Pros: Detailed hike descriptions. Maps provided. Variable lengths and difficulties.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: Another can't miss hiking book by Bill Schneider and Falcon Guide!!! A must for those planning hiking trips to Yellowstone National Park
tbaumgartner99's Full Review: Bill Schneider - Falcon Guide Hiking Yellowstone N...
The Falcon Guide series of hiking books has a reputation for high quality hiking books which not only deliver detailed information about the hikes, but also important logistical information to make your experience all that more pleasant. Bill Schneider, author of Hiking Yellowstone National Park upholds that tradition. The author, who also wrote the Falcon Guide for Grand Teton National Park, is highly regarded as one of the top backcountry experts in this part of our country. In addition, this book was thoroughly reviewed by the National Park Service for added expertise.
As most Falcon Guide books do, the initial chapters in the book focus on planning your trip and any additional information you may require about environmental concerns unique to the area. The book provides the basics on how to get to the park and obtain a permit, but as always, the Internet will have the most current information on those subjects. In addition, the author elaborates on a number of pages on he rates hikes so there is no misunderstanding the difference between hikes he categorizes as “easy” vs. “hard.” Another helpful tool is a map of Yellowstone he provides which is subdivided into an United States Geological Survey (USGS) grid. Contact information is provided for the USGS so that you may obtain the corresponding topographic map. It does, however, provide very useful chapters on hiking in bear and mountain lion country. The book uses 9 pages to educate the hiker on how to safely hike and camp in bear country - a must since many of the areas of Yellowstone and the nearby Grand Teton have large bear populations and it is common to encounter bears on your hikes. Also provided is a pictorial page which demonstrates the proper way into which hang food from a tree in a bear area.
The author then gives detailed descriptions on 109 hikes Yellowstone - the hikes are grouped into the four quadrants of the park: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast. The detailed descriptions of the hikes are organized in the following manner:
A brief paragraph describing the hike in a general manner. This is followed by a table which includes the following information about the hike: Start Location, Distance, Difficulty, Seasons, Maps (corresponds to the USGS topos), and Trail Contact with Internet address. Following this table is a section with directions on how to navigate via car/horseback/walk to the trailhead. Next is a detailed description of the hike. Included are points of interest, potential hazards on the trail, and campsite information. Following this is a chart with the Key Points of the hike - this can be used with an elevation profile and a map which is included for each hike. While the maps and elevation profiles are useful for general planning, they are in NO way a substitute for purchasing a topographic map of the area. At the end of some of the hikes there is a section called OPTIONS which the author explains how you can combine this with another hike in the book to make a longer hike. In addition, on the more popular hikes, he includes black and white photos of the key points on the hike.
Prior to the beginning of the detailed section on the hikes, there is an index of author's favorites - he has numerous categories, some of which are: best for wildlife, best for photography, best circuit, best out-and-back, etc. In each of these categories he lists the top 3 or 4 which meet that category. This is instrumental in planning your trip.
I recently visited Yellowstone National Park, and this book was invaluable. I chose one of his hikes labeled as “good chance for seeing a bear.” It only took 5 miles of hiking till we saw our first of two grizzly bears. That night camping, I felt very secure knowing that I had the Garcia Backpacker’s Cache Bear Canister 812 to store my gear. I was well prepared for hiking in bear country thanks to the information he provided at the beginning of his book.
The Falcon Guide is the first book I turn towards whenever I am planning a hiking trip anywhere in the United States. In particular, the Yellowstone National Park edition is a must for anyone planning a backcountry trip to Yellowstone.
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