Bicycling America's National Parks: Arizona and New Mexico: The Best Road and Trail Rides from the Grand Canyon to Carlsbad Caverns (Paperback)

~ (Author), Dennis Coello (Foreword, Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The first and only guide to bicycling the national parks and adjacent wild lands of Arizona and New Mexico. Bicycling is becoming an increasingly popular way to experience our national parks as many are restricting access to private vehicles. This complete adventure guide to the national parks of Arizona and New Mexico features more than 80 road and mountain bike rides through the parks' most spectacular natural areas. The outstanding variety of natural environments and terrain found in the Southwest, coupled with its rich cultural and historic heritage, make the national parks of Arizona and New Mexico a cyclist's paradise. With this book as your guide you can ride to a secluded overlook of the Grand Canyon from the North Rim; glide through the Sonoran Desert in the company of massive saguaro cactus; or pedal among the ancient ruins of the Anasazi at Chaco Canyon. The routes and trails in this book are suitable for both road and mountain bikers from novice to expert. They traverse the beautiful and enchanting landscapes of the desert Southwest, while taking you to some of the region's most fascinating historical and archeological treasures. Each ride description includes a detailed map, tour directions, information about the trail or road surface, the length and difficulty of the ride, and sights you'll see along the way. A trip-planning appendix for each park tells you where to stay or camp, do your laundry, eat, buy supplies, and repair or rent a bike. More than 80 rides in 28 national parks are described and mapped in detail. Heavily illustrated: Includes 25 professional color photographs of the parks, 75 black and white photographs and 60 maps.

About the Author

Sarah Bennett Alley is a freelance writer and telemark ski instructor. She is also the author of Bicycling America's National Parks: Utah and Colorado, as well as mountain biking guides to Arizona and New Mexico. Having just completed graduate degrees in American studies and environmental policy, she continues to write about her adventures in the outdoors and the West from her home in Salt Lake City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Backcountry Guides (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881504815
• ISBN-13: 978-0881504811
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #203,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #22 in	Books > Travel > United States > States > Arizona > Grand Canyon
  #49 in	Books > Travel > United States > States > New Mexico
  #80 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling > Excursion Guides

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars surprisingly good, June 17, 2005

By	Jack Rawlins (Chico, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book expecting it to be a useless gimmick--especially since I've hated Alley's other mtb guide books. Lo and behold, it's a gem with a specific and useful purpose: if you're going to visit the national parks in these states and want to ride in or around them, this book is essential. I ride and my partner doesn't, and she loves National Parks, where good riding can be hard to find, so this book saved our lives--she would visit the park and I would head out to find a nearby ride. The trail and road choices are good--the treatment of trails/roads around the south rim of the Grand Canyon is the best I've found. Alley casts her net widely around the parks--anything within 60 miles or so of the park counts. Thus the "trails in and near Tuzigoot Natl Monument" is really little more than a short list of trails in Sedona, 40 minutes away. Trail info is good, background info is fascinating, and the maps are the usual. Each park or monument begins with a handy one-paragraph summary of the riding opportunities, e.g. "Near this park you have a choice of two nice road rides, one beautiful dirt road, and three challenging single-tracks." One inexplicable gaff: the book omits Canyon de Chelly, so you're on your own, but you only have two paved roads to choose from there anyway.