Rating: 
Summary: Going to Death Valley? Buy it!
Review: An excellent one volume guide to the park which has detailed trip logs, mileages, and points of interest assembled in an easy-to-read day trip format. Good historical perspective especially the ghost town and mining infomation. The author was suprintendent of the park in the 1980s when it was still classed as a National Monument and has a wide knowledge of the park and its many attractions. I recommend this book to all travellers by car (virtually 100%), but check carefully to see if the route is recommended for all cars or just 4WD rigs; the road conditions change frequently in the desert and the storms of 1998 and 1999 did considerable damage to once well-maintained routes so a call to a DVNP ranger station before adventuring would be advised.
Rating:
Summary: gas OK, oil OK, water OK - let's go!
Review: An excellent one volume guide to the park which has detailed trip logs, mileages, and points of interest assembled in an easy-to-read day trip format. Good historical perspective especially the ghost town and mining infomation. The author was suprintendent of the park in the 1980s when it was still classed as a National Monument and has a wide knowledge of the park and its many attractions. I recommend this book to all travellers by car (virtually 100%), but check carefully to see if the route is recommended for all cars or just 4WD rigs; the road conditions change frequently in the desert and the storms of 1998 and 1999 did considerable damage to once well-maintained routes so a call to a DVNP ranger station before adventuring would be advised.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the USA's Hottest National Park
Review: As I was studying this book,when I was writing important
secrets with in the book's Repitoire in my journal.The
place itself is amazing to know how much of Death Valley that
we never knew before.Not only the book,but the place itself,
must have a lot hidden secrets and the geography of the place
that makes it astonishing.The book is really a piece of
ancient art,especially Death Valley itself.
Throughout, the captivity of Death Valley, the stunningly
beautiful sceneries. The amount of plants, flowers, and the
nature of it, can really bloom out in fantastic shades and colors. I always thought, that Death Valley is a good National
Park to visit, but not to live in. I felt the amirition of
the book's scriptures based on the National Park, as
overwellming, and someday I wsh to to become an American
Female Archeologist and explore more of Death Valley. There
are still more to be discovered, that remains a mystery.
That's what Death Valley means to me. The place itself
remains a mystery.
Rating:
Summary: It will make your Death Valley trip great
Review: It would take years of visits to Death Valley to enjoy all the trips outlined in this book, and without this book, you won't get as much out of them. This book really made my recent trip to Death Valley a success.
One suggestion: get a map to use with this book. The book itself has only tiny outline-maps of the various trips described imposed on small silhouettes of Death Valley. A map will help you get an overview of where you are and where you want to go. A map will make it easier to plan your itinerary. I used Tom Harrison's excellent map of Death Valley, which you can score at outdoor-oriented stores. When you pay your user-fee at the park, they also will give you a simple map.
Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: It will make your Death Valley trip great
Review: It would take years of visits to Death Valley to enjoy all the trips outlined in this book, and without this book, you won't get as much out of them. This book really made my recent trip to Death Valley a success.
One suggestion: get a map to use with this book. The book itself has only tiny outline-maps of the various trips described imposed on small silhouettes of Death Valley. A map will help you get an overview of where you are and where you want to go. A map will make it easier to plan your itinerary. I used Tom Harrison's excellent map of Death Valley, which you can score at outdoor-oriented stores. When you pay your user-fee at the park, they also will give you a simple map.
Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: "Goodbye, Death Valley"
Review: That was what people have thought that the name Death Valley had come from. A settler who had enough of what this land had to offer. And upon his exit, he muttered those words. This is all a theory, but this book will take you into the past and give you an all-around trip though a beautiful land that most people portray only as a barren wasteland. With descriptive writing and great photos, this book is A MUST for all of those who want to make the trip!
Rating:
Summary: "Goodbye, Death Valley"
Review: That was what people have thought that the name Death Valley had come from. A settler who had enough of what this land had to offer. And upon his exit, he muttered those words. This is all a theory, but this book will take you into the past and give you an all-around trip though a beautiful land that most people portray only as a barren wasteland. With descriptive writing and great photos, this book is A MUST for all of those who want to make the trip!
Rating:
Summary: Detailed guide for the advanced explorer
Review: The book offers detailed information on many of DV's back country features. Mileages given are very accurate and are useful in locating geographic and historical sites. The most referred to DV book I own. Only drawback is that since 1995, many of the roads have been closed by NPS.
Rating:
Summary: Detailed guide for the advanced explorer
Review: The book offers detailed information on many of DV's back country features. Mileages given are very accurate and are useful in locating geographic and historical sites. The most referred to DV book I own. Only drawback is that since 1995, many of the roads have been closed by NPS.
Rating:
Summary: Going to Death Valley? Buy it!
Review: This is an excellent book with a few, minor flaws. The book tells you at what mileage markers you can find specific landmarks, so you shouldn't have any difficulties finding old mines, ghost towns, etc., whether on a paved or 4X4 backcountry road. The author includes a brief history of each mine and ghost town, though they sometimes leave me with more questions than they answer. However, in a book that attempts to cover as much as this one does, such shortcomings are inevitable. Indeed, one gets the impression that the author wanted to include more anecdotes, but the publisher wouldn't allow it. People interested in botany and geology should find this book especially useful, while those interested in wildlife will find this book to contain only basic information.There are a few minor inaccuracies...for example, an abandoned camp along Butte Valley Road is listed as being abandoned since the early 80's, but a marker at the site says it was abandoned in 1988. Also, though the book covers most roads in the park, it hardly mentions a few, including the (difficult!) road from Eureka Valley to Saline via Steele Pass. This omission won't be a problem for most readers, since the vast majority will stick to the paved roads. And the author writes about the paved roads with the same detail and enthusiasm as the unpaved ones. Some remarks are downright mysterious and leave the reader hungry for more. For example, when describing the features of a particular road, the author says "a few maps show a 'Marble Bath' but no one can agree on where or what it is." Well...?!? Has the author seen this landmark? Can he tell us what SOME people think it is? Give us a hint! While the book is very good at telling you exactly where to find major landmarks, there are no maps. Even though the book describes in words where to turn, what route to take, etc., a map would be most helpful. This omission can be rectified by visiting your AAA travel center. But don't let these flaws stop you from buying the book. If you're going to Death Valley, and especially if you're taking an unpaved, backcountry road, this book is an invaluable resource.
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