Hiking Death Valley: A Guide to Its Natural Wonders and Mining Past

Book Overview

With elevations ranging from 282 feet below sea level to 11,049 feet, a world-famous climate, and some of the most spectacular scenery in the North American desert, Death Valley National Park is a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0965917800
• ISBN13: 9780965917803
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Michel Digonnet
• Length: 542 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent guide to many hikes

Be aware that Digonnet omits a few common destinations in this book. But it's by far the best guide to the huge number of hikes that he does include. Rely on this book for the majority of your destinations, but get another guide to fill in the gaps. Also keep in mind that areas described as "easy scrambles" for someone with a technical climbing background like Digonnet may be more difficult for flat-ground hikers.

A beyond exceptional hiking guide

I have been visiting Death Valley for 35 years, and I have been there more times than I can remember. This includes many back-country and dirt road trips thoughout the region. I love the place. I have also been an avid hiker, backpacker, mountain climber and general wilderness enthuthiast for 40 years. I got this book a few years ago, and it was a revelation of new opportunities and information about Death Valley backcountry. It was also one of the best hiking guides I have ever read. I cannot recommend it higher for someone interested in taking their exploration of Death Valley to a new level. It also has enough easy hikes that someone interested in dipping their toe into the world of desert wilderness exploration can still get a good taste of it, and also know that the particular hike will not expose them to dangers beyond their skill level. It is not an ideal guide for a beginner, nor is it sufficient in and of itself to enjoy Death Valley. You would need a good overall map of the park -- the NPS topo map of the whole park is ideal for that purpose. You should also have some familiarity with the rigors of exploring desert wilderness -- the book seems to assume that the reader already has some of this background, though it does have a useful discussion of this subject. But for the enthuthiast who alrady has this info or is already familiar with it, the book is incredible. If you are a neophyte, don't be intimidated and not buy this book. It will serve as a wonderful portal to a world that you have heard about -- just be careful since desert wilderness exploration can be daunting.

Definitive guide to exploring Death Valley

This is a superb book that provides a large amount of exceptionally useful information about Death Valley. Having visited the park multiple times over the last 2 years, I had become familiar with most of the general areas and some of the less-known gems. This book takes it to the next level for me. It is excellently laid out, totally comprehensive regarding the hikes it discusses and has well-chosen photos, genuinely useful maps and lots of interesting illustrations. I particularly liked the sections on the Last Chance Range and the Panamints. Most importantly the author exactly captures the appeal of the place - the space, the astonishing world of rock, the light and the solitude - and does a nice job of emphasizing the need for us desert users to practice the "minimum impact" approach without ramming it down our throats. Finally, he has wisely left out a few "secrets" - it'd be tough to explore if *everything* was already in a book!

Desert Resource

For anyone who has heard of Zabriskie Point, but was afraid to ask. Though written by a hiker for hikers, this book is an indispensable resource of history, geology, archaeology, flora and fauna for this unique region. It will take you far beyond the trails.

hot feet to hell!

This book is a staggering achievement, the crystallization of one person's adventuring on foot in one of the harshest terrains in the USA. The breadth of the book is amazing; the author travelled many routes that have been little-explored and some that appear nowhere else but here. I remain in awe of his knowledge and perseverence. The writing is clear, witty, and most importantly for foot travellers he doesn't give away all the secrets of the places he highlights. Containing detailed maps, the variety of one day and multi-day excursions allow for all experience levels from novice to superjock. His advice on hiking in hot conditions is the best anywhere. A must-have book for any desert rat.