Customer Reviews

Moon Yellowstone and Grand Teton (Moon Handbooks)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're planning an extended visit to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, I highly recommend this guidebook. (If you're only going to visit the Parks for three or four days as part of a longer trip, however, it's probably more detail than you would need.) We recently visited the two Parks for a total of twelve days, and I found this Guide extremely helpful. Unusually for a guidebook, I actually read it pretty much straight through before we left. It's an enjoyable read, even aside from the quality of the information it presents.

The Moon Guidebooks only seem to have emerged onto the scene within the past several years, and for many readers they are still likely to be less familiar than such old standbys as Fodor's or even Lonely Planet. But I've used several guides from this publisher now and have found them to be uniformly excellent.

In terms of the book's coverage, you get 70 pages on Yellowstone Park itself; 64 pages on the Yellowstone Gateway communities; 33 on Grand Tetons National Park; and 91 on the Jackson Hole area. There's also a 33-page "Background" section that provides interesting information about the geography and climate, flora and fauna, and the often controversy-ridden history of both Parks, and a 4-page section on avoiding or dealing with bear attacks. Finally, there's a solid 6-page bibliography with suggestions for other reading.

The book includes an abundance of maps - in the sections focused on sightseeing (as opposed to where to stay and eat), you'll typically find at least one map every four pages. There are interesting, even compelling sidebars, such as the one about "Beaver Dick" Leigh, an English immigrant and early resident of Jackson Hole who on Christmas Day 1887 watched his wife Jenny, newborn baby, and four other children all die of smallpox and left a heartbreaking account of the experience, which the author quotes in full (p. 113).

This guidebook is thorough, accurate, and useful, but beyond that, I enjoyed the glimpses of the author's personality that he lets come through in his writing. "The Buffalo Bill Museum is a real joy," he tells you, although his assessment of the Cody Firearms Museum is more restrained: "it's interesting even for those of us who consider the proliferation of guns a national menace. . . . All told, this museum houses more implements of destruction and mayhem than you're likely to see at an NRA convention." Or: "For those who love history, Trail Town is an incredible treasure trove without the fancy gift shops and commercial junk that tag along with most such endeavors. This is the real thing, low-key and genuine."

He also writes effective descriptions that will help you decide what you may want to see:

"Togwotee Pass is one of the most scenic drives imaginable, with Ramshorn Peak peeking down from the north for several miles until the road plunges into dense lodgepole forests (Shoshone National Forest) with lingering glimpses of the Pinnacle Buttes. At the crest it emerges into the grass-, willow-, and flower-bedecked meadows with Blackrock Creek winding through. Whitebark pine and Englemann spruce trees cover the nearby slopes. . . . Togwotee Pass is a complete shock after all the miles of sagebrush and grassland that control the heartland of Wyoming. It's like entering another world - one of cool, forested mountains and lofty peaks instead of the arid land with horizonwide vistas."

In short, this is an excellent guidebook to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and the immediately adjacent areas. If you're planning a more extensive ramble around other parts of Wyoming, then you'll want to check out the author's Wyoming volume for Moon, which tops out at a comprehensive 728 pages. (The Yellowstone-Grand Tetons coverage in the statewide volume runs about 180 pages, about half as long as in this separate volume specifically focusing on the Parks.)

This is THE most helpful guidebook to take on a trip to the two parks. There is SO MUCH to see and do--and lots of it is "off the beaten path". This book contains it all--from the hard-to-find cabins that are run by the locals to the dozens of white water rafting companies! And all the information is there--phone numbers, websites, prices, times, etc. Although the book does not give a review per se to every hotel or activity, the comments are plentiful, are very helpful and I've found these evaluations to be right on the money. The maps are also plentiful, very clear and well-marked. There is a section of information on all the cities that surround the parks and what to see and do there. There are also sections on background history of the parks, park etiquette, environmental issues, and traveling tips. Planning ahead for your visit is a must as the accommodations and activities fill up quickly--and this book gives you all the tools you need to make your trip to this most beautiful spot in the USA the trip of a lifetime.

When I'm planning a trip the first thing I do is order a Moon Handbook for the area in which I want to travel. They are invariably well informed because the people who write are passionate about the area and will suggest places that some people may miss out on.

The layout is good and the maps are excellent - simple to read and navigate by. We travel pretty extensively in Canada and America and the Moon Travel Handbooks are the only travel books we take with us.

I particularly like the suggestions for hiking trails and what you can expect to see as well as the rating for each hike e.g. easy flat walk or moderate walk with some steep ascents.

