Hiking Wyoming's Wind River Range

Rating:
Summary: well written but poorly lay out. No index or cross reference
Review: The author does a very good jop at trail discriptions and gives a good feel for the lay of the land. How ever the guide would benifit greatly with better maps, specifically a much more detailed overview map which shows the major peaks and their relationship to the trials dicussed. An index with the trials and peaks that is cross referenced would make it much easier to plan trips. The author should take a look at the AMC White Mt guide book, the bench mark for all guide books. This book did not met my expectations and I am looking into others.

Rating:
Summary: Detailed trail descriptions, but poor maps, no index
Review: The most complete descriptions of Wind River trails are in this book. Each trail is characterized as to its length, difficulty, and traffic volume. An elevation profile for each trail is provided as well as brief descriptions of key points along the trail and their mileage points. There are detailed driving instructions to each trailhead. There is also a fairly lengthy narrative regarding the topography of each trail. Additionally, each trail is numbered and it is fairly easy to use the maps in the book to string trails together to design a multi-day backpacking trip. The book is 262 pages long and is one the Falcon guide series. Other features of the book include brief sections on the history, vegetation, wildlife, and geology of the Wind River Mountains. There is information about US Forest Service Wilderness Regulations, and since part of the Wind River Mountains are contained in the Wind River Indian Reservation, there is information about that, too. To round things out there is a backcountry checklist (what to take), information about hiking with children, and information on zero impact camping. Drawbacks include the lack of an index, the lack of a bibliography and little, if any, information about off-trail hiking.
If you plan to hike in the Wind Rivers on established trails and you don't mind the absence of an index, then this is book is excellent.

Rating:
Summary: The most complete descriptions of Wind River trails
Review: The most complete descriptions of Wind River trails are in this book. Each trail is characterized as to its length, difficulty, and traffic volume. An elevation profile for each trail is provided as well as brief descriptions of key points along the trail and their mileage points. There are detailed driving instructions to each trailhead. There is also a fairly lengthy narrative regarding the topography of each trail. Additionally, each trail is numbered and it is fairly easy to use the maps in the book to string trails together to design a multi-day backpacking trip. The book is 262 pages long and is one the Falcon guide series. Other features of the book include brief sections on the history, vegetation, wildlife, and geology of the Wind River Mountains. There is information about US Forest Service Wilderness Regulations, and since part of the Wind River Mountains are contained in the Wind River Indian Reservation, there is information about that, too. To round things out there is a backcountry checklist (what to take), information about hiking with children, and information on zero impact camping. Drawbacks include the lack of an index, the lack of a bibliography and little, if any, information about off-trail hiking.
If you plan to hike in the Wind Rivers on established trails and you don't mind the absence of an index, then this is book is excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Detailed trail descriptions, but poor maps, no index
Review: This is a frustrating book to use although the meat of it---the trail descriptions and stats---is very detailed and well written. The lack of an index, or any way to use all the maps together, and the fact that the maps are very incomplete, make it very annoying to use. Add to this that there is an almost explicit LACK of information or routes for any of the peaks, and one wonders why one bought the book at all. There is no route to the top of Square Top Peak, nor over Dinwoody Pass, or up to Gannett. Even the non-technical peaks are omitted. There is also no "About the Author" section (although it says that there is one), and this is important when one is going to rely on him to guide you into the Wind River Range.