Hiking Death Valley: A Guide to Its Natural Wonders & Mining Past (Paperback)

by Michel Digonnet (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 542 pages
• Publisher: Michel Digonnet Publishing; 1 edition (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965917800
• ISBN-13: 978-0965917803
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #246,190 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive guide to exploring Death Valley, February 11, 2001

By	"orangenomad" (Altadena, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This is a superb book that provides a large amount of exceptionally useful information about Death Valley. Having visited the park multiple times over the last 2 years, I had become familiar with most of the general areas and some of the less-known gems.

This book takes it to the next level for me. It is excellently laid out, totally comprehensive regarding the hikes it discusses and has well-chosen photos, genuinely useful maps and lots of interesting illustrations. I particularly liked the sections on the Last Chance Range and the Panamints.

Most importantly the author exactly captures the appeal of the place - the space, the astonishing world of rock, the light and the solitude - and does a nice job of emphasizing the need for us desert users to practice the "minimum impact" approach without ramming it down our throats.

Finally, he has wisely left out a few "secrets" - it'd be tough to explore if *everything* was already in a book!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hot feet to hell!, January 18, 2000

By	[e-mail] (san francisco) - See all my reviews

This book is a staggering achievement, the crystallization of one person's adventuring on foot in one of the harshest terrains in the USA. The breadth of the book is amazing; the author travelled many routes that have been little-explored and some that appear nowhere else but here. I remain in awe of his knowledge and perseverence. The writing is clear, witty, and most importantly for foot travellers he doesn't give away all the secrets of the places he highlights. Containing detailed maps, the variety of one day and multi-day excursions allow for all experience levels from novice to superjock. His advice on hiking in hot conditions is the best anywhere. A must-have book for any desert rat.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide to many hikes, March 29, 2006

By	A. Li - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Be aware that Digonnet omits a few common destinations in this book. But it's by far the best guide to the huge number of hikes that he does include. Rely on this book for the majority of your destinations, but get another guide to fill in the gaps. Also keep in mind that areas described as "easy scrambles" for someone with a technical climbing background like Digonnet may be more difficult for flat-ground hikers.