No comments about Rand McNally Tucson Arizona (Rand McNally City Maps).

5 comments about Hiking Phoenix: Favorite Day Hikes.

1. We live near Casa Grande, Arizona. We just purchased Hiking Phoenix and used it hiking at Lost Dutchman State Park in The Superstition Mountains. We love the humor as well as the wonderful maps. Also, we love the cactus identification.



2. Ray's description and map of the hike at Pinnacle Peak is very accurate. Telling folks that dogs are not allowed, when flowers bloom and especially staying on the trail are great reminders for people. Ray has taken the time to obtain updated information. It is a great guide and we are using our copy constantly at Pinnacle Peak Park as hikers ask questions about other hikes in the area. Thanks for including Pinnacle Peak and the excellent write up on this area.



3. I recently moved out here from the UK to Arizona. I was whining to my father (when he was visiting) that a lot of people had told me there's nowhere to go hiking around Phoenix and I was finding that hard to believe given how much open space there is around Phoenix.
   Anyway, we were in a book shop when he pointed out this book. I bought it instantly and have so far enjoyed five of this guide's hikes . . . and have found some beautiful places thank's to Ray's help. I just wanted to thank the author for making me realise that not all of this country is owned and fenced off and there are some places you can go where you feel as if you're walking where no one else has! Great book.



4. I have both hiking books--Best of Phoenix and Best of Flagstaff/Sedona. In fact, I am on my second copy of both as I have lent my first Phoenix copy to a friend (it disappeared) and wore out the first copy of my the Flagstaff/Sedona book. The maps are easy to follow and the topographical maps are awesome. Whenever I go hiking, I have two little girls (ages 1 and 4) in tow, so it is necessary to know the terrain inside and out before ever leaving home... Cosmic Ray is so detailed and so accurate that I never worry about being misinformed. Buy a copy for yourself and buy one for a friend... That way yours won't go missing!



5. I make about 2 trips to Phoenix every year and this book has been great for finding fun hikes for my family. Cosmic Ray has many great tips and accurate descriptions of every trail that we have hiked. This book has made my family's trips to Phoenix so much more enjoyable. I highly recommend it if you plan any hikes in the Phoenix area.

4 comments about Official Guide to Hiking the Grand Canyon.

1. The guide provides a wealth of general information for first-time, and repeat hikers of the Grand Canyon, as well as covering in detail the most popular hiking trails. The text is accompanied by excellent, high-quality trail maps, elevation diagrams, and beautiful color photos.

   I bought the book after hiking the canyon for the first time as a souvenier of the trip and to help me plan my next hike. You can use the book to show your friends or family, "This is what I'm going to do", or document what you did.

   If you've never hiked the Grand Canyon, this is the book to inform you of what to expect, help you make your hiking plans, and to build your enthusiasm and excitement for the trip!

   The book is only 68 pages long, but is packed with useful information. Well worth the price!

   jes




2. What a dissapointment this book turned out to be. One would think the "ultimate" guide to hiking would contain detailed trail descriptions and suggested itineraries. The second sentence in the book says it all, "...provides basic information..."

   This book provides very little in the way of interesting land marks and "must sees" for a trip to the Grand Canyon.




3. Pros - all the basic hiking info. Small topo map. Unique vertical depiction. Few color photos. Good pack size (60 page paperback).
   Cons - all basic information can be found at NPS Grand Canyon web-site. Detailed, trail by trail info limited to 2 pages. These pages consumed by vertical diagram, topo map and color picture. Little or no trail description, interesting features, sights, etc. Of little planning value. Returned the next day.
   Try FODORS Grand Canyon - costs the same.



4. Things should be reviewed based upon what they're meant to be, and not by what they don't pretend to aspire to. This book is NOT intended to provide in-depth coverage of a national park that spans over 2,000 square miles; it's less than 70 pages long for goodness sakes! Rather, it is a convenient and easily followed introduction to what the Canyon has to offer. The Canyon can be overwhelming, and this book is better than any I've seen at presenting potential hikers with a quick overview of each trail. All pertinent trail information is included, including difficulty, areas of interest, and point of access. Yes, you can get this information from the nps.gov website, but this book is much more portable than a computer. If you are the typical Grand Canyon adventurer and are looking for an easy planning tool and a quick glimpse into what is waiting for you, then I highly recommend this book.
   
   If, on the other hand, you are an experienced desert hiker who will be venturing beyond the popular "corridor" and are looking for extensive coverage of the canyon, then follow the crowd to John Annerino's "Hiking the Grand Canyon" (about 300 pages plus a true topo map).

