Customer Reviews

Pennsylvania Waterfalls: A Guide for Hikers and Photographers

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This is a very unique book for both lovers of Pennsylvania's outdoor treasures, and those who love to take pictures of them. As can be seen in the subtitle, this very attractive and informative book is tailored for two crowds - hikers and photographers, though the term "hikers" is used loosely. Thanks to our state's surprisingly varied natural history, there are a plethora of small picturesque waterfalls in Pennsylvania, and as can be found in this book, a great many of them can be reached very easily by car for the weekend rambler crowd. Granted, as an active PA hiker I can think of a few excellent but less-accessible waterfalls that Scott E. Brown does not cover here. But on the other hand, the good news is that the easy accessibility of the many falls that Brown does cover will allow more people to appreciate the values of Pennsylvania's natural treasures. Only a few of the falls covered by Brown require any real hiking - notably the stupendous Ricketts Glen State Park and a couple of State Game Lands areas in Sullivan County. Otherwise, the waterfall lover is in luck because the vast majority of waterfalls described by Brown are accessible via rambles of less than two miles in length, and a few are even right next to parking lots.

Regardless of the requirements on the visitor's feet, the best aspect of this book is the photography, with dozens of lavish examples of Brown's expert compositions. These beautiful shots will hold over the PA nature lover until you can get to these falls yourself. Brown's focus on photography is definitely the key to this book's uniqueness, because he has surely written for the shutterbug. Brown includes many great tips for the pro photographer, not just for general outdoor work but also for many of the particular waterfalls themselves. One must appreciate the great amount of hard work Brown did in order to get the shots presented in this book - and the best part is that he advises other photographers on how to get even better shots. So for those interested in capturing dozens of under-appreciated PA waterfalls on film, and for those who just want an easy and rewarding ramble to unexpected natural treasures, this book is an excellent addition to both your backpack and your coffee table. [~doomsdayer520~]

This is a FANTASTIC guide book to waterfalls in the Keystone State. It is really exactly the book for what I wanted. Gorgeous color photographs of waterfalls, shot by someone who not only knows how to shoot them, but who loves nature photography and really wants to pass his expertise on to the reader. And he uses real film, which in this digital age, is a refreshing and inspiring turn.

And I should also add that not only is this a beautiful book from a photographic standpoint, but he includes copious details about the waterfalls, how to find them and how best to approach them, and plenty of geological, historical and ecological information. He even includes GPS positioning data!

Thanks, Scott, for a perfect book (with the exception that all the waterfalls lie outside of a 100 mile radius of my house!!)

This book is terrific! The color photos in the book are clear and beautiful. This book was easy to follow, gave easy to follow directions, and gave a lot of insight on what time of day and the time of year to take perfect pictures. This book even tells you what camera lenses to use. I've purchased many waterfall books and I have to say that this one is the best I've seen! I only hope that Scott Brown writes books (and takes photos) in his neighboring states.

Pennsylvania Waterfalls is an excellent book on waterfalls in the Keystone state. While he doesn't cover every known falls in PA, Scott Brown hits almost all of the major, publicly accessible waterfalls. His inclusion of GPS coordinates, maps, and written directions makes them very easy to find (in most cases). His skill as a photographer is readily apparent throughout the entire book, and his insight into the composition of and equipment used for each picture should aid budding photographers. The book is well written, well researched, and covers a subject that's of interest to many but rarely published.

I did find a number of mistakes in the GPS coordinates and/or written driving directions to some of the falls, however. As a geocacher, I rely on accurate coordinates to find locations and in one instance I couldn't find the falls mentioned in the book. East Branch falls in Sullivan County wasn't in the location described by the book; it was actually 4/10ths of a mile away. The book's map was accurate but the coordinates and driving directions were not, and I missed out seeing that waterfall when I was in the area since I ran out of time hunting for it. Other falls where I've found the coordinates to be incorrect in the book include Second Falls, Logan Falls, and Seven Tubs. Still, in a book of 50+ falls, a few mistakes are bound to slip through. Unless you're using a GPS to navigate as I do, you'd probably never even notice most of these mistakes.

Even with the few errors, this book is extremely valuable for waterfalls hunters. I've added it to my own library, and I'd recommend anyone in the Keystone state with an interest in the magnificent beauty of falling water do the same.

Really well written, beautifully photogaphed, and easy to understand guide, I absolutely love this. He tells you everything you need to know in order to get great shots at significant PA waterfalls. I'm a PA transplant currently living in Atlanta and bought this book for my trip next week. There's tons of falls I've never seen or heard of listed in the guide. I typically go to Ricketts Glenn every time I return home but im going to some of these other spots instead on this trip. BTW, his self portriats are really funny.

Well written, put together so we could easily choose which hikes were for us. Excellent directions to some outstanding out of the falls. I can't rate this book highly enough. Just got back from our trip which this book planned.

Bob (Southern Illinois)

This book made my insatiable quest for waterfalls very easy with great directions. Ricketts Glen State Park is one awesome hike!!

Very good guide to all the photogenic spots in the entire PA as opposed to only specific parts of PA. There is very in depth suggestions for the serious photographers (of which I am not) that "point and shoot" photographers are really not going to use, but can at least use his recommendations for site location for the scene. I found the rating system very useful to help me decide which hikes were worth my time seeing on limited time. See also:

Pennsylvania Mountain Vistas: A Guide for Hikers and Photographers

I live in New Zealand. In October I plan to travel to Pennsylvania to photograph waterfalls in the fall.
I purchased this book to help me with my research. I found it very helpful in more ways than one. I have no hesitation in recommending it to others.

One of the most useful books I have seen. Not only are the pictures wonderful, but the detailed directions should be helpful in locating the various waterfalls during an upcoming visit.