Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide [Paperback]

Lisa Foster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 2005

Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Westcliffe Publishers; 1 edition (November 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565795504
• ISBN-13: 978-1565795501
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,391 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Colorado

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A guidebook without equal, January 12, 2006

By 

MoonHermit (Estes Park, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide (Paperback)

In my life, I have literally read hundreds of hiking and climbing guidebooks from around the world. There are two things most of them have in common and are readily apparent. First, the author does not have intimate, first-hand knowledge of every location, every route; relying instead on other's trip reports and descriptions. Second, details important to the reader are brief, missing or just downright incorrect. This makes for a potentially deadly combination when a climber or hiker is facing darkness, dangerous weather conditions and fatigue.

Within Rocky Mountain National Park, an area I have explored and enjoyed over the past 25 years, I have carried and relied heavily upon guidebooks by 'renowned' local authors and on more than several occasions, have faced incredibly frustrating and sometimes harrowing circumstances, quickly coming to the realization the guidebook was worth less than the paper it was printed on.

Then, Lisa Foster entered the picture. Lisa established her credibility, professionalism and attention to detail long before writing this book, as a backcountry adventure columnist for the Estes Park Trail Gazette and as a host/guide in many local television and video productions; aimed at promoting safe and responsible adventure travel in Rocky Mountain National Park. This, coupled with her years of experience as a National Park Service Biological Field Technician, a top-notch alpinist and backcountry explorer, made her the perfect candidate to take on such a formidable challenge-to write a comprehensive guide to every named point in Rocky Mountain National Park as well as several areas on its borders.

Lisa was successful in accomplishing this totally unique objective, I feel, not by her wealth of knowledge nor years of experience as a writer-adventurer, but by her uncontrollable zeal for life and unconditional love of the outdoors; a passion for which I have never seen equaled.

The fruit of Lisa's tireless labor is in an extraordinarily beautiful book, both in appearance and in content. The guide is constructed so that both Park aficionado and newcomer will embrace it and find it an invaluable resource. Its layout is concise, easy to navigate and despite its 400 pages, easy to carry. Lisa's color photos are alluring, inspiring and illustrate the Park's beauty in all four seasons. The historical passages afford the reader a greater appreciation and better understanding of the area than any other reference I have studied.

I've written this not to be flattering nor to help the author sell a million books. My review is directed to you, the person with adventure in your heart, who is intelligent enough to read these reviews, diligent enough to do some research and wise enough to make an informed purchase. In the mountains, there is no room for error...you need to have the very best guidebook available, and this is it.

I live two miles from "Rocky", and thought I knew almost everything about it. Boy, was I wrong. Thanks to Lisa Foster and "Rocky Mountain National Park - The Complete Hiking Guide", I have been given the opportunity to experience this gem of the National Park System in an entirely different light - through Lisa's eyes. I can tell you with all sincerity, the journey so far has been nothing less than magical.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing guidebook!, February 27, 2007

By 

Arthur Digbee (Indianapolis, IN, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide (Paperback)

This book provides route information for every named destination in Rocky Mountain National Park, and for a number of destinations around the park as well as many unoffically named destinations within it. These destinations include waterfalls, lakes, passes, and mountains, 440 destinations in all. As the title suggests, it's an exhaustive guide, and probably has more information than the casual visitor can use.

The author, Lisa Foster, has been to each one of these destinations - - and I haven't. So my review begins with a lack of information, as there's no way that I can vouch for her route information. I have been to some of these destinations, either on the beaten track or just off it, and her information so far is good.

Three things make this book stand out, in addition to the sheer number of features covered. First, there are an extraordinary number of great photographs, an average of about one per page. This makes a big difference in selecting destinations.

Second, this is at last a book with enough maps. Each section (i.e., "Mummy Range") begins with a map covering that region, and every 5-10 pages is a detail map showing the routes for individual hikes or climbs. The overwhelming majority of these routes are off-trail, so the maps are essential for helping to show you where to go.

Third, and related to the maps, is the coverage of so many routes (686 for the 440 destinations). The section on Longs Peak is, not surprisingly, the most thorough, covering every route and feature that you might find from any direction. The book is not exhaustive - - for example, it lists two routes up Mount Lady Washington, and I know of a third - - but it provides more than enough for most people.

At the end of the book is a list of all the routes, with length and elevation information. My only complaint is that this information isn't put on the route page as well. This oversight mystifies me, why not add a line of text saying that the east route up Lady Washington is 4.2 miles with 3,881 feet of elevation gain from the Longs Peak trailhead?

That aside, this is an impressive book, both useful and beautiful.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful guide to the park, August 4, 2006

By 

Brenda Shahinian "bookfan" (Franklin Lakes, NJ. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide (Paperback)

I think this book is very helpful and very complete. It covers every trail in Rocky Mountain Park. It is precise in describing the level of difficulty for every trail, and the photos are helpful and beautiful.
I found, however, that it was too big and heavy for me to carry in my backpack on the trail, and I would have liked the author's opinion on the enjoyment rating of the trail, maybe a star system or a few words as to wether this trail would be worth doing.
I also missed some info for the neighbouring wilderness areas, such as Indian Peak Wilderness, or Roosevelt National Forest, which were not covered at all.
I always go on the trail with my other smaller guide, but I think owning this book is a very good idea, it is a great cross reference book and very worthwile to own. I used it everyday and enjoyed it.