popsrocks's Full Review: National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of...
I recently received the Guide To the National Parks of the United States as a birthday present from my very best friends. I opened it and I was immediately happy with what I saw. Being a gift I don't know how much they paid for it but the price on the book states $25.00. This site shows you can get it as low as $15.95
NATIONAL PARKS
I am fairly new to Epinions and have been writing in the travel section. One of my favorite subjects is our National Parks. I love them. They are one of the many wonderful things our country has spearheaded. Yellowstone National Park was the first ever National Park in all the world. Countries from all around the world are now setting places of wonder, and grandeur aside for the perpetual enjoyment of all.
I am now fifty three years old. From when I was first married my wife and I have traveled to these beautiful places. We have traveled cross country twice stopping and camping at many of these parks. We have also driven up and down the east coast of the states many times enjoying it's many parks and historic sites. Every time my business takes me out of town I look for a place to visit. This book will now be a huge help to me.
OPENING PAGES
This edition was completed and printed in 2001. As you first open the book to find the index you will notice the country, and therefore the pages, divided into geographical sections. These sections are colour coded. The East is in green, the Southwest orange, the Colorado Plateau yellow, etc.
The first pages give a brief history of the parks system, why it was formed, abuses of the land and animals, and the co-existence we must have to keep these treasures for generations to come.
We then come to a couple of pages that give us some helpful hints on using the guide, abbreviations used, following maps, etc. It explains how each park that you go to is divided up for further information. All the text is black print on white gloss pages that are fairly easy to read. I would have liked slightly larger print but at the same time I like the overall size of the book. It is roughly five inches by eight inches. That is a good size for carrying around.
SECTIONS
As you go to the first section The East it gives you a brief description of the history of the eastern parks and how they came as an afterthought when looking how the great parks of the west were being protected. These pages also preview a general map of the area highlighting the parks and showing cities, interstate highways, and excursion sites featured in the text. The East also includes the Virgin Island National Park that was the feature of two of my first four reviews ever.
The very first park featured in the book is also my very favorite and most visited by me and my family. It is Acadia National Park. It is on the coast of Maine and is known as the place Where the Mountains Meet the Sea. It was the subject of my second review ever. I tell you this because I want to stress how much I love the parks and how useful this book is to me.
Each park section of information is preceded by a beautiful picture of it. After a brief introduction to the park the book divides each park listed, there is a total of fifty five of them, into three how and when sections.
FIRST SECTION
The first is How to get there. The text describes what routes to take, the mileage from certain points, and nearby airports and other transportation.
SECOND SECTION
The second section When To Go tells when the park is open, when it is busy, how snow,ice and other weather may affect the park roads and also what the park may be open for in winter. In this case when most roads are closed due to winter ice and snow, parts of the park are still open to cross country skiing.
THIRD SECTION
The last of the three parts about every park is the How To Visit section. How much time do you need, what to do if only there for a day, two days, more time, and even what to do on foggy days?
This is the section that gives so much information. Here is an example........To get the most from a tour of Mt Desert Island on the Park Loop Road in summer, get up early. (On clear days, traffic is heaviest between 10:00am and 3:00pm.) The day before check the time of sunrise in a local newspaper or at the visitors center. About thirty minutes before dawn, take coffee and a blanket and drive ....to Cadillac Mt. The three and a half mile........highest east coast mountain north of Brazil....... where dawn first touches the continental United States. The text is very clear and precise and being I know the Acadia area so well having been there over eighteen times for weeks at a time I know these descriptions are on the money. Therefore I know I can trust what is written about parks I have never visited. Scattered about in the section are beautiful pictures that can only be described as National Geographic quality. The gloss pages of this book add to this.
The book continues giving many hiking trails, places of interest, and things to do in a very specific and detailed way. Each park section has a map showing these places along with visitors centers, park entrances, and local roads.
LAST PAGES
At the end of each park description you will find two more very useful pages of information.
The first is the Information and Activities page. This is where the address, phone number, and web address of the park are found. You will see more detailed information as to seasons and accessibility. More on the Visitors center. Fee info, Pets, Facilities for Disabled,Things to do, Special activities are all listed here. You will also access information on camping, hotels, motels, and Inns. They list phone numbers and addresses of these places and also of local Chambers of Commerce.
The second and very last page of each park deals with Excursions here they describe nearby side trips, their value and how to get there and approximate time to do so.
END OF BOOK
The book continues through all the East coast Parks in the same way. It will then continue to the next section starting with a striking picture, a brief description and you now know the rest. There are seven different sections that the parks are broken up into. This 448 page soft cover book ends with a page of Acknowledgments, Illustration Credits, and an Index of Parks and Excursions.
I am happy to have received this valuable guide and look forward to using it and sharing my experiences with you here in Epinions.
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