Filled with vivid color photography and informed writing, Yosemite: The Complete Guide puts the best of Yosemite National Park at your fingertips. Fully updated to include current travel info (including the new rules for hiking Half Dome), the second edition offers expanded chapters on geology, ecology, wildlife, and history. James Kaiser takes readers on a joyous romp through Yosemite, revealing the fascinating story behind the scenery. From the thundering waterfalls of Yosemite Valley to the sparkling granite of the High Sierra, Yosemite: The Complete Guide equips travelers with everything they need to know. Lodging, camping, and dining are covered in-depth, as well as outdoor adventures (hiking, biking, rock climbing, rafting, skiing), transportation issues, and seasonal weather patterns. Over 20 hikes are listed, with trail descriptions, topographical maps, and photos.
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"Hands down, these are the best travel guidebooks I've ever read." --Wandering Educators
About the Author
James Kaiser is an award-winning travel writer and photographer and the author of Acadia: The Complete Guide, Grand Canyon: The Complete Guide, and Joshua Tree: The Complete Guide.
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More About the Author
James Kaiser is an award-winning travel writer and photographer. When not traveling internationally, he writes guidebooks to U.S. national parks. His book "Grand Canyon: The Complete Guide" won the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Full-Color Travel Guide and the Independent Publisher Award for Best Travel Guide. In 2006 he was a photographer for Yahoo! Sports at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. www.jameskaiser.com
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 59 people found the following review helpful
By E. Sinnokrak
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Bought this book back in March for a trip in early May. At the time, there was only one review, but I bought it anyway as it was the most recently published guide available.
Wow - the day it arrived, I sat down and read it front to back. The history of the park, the geology, the history of the Native Americans who lived on the land ... I was so impressed that it was more than just a "camp here" and "eat here" kind of guide.
What this book has over the others out there:
- The most gorgeous photos. It made me giddy with excitement to go and see those places for myself!
- a small but helpful section with pictures of the most common wildlife and plantlife that you encounter in the park (ended more than one debate about "what flower is this?!")
- Information about the native tribes' names and legends for the features in the park, or other important history of a particular place, highlighted in boxes set off from the main text.
- A sizeable section on the High Sierra Camps and hikes around them. Absolutely made me want to do the whole circuit (maybe next year...)
- This guidebook was clearly a labor of love for the author. This wasn't compiled from a bunch of staff travel writers ... it was written by someone who obviously knows the park extremely well and has chosen to highlight only the best parts, to give readers the best experience in Yosemite.
Why this might not be the book for you:
- There are no compass markings on the detailed mini-maps. This bothered others in my group more than me.
- Very few details on lodging. Not a problem for me, as I already had accomodations booked, and the lodging choices in the park are few anyhow, but this book is better for planning your TRIP, not your STAY.
- The descriptions of the hikes are kind of vague. If you are going to Yosemite to back-country hike, this isn't the book for you. If you want the best day (or 2-day) hikes, he hits the great ones. I was relieved to see how well-marked they are once you're on the trail.
I thought this guidebook was absolutely cream of the crop. So did my mother and sister-in-law - they each wanted to steal it from me and keep it as a coffee table book! (I bought them each a copy once we returned home)
Wow - the day it arrived, I sat down and read it front to back. The history of the park, the geology, the history of the Native Americans who lived on the land ... I was so impressed that it was more than just a "camp here" and "eat here" kind of guide.
What this book has over the others out there:
- The most gorgeous photos. It made me giddy with excitement to go and see those places for myself!
- a small but helpful section with pictures of the most common wildlife and plantlife that you encounter in the park (ended more than one debate about "what flower is this?!")
- Information about the native tribes' names and legends for the features in the park, or other important history of a particular place, highlighted in boxes set off from the main text.
- A sizeable section on the High Sierra Camps and hikes around them. Absolutely made me want to do the whole circuit (maybe next year...)
- This guidebook was clearly a labor of love for the author. This wasn't compiled from a bunch of staff travel writers ... it was written by someone who obviously knows the park extremely well and has chosen to highlight only the best parts, to give readers the best experience in Yosemite.
Why this might not be the book for you:
- There are no compass markings on the detailed mini-maps. This bothered others in my group more than me.
- Very few details on lodging. Not a problem for me, as I already had accomodations booked, and the lodging choices in the park are few anyhow, but this book is better for planning your TRIP, not your STAY.
- The descriptions of the hikes are kind of vague. If you are going to Yosemite to back-country hike, this isn't the book for you. If you want the best day (or 2-day) hikes, he hits the great ones. I was relieved to see how well-marked they are once you're on the trail.
I thought this guidebook was absolutely cream of the crop. So did my mother and sister-in-law - they each wanted to steal it from me and keep it as a coffee table book! (I bought them each a copy once we returned home)
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By M. Lang
Format:Paperback
A great general information/guide book for Yosemite.
I highly recommend this book for everyone. If you haven't been to Yosemite before, you get high quality photos of what is to come and some great general trail information to help plan your trip. If you have been, it is still a good buy as it is more than just a trail guide. The first 100 pages provide history and geology of the area and are a quick but fun read. In my opinion, it is just a great overall book to own. I plan to purchase the author's books about other National Parks in the future.
I also purchased the Moon book for Yosemite. It has more details on hikes, but for the average vacationer, I think this book is better.
I highly recommend this book for everyone. If you haven't been to Yosemite before, you get high quality photos of what is to come and some great general trail information to help plan your trip. If you have been, it is still a good buy as it is more than just a trail guide. The first 100 pages provide history and geology of the area and are a quick but fun read. In my opinion, it is just a great overall book to own. I plan to purchase the author's books about other National Parks in the future.
I also purchased the Moon book for Yosemite. It has more details on hikes, but for the average vacationer, I think this book is better.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I purchased several books on Yosemite and found this one to be the
easiest to read and most useful.
easiest to read and most useful.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Guidebook I've Ever Read
I'm a guidebook kind of guy - if I'm going somewhere, I have to have at least one and maybe two guidebooks. This is the best I've read. Read more
Published 3 months ago by NC Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good guide/great photographs
If you are planning a trip to Yosemite, this is a very good book to purchase to read before you go. Nice overview of the area and what is available to do, and sites you shouldn't... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Diana Bertram
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Guide with Quality Photos
Excellent guide for the Yosemite Park with very helpful maps and photos help plan your trip and make the best decisions on things to do for the time you have there. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Gary
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Yosemite travel book
Gorgeous color photos throughout, with lots of info about the park. The book details everything from plant/tree life to wildlife to the big attractions like Half Dome, Clouds Rest,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Chloe Daniel
3.0 out of 5 stars
More about photos and writing than hardcore ratings and...
This books is great - the photos are so great you don't even have to take your own in Yosemite. But my problem is that the book is weaker on the best hikes or trails all listed in... Read more
Published 4 months ago by HotRods4Ever
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
Awesome book! Moved to NorCal and have been to Yosemite a few times, this book was a great guide for me!!
Published 5 months ago by Donna
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great photos and information
I read this book or much of it during our flight to Yosemite National Park. It gave me a good background about what to expect.
Published 6 months ago by A. Wolf
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for hikers!
I loved this book. It is very well organized, separating out things to do in each part of the park so that things are easy to find. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Shasta G Spaulding
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best!
This is one of the best guides to Yosemite. My only wish is that I can stay longer on my next trip. The information and the pictures in this guide beckon you to explore the most... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Adrian
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yosemite book
I bought a different Yosemite guide which I consider worthless. The Moon Guide has much more information that is usable.
Published 12 months ago by D. Wolford
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