Best Hikes With Dogs in Western Washington: Western Washington (Paperback)

by Dan A. Nelson (Author) "Hitting the trail with your dog seems an easy, carefree undertaking..." (more)
Key Phrases: Green Trails, Forest Road, State Route (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
My dog smiled when¼he saw the cover. Take your best friend for an adventure. -- Kingston Community News --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Now hikers can find the best dog-friendly hiking trails in western Washington. Author Dan Nelson provides information about leash laws, hiking methods most suitable for different-sized dogs, and how to choose routes where your dog will be least likely to disturb other hikers. Fun factor included, of course!

These hikes are as varied as the hikers and their dogs. You'll find hikes from easy three-mile trips, such as Twin Falls, to a nine-mile hike on Blankenship Meadows Ramble. Discover Poodle Dog Pass and Dog Lake, too! Dramatic landscapes with awe-inspiring peaks, alpine meadows, wilderness lakes, and tumbling creeks are sure to please.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898868297
• ISBN-13: 978-0898868296
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #193,861 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Put Paw to Trail and Get Going!, February 23, 2004

By A Customer

Dogs belong with us on the trails. I gnash my teeth every time I think that they are prohibited from so many National Park Trails! After all what does more damage, our heavy lug sole boots or their soft, quiet paws? As a woman hiking, I feel so much more comfortable with my friendly canine companion There is something special about being in the wilderness with another species, almost like having a translator along, Dan cathes this feeling. He gives excellent advice on excellent hikes. The directions are clear, the hikes well described and well chosen. I have used and enjoyed the book.

For all of you contemplating a hike with your furry friend, plseas keep the canine on a leash, pleas pick up any dog droppings, please do not let your animal frighten people or other wildlife. I want to keep hiking with my dog! No one wants to step in dog droppings, no one wants to be lunged at or barked at, no one wants to see a dog chasing wildlife. So please be an exemplary dog companion. If we show dogs and their humans can be responsible on the trails, maybe more trails will open up to us! If we are rude and irresponsible we will loose the trails we can now walk.

Dan wrote a great hiking guide. I hope he expnads it with some companion books. How about hiking with your dog in Oregon, Idaho, etc.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource, though not comprehensive., May 29, 2007

By	J. Branson (Seahurst, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I agree with both the two positive reviews and (somewhat) the one negative review prior to mine. It is an excellent, inspiring book full of good information. It does not--and I don't see how it possibly could--give you essential up-to-date information on these trails. Dan Nelson even acknowledges as much on page 48: "No guidebook can provide all the details of a trail, nor stay current with constantly changing conditions of trails, stream crossings, access roads, and administrative rules." He goes on to list sources of current information. For that, one useful resource is the web site of the Washington Trails Association, http://www.wta.org . They have trip reports that give you details such as where trees have blown down, which roads are washed out, and where trail crews have recently made improvements. The book's lack of up-to-the-minute information is a legitimate point to raise, but not a reason for a negative review.

Besides the information on specific trails, Mr. Nelson provides valuable tips on caring for your dog while in the backcountry. You will be miles from help, so it is vital that you anticipate your dog's needs in addition to the Ten Essentials for humans. He gives tips on Doggie first aid, trail etiquette, and canine equipment.

If I had to find a flaw with this book, it is that some of the pictures that would have looked spectacular in color end up rather bland in black and white. This is no doubt a compromise on printing costs. Other than that, it is an extremely useful book that will repay you many times the purchase price in avoided headaches. Dogs make excellent hiking companions, with the proper training and preparation, and this book will help you form some of the fondest memories of your life. Further, if you don't know the information in this book, you have no business being on wilderness trails with your dog, for the sake of your dog and for the sake of others. Read this book, or else stay home.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars best hikes with dogs Western Washington, September 13, 2006

By	L. Schriver "Rainman" (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I disagree with the first two reviews. If you want a book to give you dog friendly hikes this is a start but the trail information on the hikes I tried was not very accurate. I even got stopped on one hike where the trail had been washed out several years prior to the publishing of this book. Use another source to actually make the hike or you will be disappointed.