Moon Handbooks Alaska [Paperback]

Don Pitcher (Author)

Book Description

Series: Moon Handbooks | Publication Date: March 24, 2004

At 591,000 square miles, America's largest state encompasses vast glaciers, verdant coastlines, abundant wildlife and acres of space for adventures. This guide to Alaska provides insight into the local culture as well as tips on key attractions, accommodation options and advice on transportation options.

Product Details

• Paperback: 696 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; Eighth Edition edition (March 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566915910
• ISBN-13: 978-1566915915
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,596,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Atlanta, Georgia as the middle son of two teachers, Don Pitcher grew up all over the East Coast, from Florida to Maine. He moved west for college, receiving a masters degree in fire ecology from the University of California Berkeley. A love of nature pulled him north to Alaska, and an aversion to office work kept him outside for the next 15 years, conducting ecological research, building backcountry trails, working as a wilderness ranger, mapping grizzly habitat, and operating salmon weirs. He went on to write or photograph a dozen guidebooks for Avalon Travel, DK Publishing, Sasquatch Books, Heyday Books, and Fodor's. He also contributes to Triporati and other websites, and is a professional wedding photographer. Don Pitcher's photos have appeared in a multitude of publications and advertisements, and his prints are sold in many Alaska and Washington galleries. He lives in Homer, Alaska with his wife, Karen Shemet, and their children, Aziza and Rio. Find out more on his websites: www.donpitcher.com and www.weddingsinhomer.com, or visit his Facebook pages: www.facebook.com/donpitcherphotography and www.facebook.com/pages/Don-Pitchers-Travel-Guidebooks/314113916371.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really great, complete guide - all you need to plan your trip!, July 30, 2008

By 

Oddzilla - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moon Alaska (Moon Handbooks) (Paperback)

We suddenly decided to go to Alaska in 2 weeks and we needed a good travel guide so we could do a lot of last minute planning quickly. This is it! I was able to make all our arrangements using it (along with the Internet). You can find the information you want easily in this book. I've been to Alaska before and was pleased to find that this is accurate too. I've used a lot of travel books for various trips to other places and frequently end up frustrated with them, but this book has been a total delight. I highly recommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough and informative guide to Alaska, August 21, 2011

By 

J. L. Bennett (Cypress, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Moon Alaska (Moon Handbooks) (Paperback)

I am planning a road trip from Texas to Alaska. As this would likely be a "once in a lifetime experience" and as we were committed to spending approximately one month in Alaska, I wanted to make sure we would have no regrets once we completed the "in Alaska" portion of our itinerary. I found Don Pitcher's Moon Alaska travel guide very, very helpful and informative.

Pitcher's wit, knowledge and indeed even love for the state of Alaska shine through in the guide time and time again. He doesn't just include facts, but also includes helpful descriptions and opinions that help each reader tailor their visit to Alaska to events and places that would be most enjoyable to them. In particular, his description of the Copper River Highway outside of Cordova convinced me to include Cordova on our itinerary.

The book is extremely thorough. I would guess that there is not a place that one can get to with a private car that is not described in this book, and there are certainly a number of places described beyond the reach of a car. The descriptions of how to get to towns, and how to get around are helpful both for the cruise / packaged tour visitor as well as someone driving on their own.

The thoroughness extends to places and events to see in each location. Additionally, Pitcher does an excellent job of providing lodging recommendations across a variety of price ranges, as well as a number of dining recommendations (any book that includes both Simon and Seaforts and Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria in Anchorage covers the dining scene quite well).

Not all readers will share Pitcher's political and religious views, and I include myself in the group that does not share those views. Nonetheless, the guide is so thorough and helpful in planning a visit to Alaska, that I would recommend the book without reservations to anyone planning to visit Alaska.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ALASKA, December 25, 2010

By 

Robert Resnick (Asheville, NC, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Moon Alaska (Moon Handbooks) (Paperback)

PLANNING A TRIP TO ALASKA IS AN OVERWHELMING TASK AS THE DISTANCES BETWEEN FEATURES ARE SO VAST. MOON BOOKS, GENERALLY, PROVIDE A FORMAT THAT WORKS WELL FOR THE TYPE OF VACATION THAT WE PLAN. AND AS A MOON USER FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS, I CAN SAY THAT MOON ALASKA IS WELL EXECUTED, AND PROVIDES A GOOD RESOURCE TO EXPLORE THE REGION. MY ONLY CRITICISM HAS TO DO WITH INSUFFICIENT MAPPING TO SUPPORT TEXT DESCRIPTION OF FEATURES. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FEATURES CAN BE LOCATED EASILY, BUT SOME OF SECONDARY FEATURES ARE DIFFICULT TO LOCATE WITH THE MAPS PROVIDED.