Lonely Planet Yosemite National Park [Paperback]

Kurt Wolff (Author), Amy Marr (Author), David Lukas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

coverage of the entire park, plus lesser-known neighbouring highlights - outdoor activities: hiking, biking, rafting, skiing, snowboarding & canoeing - in-depth history, geology & ecosystem chapters written by known experts - 25+ maps showing every corner of the park - special focus on family travel, with short & long-stay itineraries

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...packed with usual outdoor sports information...including topographic maps and helpful charts...lightens things up with offbeat sidebars..." -- Men's Journal, May 2003

From the Publisher

Yosemite Introduction

The centerpiece of the park is Yosemite Valley. Most visitors enter the Valley from the west, threading past green meadows and forests criss-crossed by the meandering Merced River. What lends the scene such drama, though, are the sheer 3000ft granite walls that ring the Valley, a cathedral of rock that glorifies the natural world. Cascading from these cliffs are some of the country's tallest waterfalls, adding an ethereal, life-affirming grace to the scene. A series of grand peaks and domes tower above the north and south rims, while the east end is anchored by mighty Half Dome, the park's powerful icon.

But Yosemite's natural wonders stretch well beyond its spectacular Valley. Venture farther afield to the meadowy oasis of Wawona and gaze up in disbelief at the giant sequoias of the Mariposa Grove. Choose a high-country hike amid the craggy peaks, polished domes, and emerald subalpine lakes surrounding Tuolumne Meadows. Climb the jagged Clark Range in the park's southeastern quadrant. Or explore the rugged back-country north and east of the dam at Hetch Hetchy. You'll arrive with visions of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls and leave with a deeper appreciation of the park's breadth of beauty.

Native Americans have lived amid these wonders for nearly 4000 years. Naturalist John Muir spent perhaps more time in the park and environs than anyone since nonnatives first caught sight of the Valley in 1851. His relentless advocacy was crucial in securing Yosemite's national park status in 1890. Muir never tired of the place - perhaps because it was impossible, even for him, to see it all.

Some eager visitors still try to pack in all they can. But while glimpsing the sights from a bus or car window is all well and fine, you really need to get out and walk a mile or two to experience the place. Pad down trails, feeling the weight of granite beneath your feet. Dip into a chill mountain lake. Charge off into the backcountry on horseback or, in winter, on a pair of skis. Or simply soak up the sights and sounds of the meadows as the sun falls and the evening glows warm and golden.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd; 1St Edition edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741041171
• ISBN-13: 978-1741041170
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,099,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Handy guide to Yosemite for first or second time visitor, December 30, 2005

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410 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lonely Planet Yosemite National Park (Paperback)

A very well assembled collection of recommendations and facts for planning a trip to Yosemite. If you want to get the most of your trip to the region, planning is essential. Just showing up will severely compromise the options you have available. If you are planning to also visit Sequoia/Kings Canyon, you might want to opt for the Frommer's Guide or Lonely Planet's "Hiking In The Sierra Nevada." Personally, I think this guide has a little more detail and better organization than the Moon guide, with the maps being far better.

Planning: The book does a very nice job giving you phone numbers, camp locations, amenities, and tips on which sites will fill up first. This really is the most important, especially if you want to camp at a popular location or want to do overnight hikes in one of the more popular destinations. If you want to stay in one of the valley hotels think a year in adavance (at least), camping in the valley needs reservations 6-8 months in advance.

Trip descriptions: For the places I visited the descriptions were thorough but not overwhelming in detail. The book has both short trips (1-3 days) as well as longer excursions, but many of these can be abbreviated to suit your needs.

Maps: You will certainly need your own big topo map when on the hike, but the maps here (and in other Lonely Planet guides) are among the best you will find in this sort of guide. First they are topographic, which helps you with overall planning, even if you will eventually make use of a big map later on. Second, the maps are in two colors, which facilitates reading immensely. Finally, the printing is fine and crisp. Some other guides have blurry reproductions of USGS maps that look like they were printed onto a paper towel.

Other: The book is compact and lightweight. If you are an obsessive type you could carry it along on your hike without adding too much weight.

Overall, this is a great guide to aid in planning a trip to the region, especially those on their first couple of excursions to the region. For those who want more details on other trips check out Sierra North and Sierra South, as well as books by Mike White, R. J. Secor, and Steve Roper.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great to have along, November 7, 2006

By 

beesknees (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Yosemite National Park (Paperback)

I've lived in California for 3 years and have been to Yosemite at least 5 times. We have gone for backpacking trips, car camping trips, and stayed at Curry Village. We always bring this book with us. You need to have a book like this with you when you are there so you can both plan ahead and do things on the fly. It's a great book that highlights all the must-see spots. Yosemite rarely disappoints.. even if some spots are crowded, once you get there, you can understand why! Lonely Planet books in general area always well organized and have great maps. I like how this book had both short hikes as well as some longer overnight backpacking trips. It also does a good job of detailing all the campgrounds. If you want more detail (or a little different perspective) on hikes and backpacking trips, get "Hiking in the Sierra Nevada" by Lonely Planet.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars helpful and clear., September 23, 2005

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G. Griffin (San Diego Ca) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lonely Planet Yosemite National Park (Paperback)

I enjoyed this guide for the easy to find information and easy to read maps. It gave good hike descriptions and the list of spotlighted activites was right on target. I do use this regularly to create my plans for the park. This did lack the personal touch that I found in some other references and found myself picking up other guides to go with the maps in this book. The Moon guide was by far my favorite. But do check it out if your going to Yosemite. More information is always better.