Hiking Arizona's Geology

Rating:
Summary: Arizona's geology seen at its best on the trail.
Review: Having just published a book about geology and hiking in the southwest, I can confidently say that Ivo Lucchitta's book is an excellent resource and enjoyable read for geologists and amateurs alike. Aside from good exercise, the hikes provide powerful insights into the formation of the structures in Arizona that most know as just beautiful scenery. If you're going to hike Arizona and want the additional rewards of understanding your surroundings, this book is a must.

Rating:
Summary: A great resource for the hardy, thinking hiker
Review: Hiking Arizona Geology is really two books under one cover. In "book one", the first thirty-seven pages are a geology primer, written at a level understandable to the beginning student yet not condescending to the experienced professional. The following nineteen pages sketch the nearly two-billion-year-long geologic history of Arizona, leaving the reader well prepared to understand and appreciate the diverse geology and landscapes of the state. Information is delivered with an occasional philosophical undertone interspersed with wry humor typical of Ivo Lucchitta's style (e.g. ".... that peculiar variety of life called Homo, including its pretentious branch that is amusingly pleased to call itself sapiens.").
The attentive and therefore well-educated reader is now adequately, if not fully, prepared to appreciate the stories contained in rocks and their landforms along the forty-one hikes described in delicious detail, in "book two". Hikes were selected to illustrate the geologic, and not coincidentally, climatic diversity of Arizona. Many people not familiar with the state might assume that Arizona is one vast desert, only to be hiked during cool winter days. Not so! Hiking Arizona Geology is truly a book for all seasons, covering elevations ranging from about 2,000 to 12,600 feet above sea level.
For this review, I read the book from front to back, in one sitting. This left me somewhat put off by the repetition of material from Hike to Hike. But I also appreciate that for the occasional user, this kind of repetition is necessary, because each hike must stand alone.
My recommendation: Get the cobwebs out of your mind, the dust off your hiking boots, and hit the trail, book in hand. The exercise will be good for your physical and mental health, and you are bound to learn a lot about Mother Earth.

Rating:
Summary: A great resource for the hardy, thinking hiker
Review: Hiking Arizona Geology is really two books under one cover. In "book one", the first thirty-seven pages are a geology primer, written at a level understandable to the beginning student yet not condescending to the experienced professional. The following nineteen pages sketch the nearly two-billion-year-long geologic history of Arizona, leaving the reader well prepared to understand and appreciate the diverse geology and landscapes of the state. Information is delivered with an occasional philosophical undertone interspersed with wry humor typical of Ivo Lucchitta's style (e.g. ".... that peculiar variety of life called Homo, including its pretentious branch that is amusingly pleased to call itself sapiens.").
The attentive and therefore well-educated reader is now adequately, if not fully, prepared to appreciate the stories contained in rocks and their landforms along the forty-one hikes described in delicious detail, in "book two". Hikes were selected to illustrate the geologic, and not coincidentally, climatic diversity of Arizona. Many people not familiar with the state might assume that Arizona is one vast desert, only to be hiked during cool winter days. Not so! Hiking Arizona Geology is truly a book for all seasons, covering elevations ranging from about 2,000 to 12,600 feet above sea level.
For this review, I read the book from front to back, in one sitting. This left me somewhat put off by the repetition of material from Hike to Hike. But I also appreciate that for the occasional user, this kind of repetition is necessary, because each hike must stand alone.
My recommendation: Get the cobwebs out of your mind, the dust off your hiking boots, and hit the trail, book in hand. The exercise will be good for your physical and mental health, and you are bound to learn a lot about Mother Earth.

Rating:
Summary: A great companion on the trail
Review: I agree with all the previous reviewers, and I'll just add that I've hiked all over Arizona and have a number of hiking books, and this is the most interesting and useful of them all. The hikes are very well chosen, and not only have geologic interest but are enjoyable and scenic hikes in their own right. Some of them are classics (such as the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon, the Peralta Trail in the Superstitions, the Heart of Rocks Trail in the Chiricahuas, and so on) that many Arizona hikers will already be familiar with, and the detailed information in this book lets you experience them in a whole new way. There are also some less-well-known trails that I'm looking forward to trying. On some of the trails that I'd already hiked, this book answered questions about things that I'd seen along the way and wondered about. If you do any hiking in Arizona and have any interest or curiousity at all about the geologic features that you're passing through, then this book will be one of the best purchases you could make, and will pay for itself many times over in all the knowledge and enjoyment you'll get out of it.

Rating:
Summary: This book rocks
Review: If you plan to hike Arizona, or live in Arizona and are a hiker, this book is a must have. I have only done a handful of the 41 hikes listed in this book, but the information in the book has added new demensions to each. The Southwest is known for its geology, and so a geology book is a great resource when exploring the region. If you plan to explore the Grand Canyon any time soon, this book has some great hikes there. It also is loaded with photos and diagrams. Unlike a few other hike books dealing with the region, this one has detailed, easy-to-follow directions to the trailhead and provides a good deal of information on what to expect during the hike. Good stuff!

Rating:
Summary: A "must-have" on any Arizona hiker's bookshelf
Review: The author of this guidebook writes that a deeper understanding of something only heightens the enjoyment of that thing. So it is with hiking in Arizona. I have hiked many of the trails included in this book, but the geologic knowledge provided by this publication will undoubtedly add to the enjoyment of trails already well-trodden, as well as those still to be experienced. While technical enough to satisfy those with a scientific mind, the descriptions of geology in general, and Arizona in particular, are easily understood by anyone. In fact, the author's engaging style made these "geologic primers" some of my favorite parts of the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone intersted in hiking in Arizona. The trails included are all scenic, they're dispersed throughout the state, and they provide a wide representation of Arizona's geologic features.