4 comments about The Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas.

1. Arizona has been a dream destination for birders and ornithologists for a century and a quarter. Since the publication of the first Lane guide more than 30 years ago, traveling birders have benefited from the availability of a number of "birding Baedekers" for finding the state's many specialties. But what of birders who want to go beyond simply listing the Arizona rarities? With Phillips et al.'s excellent monograph on the distribution and status of Arizona's birds more than forty years old, and the most recent annotated checklist pushing 25, local birders and visitors alike have often found it difficult to place their sightings in context.
   Now come Corman and Wise-Gervais, and their corps of well over 250 volunteer 'atlasers', with the first major reference work on the state's birds to appear for a long generation. Well designed and richly illustrated, the new Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas (or, to use the faintly discoish acronym, ABBA) fully deserves the place of honor it will occupy on birders' bookshelves, next to the magnum opus of Phillips, Marshall, and Monson.
   Field work for the ABBA was begun in 1993 and completed at the turn of this century. Given the size of the state and the low number of observers available in all but the most densely populated areas, a system of "priority" blocks was developed for the surveys; the difficulties and the sampling methodologies developed to overcome them are clearly described in the book's introductory matter, as are the criteria and definitions used to document each species' breeding status.
   While the book covers only those species known or suspected to have bred in Arizona, the splendid maps and well-illustrated habitat descriptions will be tremendously useful even to birders who visit the state only during non-breeding season (a nearly meaningless concept for species such as Lesser Goldfinch, which nests nearly year-round in the desert lowlands).
   The results are published in a series of clearly structured species accounts, each occupying a full opening and each with a photograph of the species and a dramatically large, easily interpreted map showing the locations of breeding records. The species portraits are strictly speaking not necessary, but with only a few slight clunkers in the lot, they do add considerably to the visual appeal of these pages. For many species, convenient graphs showing habitat distribution and breeding phenology are also provided.
   Although contributed by 19 different authors, the prose accounts show a uniformity of style that is greatly to the credit of the editors; only in the short anecdotal paragraphs beginning each account does the voice of the individual author intrude, sometimes charmingly, often less so. The 'meat' of the accounts is rigorously structured, with a detailed description of the species' habitat preferences followed by a clear summary of each bird's breeding biology in Arizona, including full and often carefully analyzed information on timing, nest construction, and behavior; this is simply great stuff, and it is high praise to say that over the last weeks I have found myself consulting ABBA in such matters as often as the online version of Birds of North America.
   The accounts conclude with a discussion of the map data; many of the most interesting comments here are those directed at the apparent absence of certain species (the mysterious Lewis's Woodpecker, for example) in areas where they might be expected to breed. Careful readers will note many opportunities for research into new topics.
   Among the appendices is a nearly 20-page bibliography, an extremely welcome addition to the resources available on Arizona ornithology.



2. If you don't have it, GET IT! The new authority on Arizona's breeding birds has rode into town!



3. Excellent book, love it so far. Lots of great info as well as nesting locations and life histories for all the nesting birds in Az. As a student of wildlife biology/ornithology this book has already come in handy a few times. The only thing I would change is maybe better pics, or diagrams to help in identification. Overall though, I would definately suggest this book to anyone interested in ornithology. BUY IT!



4. At last, the definitive guide to breeding birds in Arizona. Well written with beautiful photographs. A must have reference for the serious Arizona birder and avian ecologist.

1 comments about Historical Atlas of Arizona.

1. Great book for the research I'm doing for an historical novel. It gives information about the terrain, plant life, stage and train routes, mines and military reserves.
   
   The product arrived in perfect condition, and promptly.

No comments about Rand McNally Easy To Read! Arizona State Map (Rand McNally Easy to Fold!).

No comments about Benchmark Arizona Road & Recreation Atlas - 6th edition.

5 comments about Gateway to Sedona Visitor and Web Guide.

1. If you are contemplating a trip to Sedona, Arizona, do yourself a favor and pick up one of these incredibly handy guide books. Aside from the stunning photography and interesting, whitty articles, you'll also find detailed maps, restaurant, shopping, lodging, and tour guides along with so much more. Even if you never step foot in Sedona, the interesting articles and exquisite photos make it a book well worth having. It is a much treasured addition to our family library.



