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Rating: 
Summary: Great Book!
Review: Beautiful guide and thorough examination of the myriad of hikes one can take in and around Yosemite National Park. Excellent graphics and map layouts. Detailed description of the hikes, trailheads and parking. Good descriptions of what you can expect to encounter along the way as far as hiking time, high points in elevation you will encounter (along with the hikes averaged elevation gain) and the hike's relative difficulty ranked from easy to strenuous (with some hikes running the gamut of just that in the very hike itself). Also, the best seasons for each hike are included.
A good job of was also done of including the various contact numbers that might be of interest to those planning to visit the Park plus required permits and tips on what wildlife/insect life you can expect to encounter along the way.
The author has thoughtfully included various safety tips concerning what to bring and a nice section on wilderness ethics. For those hikers looking to do a quick scan of what each various hike has to offer, there's a helpful trail index in the back of the book.
Personally, my favorite sections were the hikes surrounding Mono Lake, especially hike No. 50 with it's detailed information on the lake itself, it's strange composition and insect inhabitants. A description of Mono and its tufa castles as "a sci-fi dream city" seems entirely appropriate.
Special distinction must be made of the book's photographs, most credited to the author, which are gorgeous! Some are simply jaw dropping. Helpfully included in the book's introduction is a section on taking photographs in Yosemite -- although one would be hard-pressed to match some of the photographs he has included. One would hope for a future publication devoted entirely to the author's photographs.
Pretty easy to see why "100 Hikes in Yosemite National Park" has recently garnered the prestigious distinction of winning the 2003 National Outdoor Book Award (NOBA) for best guidebook.
If you're planning to hike Yosemite, don't leave home without it. Good job!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: Beautiful guide and thorough examination of the myriad of hikes one can take in and around Yosemite National Park. Excellent graphics and map layouts. Detailed description of the hikes, trailheads and parking. Good descriptions of what you can expect to encounter along the way as far as hiking time, high points in elevation you will encounter (along with the hikes averaged elevation gain) and the hike's relative difficulty ranked from easy to strenuous (with some hikes running the gamut of just that in the very hike itself). Also, the best seasons for each hike are included.
A good job of was also done of including the various contact numbers that might be of interest to those planning to visit the Park plus required permits and tips on what wildlife/insect life you can expect to encounter along the way.
The author has thoughtfully included various safety tips concerning what to bring and a nice section on wilderness ethics. For those hikers looking to do a quick scan of what each various hike has to offer, there's a helpful trail index in the back of the book.
Personally, my favorite sections were the hikes surrounding Mono Lake, especially hike No. 50 with it's detailed information on the lake itself, it's strange composition and insect inhabitants. A description of Mono and its tufa castles as "a sci-fi dream city" seems entirely appropriate.
Special distinction must be made of the book's photographs, most credited to the author, which are gorgeous! Some are simply jaw dropping. Helpfully included in the book's introduction is a section on taking photographs in Yosemite -- although one would be hard-pressed to match some of the photographs he has included. One would hope for a future publication devoted entirely to the author's photographs.
Pretty easy to see why "100 Hikes in Yosemite National Park" has recently garnered the prestigious distinction of winning the 2003 National Outdoor Book Award (NOBA) for best guidebook.
If you're planning to hike Yosemite, don't leave home without it. Good job!
Rating: 
Summary: 2nd. edition needed.
Review: I like the basic organization of this book.
Many useful photos and easy to understand trail maps.
(But do not reply on them while hiking.)
I use this book to get an idea for my next hiking destination.
However the 2nd edition is needed to correct some easy
to spot errors. Fo example, ten photos are described with wrong mountain names.
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous photos and great trail descriptions
Review: The most enjoyable hours of my life have been spent hiking in Yosemite and Mammoth and this guide is absolutely indispensible for the novice or experienced hiker.The photographs themselves are breathtaking; all in color and printed on hih quality, glossy paper. The photos give you an excellent idea of what each hike is going to look like. I use it almost daily during hiking season and it helps in selecting hikes, planning them, reaching the trailhead and gauging whether a hike will be worthwhile. Each hike contains an accurate and fairly detailed description of the rigors of each trek. Occasionally I quibble with the author's ranking of a given hike, but usually he is on the mark. A few cautionary notes: there are no detailed maps in the book, except general maps which introduce the hiker to each specific place. The map for the John Muir trail, for example, is very basic. Don't expect detailed maps for each hike because there are none. The descriptions of how to reach each trailhead are excellent, unless you have little experience with Yosemite. My favorite part of the book is that the Touloume Meadows High Country area is not neglected, nor the great hikes around Hetch Hetchy. Equally detailed are the fantastic hikes in Mammoth, including Ediza and Shadow lakes, Duck pass and Valentine Lake. All in all, a fabulous and beautiful hiking guide.
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