky Mountains wildlife
Planning tips, trail access details and nearby accommodations
Advice on choosing equipment, staying healthy and mountain safety.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...for the adventurous traveler who wants to live like a native.' --Real Simple Magazine, June 2005

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740593332
• ISBN-13: 978-1740593335
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,094,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best hiking in the Rockies in one small package, August 1, 2006

By 

J. Varney (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet Hiking in the Rocky Mountains (Walking) (Paperback)

My husband and I used this book as the primary reference for three separate hiking & backbacking vacations over the past four years in the Rockies: Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park + Maroon Bells + Holy Cross + Mt Zirkel Wilderness in Colorado, Grand Teton Nat'l Park + Yellowstone in Wyoming, and Glacier Nat'l Park in Montana.

The hikes covered in this book really are the cream of the crop for these areas. The table up front, together with the nice tabs throughout the book help find hikes by area, interest, and difficulty quickly. Doesn't swamp you with quantity, you know that each of these hikes is exceptional--perfect for those of us travelling into the area who have only a week or two to soak up whatever we can. There's even color pictures from some of the most scenic hiking spots in the book to help get you excited to go and give you a little taste of what to expect for that region. Each hike has a map and description with enough detail to almost ensure that you don't go wrong. There's also good information on nearby towns and facilities, local campgrounds, and some detail on permits and when to go.

Only issues: failed to mention that a lot of trails in Glacier may not be accessible without ice ax and crampons until mid July due to snow (certainly we weren't prepared for the trips we really wanted to do when we were there in late June, and the Ptamigan tunnel doesn't open until it has been cleared using dynamite every year), and we did count on being able to buy fuel and other supplies in a town recommended by the book and turned out that the grocery store and camping goods store had almost nothing (this could have been that the book was 4 years old by this time).

I still give the book 5 stars for its excellent coverage of the entire Rocky Mountain area which inspired us to travel to places we might not have otherwise, its usefulness in actually helping us figure out which hikes to do once we got there, and that I would pick it over any of the other books we used for our trips. I picked up Hiking in the Sierra Nevada also by Lonely Planet on the strength of this book, but haven't really tested it yet.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, July 12, 2005

By 

Thomas W (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Hiking in the Rocky Mountains (Walking) (Paperback)

I have used Lonely Planet guides for several years, and have found them to be uniformly excellent -- except for this one. The time estimates given for various hikes with which I am familiar are way off. I am suspicious of the book's accuracy, and wonder whether the persons who authored the book actually did the described hikes. There are also gratuitously sniffy descriptions sprinkled throughout the text, such as "the poor food and urban sprawl characteristic of the Rocky Mountain region" -- remember, however, that the book's authors are British. Consider other books written by local writers/hikers who actually know the trails.

Tom Woods
Lyons, Colorado

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lonely Planet is the best overview of Rocky Mountain hikes, May 4, 2006

By 

RM (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Hiking in the Rocky Mountains (Walking) (Paperback)

I first used the LP guide in 2005 to safely get me through a solo 6-day hike. (Highline Trail / Ptarmigan Tunnel Loop in Glacier National Park.)

It is excellent. The best guide for the entire Rocky Mountain region.

Once you decide on a specific hike, compare against the available local guidebooks. For Glacier National Park, for example, this is still the best option.

Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park - Spring, 2003 is not bad.

Hiking Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks - Erik Molvar, 1999 - the most widely available guide, is surprisingly weak.

Lonely Planet has the best maps. And the succinct style makes it easy to find what you are looking for.