2. This is a great little guidebook-so nice to carry around town on a visit! Beautiful photography and great articles with lots of information about where to stay and what to do, from a vortex tour to a jeep tour! This book really captures the beauty and spirit of the area from Uptown Sedona to the historic town of Jerome, the ruins at Palatki to the sun calendar at the VBarV Heritage Site, and each of the charming communities in the Verde Valley--something you don't always find in the other Sedona guides. I think one of the best things about the guide is the way it is tied to the website and the special offers that are available. I found the ads helpful and best of all, not intrusive. A must have for anyone interested in visiting the area.



3. I purchased this book based on the 5 glowing recommendations submitted by others and am totally disappointed. I have had better FREE visitor's guides from other locales and that is all that this book is - a visitor's guide that you should easily be able to pick up for free at the local Chamber of Commerce. Plus, the book is badly bound and is already falling apart and I'm not planning a trip to Sedona until the fall. By then I will be lucky if it's still mostly in one piece. I'm still looking for the great stories others mention - much of the book is a repitition of statements from previous chapters. I gave this book a "one star" rating, but I don't think it's worth even that much.



4. Since my wife and I are considering a move to northern Arizona, I bought the book to peruse before we do any serious house-hunting. I found it quite helpful, concise, and informative--and the photographs are outstanding. However, the pages started falling out almost immediately despite trying to be careful, and now I'm left with a collection of loose pages. Seems like the publisher could do better than this, especially for a book that will be used frequently.



5. This book is printed using environmentally-friendly, "green" water-based materials. Two reviewers have mentioned their books "falling apart." If the book gets damp this may happen. Printing processes can be quite toxic, and the publishers wanted to go with a safer, "green" product. Don't expose the book to high humidity, or let it get damp or wet and it will not fall apart! This is a wonderful book, printed in gorgeous full color on good paper and professionally written by one of Sedona's best writers. It's certainly not warranting the extreme, negative statement from one reviewer. There is significant competition in the Sedona guidebook market, and it's not in everyone's interest to see this guide succeed! We know it's the most popular Sedona guidebook among hotel Concierge in the Phoenix metro area, as we have many emails attesting to this fact. The Concierge works diligently to give their hotel guests the best information, to maximize the fun of their Arizona vacation. And not to forget...the book can be previewed IN FULL on the Gateway To Sedona website.

5 comments about Grand Canyon Trail Map.

1. This map is a great guide for hiking on the primitive trails or routes. The only problem I found with it is that it shows 6.0 miles from the North Rim to Cottonwood via the Old Bright Angel route, but it is actually 9 miles.



2. This turned out to be a very useful map for planning our trip. I couldn't have asked for anything better, and so colorful and durable too.



3. I like this trail map. It's much better than National Geographic Road Guide to Grand Canyon National Park (NG Road Guides). This map is easier to read. There is a wealth of information on this map; it's almost a mini-guidebook.
   
   What I like the best about the cartography it Kent Schulte's approach to 3D topo maps. Instead toe usual approach of using shading to light and shadow as if the sun were shining obliquely across the landscape, in this map they use shading to indicate elevation. In terrain as rugged as the Grand Canyon, this approach works better.



4. This map is fantastic. I'm a visual person, and this map really makes Grand Canyon details clear. (I have two other top-selling Grand Canyon maps.) Only drawback: it is not like others in tough/tear-resistant aspect. I gave the map to my son for our hike to Grand Canyon, and he made a Kinko's color copy of it, then laminated the copy, thereby preserving the original. We used his copy constantly throughout our hike. Besides being a great map, this has tons of info packed into it.



5. Granted, most folks hiking in the GC will already be buying this, but I wanted to note that it's on a weird, thick, rubber-like paper that's waterproof. Very, very nice. I have no doubt that it will hold up well on the trail, which is more than I can say about some other maps I have.

5 comments about Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer.

1. I have nothing but praise for DeLorme. We have purchased and used 5 states now (Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, and Arizona), and each has enabled us to really enjoy some spontaneous vacations. I plan to buy one for each state I visit.



2. Great Product! Nearly as good as having a seperate map for every county in the whole state.
   I like it best because I can read the text much easier than a state map, especially in low light. My bifocals are OK for reading but not the fine details of most maps.



3. I purchased the maps so I could see the elevation contours. I have a Tennessee maps and it gives the elevation changes by 100 foot. The map gives some elevation but not the contours.



4. These Delorme Atlas & Gazetters are wondeful. They show you many features not available through GPS, maps or other atlases. It is a great feature to have the BLM lands marked as well as the back roads. Good resources are also included in each states atlas. A good addition to anyone's travel tools.



5. We are snowbirds and we kept getting "misplaced" with the regular maps. This one is complete and accurate. Thanks