Great Smoky Mountains National Park Pocket
Guide by Randi Minetor and
Nic Minetor. With less than 100 pages and small in size,
this guide is easy to tote along and contains a surprising amount of
information, including two fold-out maps. Information on
activities, history, wildlife, and vegetation. Plus, at $9.95 it's
about the cheapest guidebook around. There are surprisingly few
good guidebooks devoted to America's most heavily-visited national park.
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Grand Canyon: The Complete Guide, 3rd ed.
by James Kaiser. Although a couple of years old, this may be
the best of the Grand Canyon guidebooks. Includes color
photos and maps along with information on hiking, camping, dining,
etc. Content is divided by activity centers such as the
Colorado River, the North Rim, and the South Rim. If you have
yet to visit the park, keep in mind that the North and South Rims
are nearly a day's drive apart. Also keep in mind that the
North Rim is certainly worth the visit, especially since Bryce
Canyon and Zion are close by. Order
this book from Amazon
Moon Acadia National Park, 3rd ed.
by Hilary Nangle. Authored by a
Maine native, this is another excellent national park guide
published by Moon. Information on hiking, boating,
camping, and most of what you need to know for an informed trip
to this popular park. Also includes facilities and
activities in nearby towns and villages.
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Rocky Mountain National Park Pocket
Guide by Stewart Green.
Another title in the Falcon series of small tote-along
books. Includes pop-out maps attached to both the
front and back covers. Provides information about
hiking, climbing, and wildlife. Also, details on the
park's best-known feature; Trail Ridge Road. There is
no lodging available in the park so the author includes
suggestions for lodging and dining in the gateway town of
Estes Park.
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Olympic National Park: A Natural
History, revised ed. by Tim
McNulty. An excellent presentation of the
history, wildlife, and archeology of this large and
complex national park with features that range from
wildly beautiful ocean beaches to snow-capped mountain
peaks. Our first visit to the Hoh Rain Forest
opened our eyes to everything green.
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A Falcon Guide to Death Valley National Park
by Bert and Jane Gildart. Provides a
good description of the many activities available in
this unique national park. Although not
recommended for hikers, it guides first-time
visitors on what to do after visiting two of the
park's best-known features, Badwater and Scotty's
Castle. Little known is that Death Valley
houses four separate lodging facilities.
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