Outside Magazine's Adventure Guide to the Pacific Northwest (Outside guides) [Paperback]

Karl Samson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Outside guides | Publication Date: June 1997

In the OUTSIDE GUIDES series, a four-season travel guide to outdoor activities in the Pacific Northwest which includes reviews of expedition and adventure outfitters and services, accommodation and camping grounds, parks and reserves, wildlife, and information on more than twenty-five sports such as sailing, fly-fishing, nature walks and skiing.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

After buying hoards of guidebooks to help him ferret out the best places to try out his latest Northwest outdoor pursuit (mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, etc.), author Karl Samson kept wishing for one complete outdoor adventure guide. That's exactly what he's attempted to pull together in Outside Magazine's Adventure Guide to the Pacific Northwest, featuring hundreds of trips, trails, and little-known wild places in Washington and Oregon--from the Cascades to the coast. It would take a committed adventurer years just to get through Samson's listings of his favorites (swimming holes, whale watching sites, day hikes, snowshoeing trails, salt water kayak spots, and such)--a good indication that this book is well stocked. Each chapter covers an area within the region, gets you oriented in "Lay of the Land," covers "Parks and Other Hot Spots," "Campgrounds and Other Accommodations," and "What to Do and Where to Do It." There is decidedly plenty to do, and those looking for in-depth coverage may find the brevity of the listings off-putting. However, Samson does an excellent job of packing a surprisingly readable amount of information into every one of the 478 pages. Sidebar features offer everything from Internet resources to the hibernation habits of marmots. If you're heading to the Northwest, check it out. --Kathryn True

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Frommer (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028611608
• ISBN-13: 978-0028611600
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,576,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A great starting place, May 19, 2001

By 

Ian D Clarkson "Ian" (W. Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Outside Magazine's Adventure Guide to the Pacific Northwest (Outside guides) (Paperback)

I purchased this book when I first moved out to Seattle and I found it to be great guide for finding interesting places to go around the region. It is a fantastic book for people that don't know the area and are interested in mult-sports. I have used it from everything from planning solo hikes, weekends with friends. Admittedle, it is an overview book and is not indepth in any particular sporting area, but this is usually the first book I pick up when I am trying to find a suggestion of something to do in the area.

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Informative. A Great Reference., December 28, 1998

By 

John O'Connor (Missoula, MT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Outside Magazine's Adventure Guide to the Pacific Northwest (Outside guides) (Paperback)

My girlfriend got this book for our cross country adventure from Indiana to Seattle. We started reading it to each other somewhere in Missouri and never put it down. The information is presented in a very concise manner and is also extremely entertaining. We found the book to be a great reference and used it to find day hikes in Oregon, mountain bike trails around Seattle, and campsites on the Olympic Peninsula

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for hikers, campers, or self guided adventurers., August 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Outside Magazine's Adventure Guide to the Pacific Northwest (Outside guides) (Paperback)

To be fair, if the activities you wish to pursue involve little more than a call to a local outfitter - kayak rentals, fishing charters, scuba lessons - then this book will probably do fine (as will a phone book). However, if you are interested in hiking, camping, snowshoeing, mountain climbing, etc. - anything requiring you to get yourself out in the woods - look elsewhere. This book has a tendency to describe great hikes (for instance) and then not provide driving directions or (this really happened) provide totally inaccurate directions. Booooooooo!