Rating: 
Summary: The Best "Arkansas Outdoor" Book
Review: Arkansas A Guide to Backcountry Travel & Adventure, by Bryan Hendricks, is in my opinion, the best source for information about outdoor activities in Arkansas currently available. I have read several titles that have promised useful information on this subject, but Mr. Hendricks' book has got the most complete listings of places to go and things to do in the most reader-friendly format of any of my previous purchases. I have 3 young children, and accurate information is vital to me when it comes to planning a trip. This book lets me know exactly what to expect when I'm considering a weekend jaunt with my family. Nothing can ruin an otherwise nice outing for me more than getting to a place and finding it totally different than it has been described to me. I have already been to several of the recreation areas mentioned in this book, and have found the author's assessments to be right on track. Therefore, I feel like I can trust Mr. Hendricks' observations when I am planning future excursions with my family. Arkansas A Guide to Backcountry Travel & Adventure, published by Out There Press, covers every region of the state in an easy-to-use layout, complete with locations, maps, activities permitted, contact information, ranger station locations, and also gives you names of businesses in the immediate area which may be of use while on an outing. Everything is easy to understand, with emphasis placed on hiking, camping, canoeing, fishing, and my personal favorite, mountain biking. It is so hard to get accurate information on what is permitted, and when and where, that the contacts included with the book will make it a valuable refernce for years to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to find outdoor activities in Arkansas, as I feel there is not a single wasted page between its covers.
Rating:
Summary: The Best "Arkansas Outdoor" Book
Review: Arkansas A Guide to Backcountry Travel & Adventure, by Bryan Hendricks, is in my opinion, the best source for information about outdoor activities in Arkansas currently available. I have read several titles that have promised useful information on this subject, but Mr. Hendricks' book has got the most complete listings of places to go and things to do in the most reader-friendly format of any of my previous purchases. I have 3 young children, and accurate information is vital to me when it comes to planning a trip. This book lets me know exactly what to expect when I'm considering a weekend jaunt with my family. Nothing can ruin an otherwise nice outing for me more than getting to a place and finding it totally different than it has been described to me. I have already been to several of the recreation areas mentioned in this book, and have found the author's assessments to be right on track. Therefore, I feel like I can trust Mr. Hendricks' observations when I am planning future excursions with my family. Arkansas A Guide to Backcountry Travel & Adventure, published by Out There Press, covers every region of the state in an easy-to-use layout, complete with locations, maps, activities permitted, contact information, ranger station locations, and also gives you names of businesses in the immediate area which may be of use while on an outing. Everything is easy to understand, with emphasis placed on hiking, camping, canoeing, fishing, and my personal favorite, mountain biking. It is so hard to get accurate information on what is permitted, and when and where, that the contacts included with the book will make it a valuable refernce for years to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to find outdoor activities in Arkansas, as I feel there is not a single wasted page between its covers.
Rating: 
Summary: THE ONLY COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE WILDS OF ARKANSAS!
Review: Arkansas native Bryan Hendricks has spent a lifetime exploring the woods, fields, streams and lakes of his home state. He has relied on that experience to create a guide to hiking, camping, canoeing & kayaking, fishing, mountain biking, and rock climbing that is unparalelled for accuracy and completeness. Virtually every natural area open to the public is included here--national forests, state parks, national wildlife refuges, national park lands, and more. Whatever your tastes in outdoor adventure, this is the only glove-compartment or backpack companion you'll need to start exploring Arkansas' wildest, remotest corners.
Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs Up For Hendricks' "Arkansas..."
Review: Arkansas: A Guide to Backcountry Travel & Adventure, written by Bryan Hendricks, is in my opinion, by far the best book currently available for the outdoor enthusiast in Arkansas. After having purchased and/or read several titles of this genre, Mr. Hendricks' book provides the most complete and objective overviews of outdoor activities in every region of Arkansas. The maps are accurate and easy to read, as are the descriptions of services available and activities permitted by state and local laws. As a father of three young children, it is important that when we travel, I have the most accurate and up to date information about our destination as is possible. I trust Mr. Hendricks' evaluations as listed in his book, as I have already visited several of the featured areas and have found his appraisals honest and observant. I am an avid mountain bicyclist, and I have found it difficult to find reliable information about sanctioned places outside my immediate locality in which I can ride. Most others books on the market woefully ignore mountain biking as a legitimate sport, while Mr. Hendricks gives it equal billing with more conventional pastimes such as camping, hiking, boating, and fishing (which I also enjoy immensely). I have noticed a trend in which authors write books about their "favorite" or "the best" place(s) to go in Arkansas. This is fine, but I've found that my family's taste differs from the offerings in these books, and we are often disappointed in the end. "Arkansas: A Backcountry Guide to Travel & Adventure" has more information on more natural habitats in Arkansas than the previously mentioned types of books, and also offers subjective commentary about each of these locations. Each area is described in detail, including contact information, directions to get there, the topography of the area, allowed activities, and the particular "do and do not's" of the site. I will conclude this by saying that as a native Arkansawyer myself, this book has really opened up my options for outdoor recreation, and I'm sure that anyone purchasing this title will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs Up For Hendricks' "Arkansas..."
