The Rough Guide to Yosemite 1 (Rough Guide Mini Guides) [Paperback]

Paul Whitfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2002 | Series: Rough Guide Mini Guides

"The Rough Guide to Yosemite" is the premier handbook to California's spectacular national park. Features include: evocative accounts of every natural wonder, from the sheer face of Half Dome to the giant sequoias of Mariposa Grove; firsthand advice on exploring Yosemite up close, whether hiking, biking, kayaking, or just taking a scenic drive; detailed reviews of lodges and campgrounds, in the park and the hinterlands; and colour photos, plus detailed maps showing every sight and major trailhead.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The holiday-makers' favourite guidebook series The Sunday Times Travel Magazine --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Paul Whitfield is an experienced hiker and climbing enthusiast, whose credits include the Rough Guides to Alaska, New Zealand, Mexico and California. He lives in New Zealand.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides (May 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185828886X
• ISBN-13: 978-1858288864
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,134,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Travel > Guidebook Series > Rough Guide

More About the Author

Paul Whitfield was born in the UK in 1961 and emigrated to New Zealand with his parents aged 13. He spent formative years in Auckland and Hastings before moving to Christchurch to study Chemical Engineering. The food industry put a roof over his head for a few years but his real home was on the road, travelling through the Americas, cycling through Europe and North Africa and trekking in Nepal. Wanting to share his experiences, he started writing travel guidebooks for the Rough Guides in the early 1990s, first in Scandinavia quickly followed by guides to Wales, California and New Zealand. With these under his belt he branched out to Alaska, Mexico and Yosemite National Park. All the while he was complementing his writing with photography, both for Rough Guides and OurPlace World Heritage, documenting UNESCO World Heritage sites. He now lives in his adoptive homeland, New Zealand.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Highly Recommended, March 26, 2007

By 

R. Serna "Brown grad and mama" (Santa Fe, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Yosemite National Park - Edition 2 (Paperback)

I initially encountered this book while perusing guides for my upcoming summer trip to Yosemite National Park. Since I began reading it, I have not wanted to put it down. It is a comprehensive, practically encyclopedic yet compact book on everything about Yosemite. I don't know how the author managed to pack so much valuable information into such a small source.

The book begins with important and bare basics: a few introductory pages of beautiful glossy color photographs of attractions in the park, a park map, brief intro, a brief what to see and do guide (including average rainfall & temps for all months of the year), and then a color photograph section entitled 20 Things Not To Miss.

The rest of the book then focuses on well-organized sections with pertinent information on everything from the basics of preparation and travelling with all groups such as children and those with disabilities, to the geology, flora, and fauna of the park. Anyone could figure out which are the best hikes for them and which things they could do in every season just by reading for a few minutes in these sections. What I love most is that there are black and white photographs of park landmarks and influential people, such as John Muir, peppered throughout the book, which further illuminate the awesome landscape and spectacular story of Yosemite. The reader gets to discover interesting gems about Yosemite throughout the book. This book makes it a joy to plan my trip because it takes the guesswork out of planning with its lists of who should bring what (and I have to plan for my entire family).

Whether you love in-depth guides, like I do, with facts and photos about everything, or you just want a really good guidebook to accompany you on your visit to glance at now and then, this is the book for you. This book is recommended for the first-time visitor as well as repeat visitors (unless they know the park like the back of their hands). I think I would buy this book even if I wasn't going to Yosemite - it's that enjoyable and fun to read. Or maybe it's just that the park itself has such an awe-inspiring presence and history that reading anything about it is engrossing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Nearly as Rough as the Title Implies, April 27, 2009

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Yosemite 3 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

The Rough Guides offer fairly good travel recommendations for trip planning and the third edition of their Yosemite book is no different. If you want to enjoy a fairly traditional vacation in Yosemite you can find all the contact numbers you need here, as well as descriptions of lodging, bus tours, etc. I was pleased, in fact, to see that the author recommended Green Tortoise and the Yosemite Bug Hostel "Bug Bus" for those seeking group tours. Neat activities for kids, where to find internet access, tips for good pictures, and notes on local attractions (don't forget the Valley Cemetary) round out the first half of the book.

On the other hand, I really was hoping for more of a guide to outdoor activities, and these receive a decidedly short stick in this book. Author Paul Whitfield does offer short descriptions of 50 hikes, but none that you would not find in other guides. Indeed, he claims that if you just walk 20 minutes from your car you will be free from the crowds. Not on many of these trails. Mist Falls, the Four Mile Trail, Yosemite Falls, Panoramic Point Trail, and the climb to Half Dome are all very popular. He does of course include other standard walks: Wampama Falls, Soda Springs and the Wawona Meadow hike. Six backpack trips round out the rest of the book.

The part of the book I appreciated least, however, was the format. The print is tiny, the pages off white, and key information is in tan boxes which give the book a drab look and make it difficult to read for any extended period. It does not have enough plates to make up for the difficult read.

On the whole then, this is a decent book for planning a vacation with, but there are better choices out there. Moon Handbooks Yosemite by Ann Marie Brown is the best of these. A new edition of it is due out this year. For day hikes, I like Robert Stone's Day Hikes in Yosemite National Park and, for shorter walks, Best Easy Day Hikes: Yosemite. The best source for the park as a whole remains Jeffrey Schaffer's Yosemite National Park: A Complete Hiker's Guide. The bottom line on this book then is you can use it for trip planning, but there are better sources out there.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read before going to Yosemity, November 27, 2009

By 

Glenn Olshefsky - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Yosemite National Park - Edition 2 (Paperback)

This book has great information. 50 Day hikes, Overnight hikes, maps, park history, gas, supplies, and most importantly, camping areas, both in and outside the park. The book is old so all the pricing is out of date, but the locations are all the same. It's a must have for anyone visiting Yosemite for 3+ days.