National Parks of the West: A Complete Vacation in Every Chapter (Fodor's National Parks of the West) [Paperback]

Fodor's (Author)

Book Description

Series: Fodor's National Parks of the West | Publication Date: February 24, 1998

NATIONAL PARKS OF THE WEST
"Exhaustively researched and thorough. You'll find everything you need to know." --Family Travel Times
"An indispensable guide." --Family Fun magazine

The only guide you'll ever need to visit the best parks in the West
Here are all the essentials for touring 33 of the best-loved national
parks and monuments in the western United States and Canada. From where
to find a reasonably priced room and a hot meal to where to hike and camp,
Fodor's National Parks of the West not only describes what there is to see but also gives
you practical information and detailed maps. And you can use it to plan
vacation after vacation, year after year.
All text in this book was reviewed for accuracy by National Park
and Forest Service personnel. Sales of this book help to support the
National Parks.

Great information in every chapter
Driving tours with the most spectacular scenery--from rugged mountains to magnificent deserts
Extensive reviews of hotels, lodges, campgrounds, and restaurants--both inside and outside the parks
The best nature trails, backcountry hikes, strolls on the beach, and picnic spots for refueling
Best-in-one-day itineraries
Tips on biking, fishing, swimming, boating, rock climbing, ski touring, horseback riding, and bird-watching
Detailed information on geology, flora and fauna, weather, historic sites, and local festivals
33 easy-to-follow maps        

The West's best-loved wildlands
Arches
Badlands
Banff
Big Bend
Bryce
Canyon de Chelly
Canyonlands
Carlsbad Caverns
Crater Lake
Death Valley
Denali
Glacier
Grand Canyon
Grand Teton
Jasper
Joshua Tree
Kings Canyon
Kootenay
Mesa Verde
Mt. Rainier
Mt. Rushmore
Olympic
Point Reyes
Redwood
Rocky Mountain
Sequoia
Waterton
Yellowstone
Yoho
Yosemite
Zion

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Family Travel Times calls this guidebook "exhaustively researched and thorough," in which "you'll find everything you need to know." Fodor's has collected the essentials for touring 33 of the most popular national parks and monuments in the U.S., including Jasper, Yellowstone, Zion, Banff, Mt. Rainier, and Redwood. Each tour includes a map, driving directions, reviews of lodging, the best nature trails, "best-in-one-day" itineraries, as well as tips on what to see and do in each area. The nitty-gritty includes useful information on geology, plants and animals, weather, historic sites, and local festivals. With this easy-to-read, informative book, there's no excuse for having nothing to do.

From the Inside Flap

NATIONAL PARKS OF THE WEST
"Exhaustively researched and thorough. You'll find everything you need to know." --Family Travel Times
"An indispensable guide." --Family Fun magazine

The only guide you'll ever need to visit the best parks in the West
Here are all the essentials for touring 33 of the best-loved national
parks and monuments in the western United States and Canada. From where
to find a reasonably priced room and a hot meal to where to hike and camp,
Fodor's National Parks of the West not only describes what there is to see but also gives
you practical information and detailed maps. And you can use it to plan
vacation after vacation, year after year.
All text in this book was reviewed for accuracy by National Park
and Forest Service personnel. Sales of this book help to support the
National Parks.

Great information in every chapter
Driving tours with the most spectacular scenery--from rugged mountains to magnificent deserts
Extensive reviews of hotels, lodges, campgrounds, and restaurants--both inside and outside the parks
The best nature trails, backcountry hikes, strolls on the beach, and picnic spots for refueling
Best-in-one-day itineraries
Tips on biking, fishing, swimming, boating, rock climbing, ski touring, horseback riding, and bird-watching
Detailed information on geology, flora and fauna, weather, historic sites, and local festivals
33 easy-to-follow maps        

The West's best-loved wildlands
Arches
Badlands
Banff
Big Bend
Bryce
Canyon de Chelly
Canyonlands
Carlsbad Caverns
Crater Lake
Death Valley
Denali
Glacier
Grand Canyon
Grand Teton
Jasper
Joshua Tree
Kings Canyon
Kootenay
Mesa Verde
Mt. Rainier
Mt. Rushmore
Olympic
Point Reyes
Redwood
Rocky Mountain
Sequoia
Waterton
Yellowstone
Yoho
Yosemite
Zion

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's; 4 edition (February 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679035095
• ISBN-13: 978-0679035091
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,284,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great All-Around Guide!, December 21, 1999

By 

Douglas S Heimlich - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Parks of the West: A Complete Vacation in Every Chapter (Fodor's National Parks of the West) (Paperback)

This manual may not suit the requirements of the most ardent of backpackers and thrill seekers, but for an average Joe Camper like myself, it really came in handy through Washington State, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and on up into Banff and Jasper. A most resourceful guide that lists National Park Service information, directions to the Parks, campsites, hiking trails, info on backwoods camping...even tells you where you can shower after the fourth day! My only criticism is that my copy is as beat up as my hiking boots. A great resource to have, whether you're only there for a day, a drive-in camper, day hiker, or backpacker. I highly recommend it. Great job, Fodors!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible!, April 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: National Parks of the West: A Complete Vacation in Every Chapter (Fodor's National Parks of the West) (Paperback)

This book totally rocks! This is my National Parks bible. I use the National Geographic book for maps and pictures and this one for the trails, lodging and other details. The hike recommendations are the best of any national park book I've seen.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Provides solid information and facts, September 13, 2001

By 

D. Reis (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Parks of the West: A Complete Vacation in Every Chapter (Fodor's National Parks of the West) (Paperback)

Fodor's has put together a solid collection of facts and information for visiting the National Parks in the West, but the avid hiker and outdoorsperson would do well to add other pieces of literature to their collection before setting out. This book provides essential information such as phone numbers, addresses, and directions to the parks. It details options for camping in and out of the parks, as well as lodging in cities. However, I found a number of the prices they listed to be out of date, and some of the phone numbers were inaccurate. These were minor inconveniences, however, and did not overshadow the overall effectiveness of the guide.

As far as activities, the book offers some brief guidelines for hikes and drives around the parks. I found these descriptions to be very impersonal and vague. For example, it lists trails as being "moderately difficult" without explaining what types of difficulties one might encounter. For a hiker, there is a big difference between a steep climb and precipitous footing, but this book does little to detail what one might expect on a given trail. I found the "America's National Parks for Dummies" guide to be much more informative as far as specific trail conditions and wildlife concerns (e.g. grizzly and black bear areas, mountain lions, etc.) Fodor's guide does not address these issues, which are also of utmost concern for most backcountry hikers. Additionally, the editors seem to abide by a policy of "Just the Facts" - they offer little to nothing in the way of ratings or opinions regarding which campsites and facilities may be better maintained within the parks. Most avid campers I know value a firsthand opinion when trying to decide where to pitch their tents - and reading that a campsite is quiet and primarily tents, versus noisy and popular with RVs is extremely helpful information to have in hand.

We used both the Fodor's and Dummies guides on a six-week cross-country trip and found them to be nice complements to one another. The Dummies guide covers fewer parks but in greater detail, and offers candid opinions; the Fodor's guide gives you all the essentials you need for planning a visit to the park. If you don't plan on doing much hiking, this book could be all you need, but I recommend supplementing it with a more descriptive guide.