Review: GREAT BOOK! Very comprehensive, easy to follow, and gives you all the information you would need to select a location for the type of recreation you are seeking. I've read other publications by Bryan Hendricks and he has a wonderful talent for making you see and feel the scene he is describing. Very talented writer. I highly recommend the book!
Rating:
Summary: Arkansas: A Guide to Backcountry Adventure
Review: GREAT BOOK! Very comprehensive, easy to follow, and gives you all the information you would need to select a location for the type of recreation you are seeking. I've read other publications by Bryan Hendricks and he has a wonderful talent for making you see and feel the scene he is describing. Very talented writer. I highly recommend the book!
Rating:
Summary: The author describes his book
Review: I first got the idea for writing, Arkansas ... A Guide to Backcountry Travel & Adventure in 1987-88 while backpacking from Arkansas to Maine. Upon returning, I spent the next 10 years seeking out the most remote, most extraordinary places I could find, and each one made me hungrier for the next. Ultimately, this quest led me out of the Ozarks and into the Ouachita Mountains, and eventually into the unknown reaches of the Gulf Coastal Plain and the Mississippi Delta. Each new discovery enthralled me and left me with a greater appreciation for what I feel is one of the nation's finest destinations for backcountry travelers. My "research," was memorable in more ways than one. For example, I was bitten by a timber rattler on Fourche Mountain, and I was swept away in a flash flood on Cove Creek in Crawford County (it took 7 hours for rescuers to find me!). While mountain biking on Poteau Mountain, I suffered a near fatal wreck that shattered my skull, took off my scalp and broke two vertebrae. Although none of those experiences are described in this book, they certainly gave me a deeper connection with the high and low sides of the activities described therein. With that in mind, I wrote the book to be useful to the most experienced, "extreme" adventurer, as well as to the casual visitor. My focus was to describe the opportunities (camping, hiking, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, mountain biking) available in these places as accurately as humanly possible and to give the reader a deep feel of each place in terms of how they look, smell, feel and sound. I leave the actual discovery up to the reader, which explains why it's not a rock-by-rock trail and stream guide. Most importantly, I wanted it to be enjoyable and memorable to read. Therefore, I included a lot of historical anecdotes and local folklore. I hope "Arkansas" is as fun to read and use as it was to write. Perhaps I'll see ya'll out there sometime.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Guide for Canoeing and Hiking
Review: I recently read the book "Arkansas, A Guide to Backcountry Travel and Adventure", written by Bryan Hendricks in anticipation of a combined canoe and back-country exploration of the Buffalo River Area in North west Arkansas. I was pleasantly surprised to find all the information I needed for both the canoe trip and back country hiking trip contained in the same book! Usually, my trips require purchase of at least two different books: one for the whitewater and one for the back-country; but not in this case. This is the first time I've planned a combined journey with the luxury of finding all the needed information, map references, portages, and trail heads in one comprehensive volume. Great work, Bryan! I was also fascinated upon further reading by the anecdotal information in the book which made for an interesting and "not-so-dry" read. The story of the "Legend of Boggy Creek" was particularly enjoyable and should provide a good discussion point for any family camping trip. Thanks again for the excellent book and perhaps I'll see Mr. Hendricks on the Buffalo River this April.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Guide for Canoeing and Hiking
Review: I recently read the book "Arkansas, A Guide to Backcountry Travel and Adventure", written by Bryan Hendricks in anticipation of a combined canoe and back-country exploration of the Buffalo River Area in North west Arkansas. I was pleasantly surprised to find all the information I needed for both the canoe trip and back country hiking trip contained in the same book! Usually, my trips require purchase of at least two different books: one for the whitewater and one for the back-country; but not in this case. This is the first time I've planned a combined journey with the luxury of finding all the needed information, map references, portages, and trail heads in one comprehensive volume. Great work, Bryan! I was also fascinated upon further reading by the anecdotal information in the book which made for an interesting and "not-so-dry" read. The story of the "Legend of Boggy Creek" was particularly enjoyable and should provide a good discussion point for any family camping trip. Thanks again for the excellent book and perhaps I'll see Mr. Hendricks on the Buffalo River this April.
Rating:
Summary: A Guide to Adventure and Happy Trails
Review: If you are looking for an expert, detailed guide to a backcountry adventure or just a highly readable armchair simulation, read this book. It offers detailed suggestions not only to surviving the wilds but thriving in them. ARKANSAS appeals to hiker, naturalist, and layman alike with each district and area offering a general overview for trip selection. Following each of these are detailed maps with topographical descriptions, seasonal guides to vegetation and animals, climate expectations, clothing needs, and equipment recommendations. Also, there are comprehensive activitity guides to camping, canoeing, fishing, biking, and hiking. The book traverses the state like its rivers: from the high-plateau Ozark Mountains of the Northwest, down the Arkansas River Valley, through the piney woods of the Ouachita Mountains, across the fertile cotton, rice, and soybean fields of the Delta to the blackwater swamps of the Southeast. The author's expertise is impressive, but more than this, the book reflects a deep appreciation, respect, and love of backcountry Arkansas.
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