Customer Reviews

Snowshoe Routes Washington

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My wife and I snowshoed for the first time this past winter - now were hooked. This book is a great resource for locating good hikes. When it is raining during the Seattle winter - grab your shoes, this book and head out. Your sure to find deep powder and a great trail. Well worth the money!

This winter I went snowshoeing for the first time, and this was the guide that I used. Nelson provides a helpful resource for those searching for a nice trail or a backcountry spot to take on during a nice winter day. I found his directions and descriptions both informative and fun. If you live in the Northwest and own a pair of snowshoes, or want to try it for the first time -- as I did with a few friends -- than this book is well worth the cost!

I've only done a few of the routes described in this book so far, but the author appears to have done a great job of choosing and describing snowshoe routes in the region.

The overview table in the appendix is especially useful when deciding where to go, though I wish more information (such as the region, required parking permits and avalanche exposure) was shown there.

There are some black and white photos scattered throughout the book. Sometimes they are useful, sometimes less so (a close up photo of a snow-covered branch may be nice, but is not all that useful here).

Estimating hiking times in winter is difficult: Under poor conditions a route can take twice as long as under optimal conditions. Too bad the conditions on which the indicated times are based are not described.

The full-page overview map at the front of the book is sad. For example, it does not include a single road or geographical feature (apart from two rivers) NE of Seattle! It does give you an idea about what routes are in the same region, at least.

Two common features I've grown accustomed to but that are missing from this book are trailhead coordinates and elevation profiles. This is surprising, given that Mountaineers Books has at least one other series ("Day Hikes") that contains all this information.

But the single biggest issue I have with this book is the complete lack of topographic information on the route maps. Summer hiking books that follow marked trails may be able to get away with this, but not this kind of book. The problem here isn't that I don't want to bother carrying a separate map, but that I sometimes have a hard time transferring a route from the book onto the map. Even with the descriptions in the text, which sometimes reference unreliable and changing features such as "turn at the end of the groomed track".

Still, this is the only Washington snowshoeing book I was able to find, so I'll keep using it until something better (or an improved edition) comes along.

A good general guide to snowshoeing in Washington. The trail descriptions are detailed, also provides elevation gain, mileage, and seasonal information. There is also information about road access which is especially essential in winter.

One thing I always tend to harp on with these types of guidebooks is maps. In this case they are somewhat lacking. My feeling is that if you are going to include one then make it good and useful. Otherwise this is a good all around guide-book. Its one of many publishes by 'The Mountaineers'. There guidebooks are generally very high quality and I've read many in coming to that conclusion.

I got this book in the fall of 09 as my Girlfriend and I wanted to start Snowshoeing. We like to stick to day hikes that are within 4-11 miles round trip with moderate elevation. Many of the hikes within the Snowshoe routes book where fantastic but we ran out of hikes that met our preferences quickly. After about 10-12 outings we had pretty much exhausted the good trails off I-90 and Hwy. 2. From then on, we pretty much went off word-of-mouth and have found some really great snowshoe trails that were not even mentioned in this book. If you live in the Bellevue/Seattle/Everett Vicinity you may run out quality day hikes quickly if you just stick to whats in this book. Also, I noticed that the information in the book was exactly the same that was listed in [...]. The reason why I gave it 4 stars is because it really helped me get started in snowshoeing. Knowing where to go, as well as an active website that was updated frequently on hike details and conditions.

We were very happy with our used copy of Snowshoe Routes: Washington. The book was in excellent shape, like new! It arrived very promptly. Thanks. We've already enjoyed going on one of the hikes and look forward to many more.

This is a great guide with a nice description about the sport in the introduction. The routes that are covered feature everything from casual day hikes to extreme outdoor winter camping excursions. They also cover the whole state. I highly recommend this guide to any snowshoe fan!

The author of the book completely neglected to include any trials near or around Spokane. Mt. Spokane, Tower Mt., etc. there are SO MANY. The book should be titled "Snow showing withing 1 hour of Seattle..."