Before you book the suggested accommodation check on tripadvisor to get traveller reviews and make your judgement from those. This book had the usual good tips on where to eat.

Overall, the best books I have found on the parks. All of the Moon books, however, are best for mainstream American tourists. They point out high points, attractions, accommodations, routes, hours of operation, etc. Where I found the books to be woefully short is on camping and hiking information. The maps to the campgrounds were weak at best, not mentioning exact mileage to each from main intersections, etc .... mostly, campground specific maps did not exist. The books also did not make mention of some critical info. as to what goes on with staffing and campgrounds in the OFF season in these parks! For example, I was in Yellowstone and the Tetons in the 3rd week of May -- with tent camping being my accommodation of choice. The books did not indicate that the Parks are not fully staffed prior to Memorial Day, and that a true MAJORITY of campgrounds are shut down. Park staff are also running at a rate of - I am guessing - less than 25%. The place was a ghost town ... next to impossible to find rangers for the purpose of asking questions, getting directions, etc. In fact, both parks' ENTRY GATES were unstaffed after 4 p.m., and the more remote entryways in Yellowstone were completely unstaffed 24/7. Signs were posted to drive on thru (guess they figure if you are silly enough to mix with hungry grizzly moms this time of year, that you are on your own? :-) ). Also, camping ground signs were posted at deserted entryways indicating which grounds were open, closed and full or with vacancies (again, they were mostly closed, as there were only THREE open May 25th). This made for hairy circumstances in trying to find, then set up a tent. The Mammoth Hot Springs campground, for example, was full over 48 hours in advance - something I must admit I found to be a surprise in the OFF season. Signs posted at unstaffed entryways were not *accurate* in revealing vacancies. One had to drive to the camp office to find out (also, those were deserted after 4 p.m.) ... with only 3 grounds open in the park, and one of the 3 being 65 miles away, I ended up driving outside the park and finding a quiet spot, then sleeping in my truck the first night! ... But, it is a matter of supply and demand. With only 3 grounds open in the parks, they are going to be full! The flip side of the glorious off season, of course, is the abundant wild life one WILL experience! I enjoyed precious moments and spectacular views of bears, buffalo, pronghorn and elk. The biggest plus -- every species bore their newborns at their sides. Despite logistical difficulties, I will be better prepared and will go again that time of year in a heartbeat (4WD recommended, there is still a lot of snow and road closings during this time). Enjoy your time in one of our greatest American National Parks!

On multiple occassions during my recent visit to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons I felt like I had a seasoned veteran along my side on this journey; using this book as a guide and travel companion -- it was ideal! You will not be disappointed if you are searching for spots along your way to refresh in a local food establishment, hotel, etc. I'm extremely surprised at the accuracy of the information and the well-heeled advise concering the local establishments and the rankings within this book.

Best of all it will make you look very informed and trusted by the family since I had enough information on the local flavor from this book to find my way around the various areas like a veteran.

Recently, I made a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. After reviewing several guide books of the region, I settled on this one.

By far, I found this to be the most comprehensive and most useful of the lot of recent guidebooks.

There are plenty of maps for the major hiking trails in both national parks. Though if you intend to do back country hiking in either park, you might look for a book that specializes in that, rather than this general overview of the area.

I found the restaurant reviews to be accurate and very useful, as we planned nights out. Information about flora and fauna, and the history of the area was succinct and presented in an easy to read format.

For the traveler who is looking to make an initial trip to this beautiful region, I cannot recommend this book more highly.

I was surprised to see the lack of backcountry information in this book, since this is one of America's premiere backcountry destinations. One portion of the book actually recommended the reader buy another guidebook for more detailed information. I didn't expect detailed routes to Grand Teton summits, but this book suffers when compared to the FalconGuide books covering Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP.

If all you plan to do is hit the roadside tourism spots associated with Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP, with little regard to anything more primitive than occasional car camping, you might find this book useful. If you plan to actually go into the parks and experience them beyond the parking lots, skip this Moon guide and buy the FalconGuide books.

The Moon series is an excellent help in planning ahead-very useful information that is practical and on target! Well worth it!!

Moon got us in contact with some good campsites, beta and trails but could have been more complete. Camp site information was detailed as to privacy, bear box descrition and hints on how to get a site at the more popular campgrounds.

I ordered this book and a more detailed guide just on Yellowstone (Yellowstone Treasures: The Traveler's Companion to the National Park by Janet Chapple) based on the good user reviews on Amazon and edition currency for a one week trip. I used both books and I am glad I got both. If you want to buy only one guide or you are on a shorter trip, I would recommend you get this one, covering Yellowstone and the Grand Teton park.