Customer Rating:  
Summary: Steer away
Comment: After reading the reviews for this book, I purchased it as I went on a quick tour through Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. I was very disappointed. The trips are listed from point-to-point around the Grand Loop. However, if you are driving the loop in the opposite direction, the book is very difficult to follow. It doesn't give driving distances for the points of interest. The book gives an estimated driving time from one (i.e. Mammoth to Old Faithful) to another, and mentions some points of interest along the way, but the reader is left to guess where along the drive it might be.
Be aware that the park access fees have changed since the book was printed. Other than that, I did not notice any major discrepancies.
Another minor gripe is that none of the pictures are in color, but are clearly color photos printed to black and white. For the price of the book, they should be in color; heck, even the Lonely Planet series uses color pictures. If not using artistic or color photos, I'd rather have more substance to the book itself.
I always travel with multiple guides and was glad that I did, especially for the Yellowstone portion of the trip, and would recommend the "Yellowstone Treasures Travelers Companion" instead. It had the same or more information than this book, listed mileage to each point of interest from either direction, and had color photos.
http://www.amazon.com/Yellowstone-Treasures-Travelers-Companion-National/dp/0970687311/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213397462&sr=1-1
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent Driving Guide to YNP and the Tetons
Comment: I used this guide extensively on a 3-day drive through both parks. It's packed with information and is well written and organized. Highly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Used this every day of our trip
Comment: We used this book every day we were in Yellowstone. It was such a help in planning each day, knowing where to stop, what to expect in terms of how long hikes were, finding restaurants and shops, etc. I would read the information about each place aloud to the kids, which helped pass the time between stops. One word of caution, though. We are not the type of family that does a lot of hiking, camping, climbing, etc. We did find that some of her descriptions of the difficulty of the hikes and trails were a bit underestimated. Between the heat and the altitude, this is important to keep in mind! Other than that, I think this is a must have!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Comment: This book was right on the money with all the things to see while driving through the parks. In combination with this book Outdoor Family Guide to Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks (Outdoor Family Guides) and the Trails Illustrated maps of both parks:
Trails Illustrated Yellowstone Map Old Faithful
Trails Illustrated Mammoth Hotsprings Yellowstone National Park NW
Trails Illustrated Tower Canyon Yellowstone National Park NE
Trails Illustrated Yellowstone Lake Yellowstone National Park SE
National Geographic Trails Illustrated Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA: Topo Map (Trails Illustrated - Topo Maps USA)
(which can also be purchased at http://www.ngmapstore.com), we had a very easy time getting around the park and where things were located. It made planning a whiz!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Intimate & Excellent
Comment: This second edition adds two new drives, and updated information from the 1999 edition.
Most surprising, for a guidebook, is the intimacy of tone, and enthusiasm for the parks and the beauty of the surrounding areas.
This book contains substantial, and well researched information on the historical, geological and natural features of the parks, and the tone is that of a close and intimate friend, sitting in your passenger seat, pointing out the window and exclaiming, "Hey! Look at that!"
Far from the staid and removed tone of many guidebooks, this book is truly an "Insiders' Guide," and makes me want to check out the other books in the series.
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