Rating: 
Summary: Blissed Out
Review: Bought it, used it, plunged right in and enjoyed every second there. I had visited several times before and never hiked Kauai's disarmingly beautiful inner world: Kalalau Trail, Waimea Canyon, eye popping and spookey Akali Swamp. This book has pages and pages packed with all kinds of trails, all levels, short, long, easy, sweaty. Their directions got me to pocket beaches, some swimmable, others taboo. They warn you about dangerous currents, undertows. Sunny and honestly written, a really good book.
Rating:
Summary: Like Good Wine
Review: Elegant and polished like a good bottle of wine. I found that this delightful book goes beyond merely guiding the traveler to the hidden cove or high vista point. There are rich details about the history, the fauna and local lore. Clearly the authors love this island and it shows. I was appreciative too of the thoughtful observations about potentially unsafe tides and currents. Clearly this is the best of the available guidebooks on Kauai. In my view, vintage Trailblazer!
Rating:
Summary: Worth Taking Along
Review: Everything about this book is excellent, from the long list of nontouristy things to see -- we saw only two other people all day as we biked the Powerline Trail -- to the remote white sand beaches (Larsen's and Secret). The dirt roads would have been impossible to find without exact directions. The authors don't overdescribe their hikes, although they prepare you for the length and possible dangers. Not knowing what was around every bend added to the surprise and adventure. I guess I liked the fact that most of the things to do were free and we ended up with vacation money left over. Instead of getting a $300 helicopter view, we saw the Kalalau Valley from the hiker's overlook. Being able to watch the clouds drift in and up the cliffs over a period of an hour was a once in a lifetime experience.This is not the standard boring guidebook. The photos are uncommonly beautiful. We spent the last day going on three of the books four driving tours. It was the perfect ending to our stay and gave us a chance to video the island's highlights. Everyone deserves to see Kauai just once in their life and if you're an independent traveler, this is the only guidebook you'll need.
Rating:
Summary: Plan Ahead
Review: Hands down the best book to really do the island. Planning ahead was key and I'm glad I heeded the advice of others, read the book and decided where I wanted to go before I got there. The maps were outstanding as were the directions. If you like adventure travel, like to hike and want get the most out of your stay in Kauai, buy this book. My favorite town was Hanalei, so was its beach. Its long list of good ideas and tips saved me time and money and made my vacation great.
Rating:
Summary: Guided Through Paradise
Review: Having never been to the island of Kauai before, Kauai Trailblazer was exactly the type of guidebook that I needed to help plan two weeks worth of adventure in the Garden Isle. My main desire was to snorkle the beautiful water. With it being my husband's first time in Hawaii, I wanted him to see all of the amazing fish that I had told him about. Kauai Trailblazer pointed us in the right direction and we ended up snorkling the most amazing coves! With the book in hand, we hiked beautiful trails that led right up the sides of cliffs to amazing waterfalls and romantic pools. Having an interest in history, Kauai Trailblazer was also able to direct me to museums, landmarks and ruins. Our time in Kauai would have been less fruitful without the help of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet Aloha
Review: I bought KAUAI TRAILBLAZER for a recent trip to the Garden Isle and found it a friendly companion to have tucked under my arm. It's got explicit directions, so if you get lost, it's because you want to be lost! There is a soft subtlety in the photography--like snapshots in my memory, evocative. Imbued in the text is a sensitivity to the land and peoples of Hawaii. I was struck by a certain reverence that allows witness without disturbance. There is a marked dry wit to Sprout's writing style; he lightly peppers his guide with humor without detracting from the densely packed info he delivers to anyone wishing to visit Kauai--whether they want a useful first-time tour of some well-known sites, or desire to stray off the beaten path. The book definitely helped me and I highly recommend it. Aloha & best wishes, Doreen Sinky, BC, Canada
Rating:
Summary: The Best Kauai guidebook out there...
Review: I just got back from 8 days in Kauai. My friends and I each brought a different guide book (I bought this one after reading the reviews on Amazon.com); this ended up being our bible for the trip. Really clear layout, good directions, excellent descriptions etc. made this book indespensible- we never went anywhere without it. By far the best Kauai guide I've seen.
Rating:
Summary: A great resource
Review: I purchased this book because of the good reviews by other people. After using this book in Kauai, I found everyone to be correct about their reviews. While visiting a new place, it is very easy to get lost. This book was a wonderful resource, with much to my surprise, very accurate and detailed directions and intructions on how to get to your chosen destinations. This guidebook described detailed landmarks to locate almost any of the sites for all the activities. My husband and family were able to participate in some of the recommended hikes and water activites and found them to be very enjoyable because we had a good idea of what to expect as described in the book. The book is organized and easy to follow for all the different activities with suggested "do not miss" establishments along the way. We will use this book again the next time we are in Kauai.
Rating: 
Summary: Kauai is great...this book is so-so.
Review: I too purchased this book because of all the great reviews on Amazon. It's true that it features many off the beaten track locations that most tourists would not normally find on their own. However, it strangely includes few maps, and the quality of the maps it does contain is poor. The written directions are often mysterious and hard to understand as a result. Was this done purposefully to make the destinations seem more romantic? I just found it confusing and time-consuming...
Rating:
Summary: Well deserved five stars
Review: I've lived on Kauai for thirteen years and consider myself a local. This is the only book I can really recommend to those who have never been here before. A testament to good travel writing. You can flip through the Best Of category, find somewhere you'd like to go and bam, hit the trail. When I'm stumped on where to take visitors, I always turn to this book. Mahalo to these adventure specialists who really know our island and portray it with so much aloha.
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