Customer Rating: Summary: Very compact and useful Comment: This is a very-very compact guide, just the way it suposed to be for a mountain trip guide. I can scan in a second all I want to know about one trail, and enjoy the view, not read books. Customer Rating: Summary: Good, but not always accurate Comment: This is a handy little book to carry around Yosemite. It's suggested hikes are great.
I did find at least one error. The hike to Sentinel Dome tells you to "continue around the base of the dome on your left (west)" which is virtually impossible. There is no trail there. I finally gave up and hiked back to the trail head and spend the rest of the time down the road at Glacier Point. I found out later that I should have gone right, not left, around the base of the dome.
The hike to Vernal Falls is described well, but the author doesn't mention that from the footbridge at the base of the falls it is 100 yards to the Vernal Falls Viewpoint. I found it out later. If you've gone as far as the footbridge, you might as well enjoy the view slightly further up.
In spite of a few problems, I recommend this book for families and causal hikers. Customer Rating: Summary: Good Guide for Our Family Comment: This guide was helpful as we planned our family vacation. It gave basic needed info, such as length of hike, type, facilities, etc... with distances and difficiculty easy to understand. A must when doing this with kids who have limited energy. It helped us out! Customer Rating: Summary: Mid Week or Off Season Only Comment: Visiting Yosemite National Park should top the "to do" list of any outdoor enthusiast in California. It is famous for its scenic wonders: stunning waterfalls, giant sequoia trees, and imposing walls of granite. Unfortunately, most of us can only spare a few days for a trip to this grand park. Multiple short day hikes therefore offer the best approach to exploring all Yosemite has to offer and Suzanne Swedo's book is an excellent place to start.
This book describes some of the classic Yosemite Walks including the trails to Vernal Falls, Glacier Point, Lembert Dome and the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias. These walks are classics because they feature world class scenery, and if you do them on a summer weekend you are likely to share the trail with thousands of tourists from all over the world. Fortunately Swedo also includes hikes to lesser known gems like Chilnualna Falls and the Tuolumne Grove of Sequoias. Still, if you want to avoid the crowds, these trails are best explored mid-week or during the off season. That said, this book, like the trails it describes, provides a lot of bang for the buck. It is well worth the price if you are planning a visit to Yosemite.
Sampling twenty-four of the most scenic and least physically challenging trails within the park, this guide features spectacular hikes accessible by paved road, and all are easy to find. This indispensable guide provides accurate hike descriptions, easy-to-follow maps, and concise trail information for the author's favorite trails. With hikes varying from half-hour strolls to full-day adventures, it has something for everyone.
