Hiking the Southwest's Canyon Country

Rating:
Summary: A great Planning tool
Review: I picked this book up at a Ramsey Outdoor store in New Jersey. It was the only Utah book they had. Pretty sad statement since Utah has some of the best hiking on the planet. Anyway, I was reluctant to buy a hiking book until I could flip through it and see if it covered what I needed it too. At first glance, I almost put it back. It did not have elevations or GPS coordinates and the distance information was rounded not exact. Then I started reading it and looking at the maps. What I realized was this was a book that purposely ommitted the gory details to simplify the process. The maps (and there are a lot of them) are handdrawn and include easy to follow symbols. The descriptions on each hike are short and easy to digest. I found myself using it to learn more about the hikes and which ones I would be interested in. There are also lots of B&W photos with 2 sections of color panels. The best part of this book is that it focus' on the four corners area (Utah, Arizona, New Mexico & Colorado) and has a lot to offer those interested in rock art and ruins. It is a very easy read and it will be one of the books that makes the cut in my luggage when I go out to Utah in August. A great big thank you to Ms. Hinchman for writing a hiking book for the rest of us.

Rating:
Summary: A good overview
Review: This book covers a wide geographic area and combines some driving tours with day hikes and short to medium backpacks. The author says that she and her husband did almost all of the hikes described so this is first-hand information. She seems to have a great appreciation of the region even during the heat of summer, and I can tell you that summers there are often very hot.
I've driven many of the roads in this book in your basic rental cars and in my own sedans with no problems. But some of these roads are rough and can become impossible in snow and rain so be aware of that.
Some of the advice is outdated, at least in the edition of the book that I have. So if you decide to try some of these hikes, especially in the National Parks, be sure to follow the rules of that park.
I've used this book to provide basic outlines and ideas for hikes and backpacks. It's a good idea to have topo maps and local advice before proceeding into some of these areas. I don't live in the area so am unaware of the lost and found hiker statistics of the area. I do know that here in Oregon many hit the trail with limited skills, poor equipment and guidebook advice only to require a search and rescue a few days later.
But this is off the subject. I like this book and believe that it's useful.

Rating:
Summary: An ok intro...
Review: This book outlines several extended trips through the desert southwest. Many of them are about a week or longer, and if you follow them you will surely see some wonderful sights. This is great if you are a fully outfitted backpacker, and own a 4wd vehicle. The pictures are a mixture of color and b and w, and they help to frame the descriptions well. There are some serious drawbacks, though. For each hike an evaluation of the difficulty of the hike is given. This is, as far as I can tell, a blind guess--it shouldn't be trusted. Moreover, the book describes doing things which are entirely illegal. In Arches National Park it describes doing all of this backcountry camping and this is strictly prohibited because people were destroying the desert by hiking off trails Moreover, the maps included are more confusing than useful. You'll have to buy the appropriate topo maps, and trying to compare them to the amateur-looking maps in the book is difficult. This book WILL give you at least an idea of where you should go and what you can expect when you get there. It DOES have some stupid ideas--like hiking up a bunch of washes, which I think is often boring, difficult, and dangerous (for obvious reasons). I did get some good ideas from it, though..so it's not all bad.