Rating: 
Summary: The Book For The RMNP Day Hiker
Review: This is a superior guide for anyone seeking an "off road" experience in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) -- the only way to really see the park's wonders. The authors have first hand experience on the trails, discuss the terrain, the turns, the animals, flowers, and habitat. For the novice or less experienced hiker, this book will give you everything you need to hike in confidence. It will help you select the best trail for your time and effort level. This book will tell you "what's up ahead," so if you're an explorer first, the surprise is limited to the beauty not the unexpected. However, if avoiding uncertainly is your goal (and a good one in the mountains where weather is unpredictable and trerrain and altitude can be challenging) this is The Book. Without this book a hiker to Mills Lake, for example, might not know to look for the cairns that mark about 100 yards of obscured trail over the glacial rock just north of the lake. For the more experienced outdoorsman and those familar with the park, the book provides a touch of naturalism and environmental science that makes an informed reference or overnight backpacking trip. I've selected a number of trails to hike in the park based on this book's descriptions and recommendations and NEVER been disappointed. I am planning a one-week excursion across the park for the summer of 2000 and will have this book in my backpack. This book is money well invested.
Rating:
Summary: This is a guide for readers
Review: This would have been a lot better in the regular Falcon guide format. I found the descriptions in this book rambling, lacking in any useful detail and not very helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very helpful
Review: This would have been a lot better in the regular Falcon guide format. I found the descriptions in this book rambling, lacking in any useful detail and not very helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Inferior to other Falcon Guide Trail Guides
Review: While this book can be informative at times, it lacks organization, and is inconsistent. If you're used to other Falcon Guide Trail books, you expect a section on each trail...how to get to the trailhead, difficulty rankings, miles each way, elevation gain, etc, all laid out at the beginning of each trails description. Not in this book. If you're interested in Longs Peak, for example, it gives no details of how to arrive at the trailhead at all. No details on getting there from ANY of the parks campgrounds, of which there are few. It goes into the climb in the style of a travelogue, NOT a trail guide. I was disappointed, and this book will now simply collect dust on my shelf. I want a guide for specific trails, with specific instructions on how to get to the trailhead, with suggestions and tips for each. Maybe I'll write my own, after spending a few weeks there this summer. Save yourself some cash, and pass up this book.
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