California's Eastern Sierra: A Visitor's Guide

by Sue Irwin

Book Overview

California's Eastern Sierra: A Visitor's Guide explores and celebrates a unique western landscape. A rugged country of enchanting beauty, the Eastern Sierra lies at the junction of the Sierra Nevada,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0962850500
• ISBN13: 9780962850509
• Release Date: June 1992
• Publisher: Cachuma Press
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.7" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Invaluable guide to the east Sierra region

This book has been a good friend to us over the last dozen or so years, as we have made many trips into the east Sierra/Owens Valley area, mostly for photography. The book is well-written, well-organized, and has thoughtfully-chosen sites to visit. The photography, of couse, is wonderful, from some of the top landscape photographers in the western U.S. If you might ever be headed in this direction, you need this book.

The best travel guide I ever bought.

I was fortunate enough to purchase this book on the first day of two-week vacation in the Sierra. Since part of the vacation was a planned visit to Mono Lake, the title attracted me. A brief perusal demonstrated the exquisite color photography throughout the book.After reading sections of the book, plans were changed to include much more time in the Owens Valley and kindred points. We saw and experienced many things that I had never imagined, such as the Long Valley hot springs, the Owens River Canyon, rockhounding areas galore, Fossil Falls, the Coso Domes, Convict Lake, etc., etc.The book is well writtten, and very well organized, taking the reader from south(Mojave Desert) to North(Bridgeport area, about 100 miles south of Reno) in successive chapters. Although written for any person with a high school background, the book is particularly well suited for students of earth processes, including physical geology, weather, and field biology. Attractions such as the Ancient Bristlecone pine forest, home of the worlds oldest trees, and the Mono Lake volcanic domes, one of America's most recent sites of volcanic activity, are especiall.y well discussed. One of the most impressive features of this work is the careful road directions included at the conclusion of each subsection discussing a particular attraction. Without these guideline, finding some of the areas would have been much more difficult.Mixed in with the recitation of attractions, and things to see and do, is a history of the area, where you will find discussion of the various mining ventures in area mountains and dry lakebeds, as well as a narrative of the Owens Valley Earthquake of 1872. America has not experienced a quake of this magnitude since that date.The book was a treat to possess, both during my vacation and now. Its photography and text rekindle memories of this wonderful region of our country, and I recommend it as highly as possible.

Complete and Beautiful

The photos in this book jumped out at me and encouraged me to purchase it, yet I was very happily surprised by the thoroughness and readability of the text. I made a road trip down highway 395 this past summer through the Eastern Sierra region and this book proved to be an invaluable resource. It turned me onto many great places to visit off the beaten path. There is excellent history, wildlife and geological info, and descriptions of the towns along the way. The photos are just great, making this both a coffee table book and a great visitors guide. I stopped at the Interagency Visitor Center in Lone Pine (which I would recommend as a good starting point for anyone exploring the area) and among their large selection of books about the region I found this book to the best single source if choosing just one. You'll be very happy with this purchase.

A Great Eastern Sierra Source of Information

As an employee of a resort in the Eastern Sierra, I've glanced through and read many books about the region. Of all of them, this book is the best written and researched. The book's pictures are good, but the text is the true value of the book. This book has it all, from climate, to wildlife, to various flora of the region, to recreational suggestions for each of the region's popular landmarks. A must have for any fan of the Eastern Sierra or for anyone planning a trip to this fantastic region of California.

The best book to one of California's awesome landscapes.

I bought a copy of this book years ago, and I've traveled extensively through the region it covers. It is one of the most attractive and informative books I own. Of course, the Eastern Sierra is a region of astounding beauty, so author Sue Irwin could hardly go wrong.