No comments about Rand McNally Easy to Read! New Jersey State Map.

3 comments about 50 Hikes in New Jersey: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacking Trips from the Kittatinnies to Cape May, Third Edition.

1. In the first weeks of owning the book, I have done 3 of the hikes so far, Governor's Mtn, Manor circular, and Carris Hill, although I was already familiar with the parking lots, trailheads through many years mtn biking and hiking in the area, I found the descriptions to be top notch and accurate. Using those descriptions and a simple NYNJTC topo map (with GPS coordinates!) navigation is a snap. GPS is practically unnecessary since most of the trails are well marked. Even though I have only done three of the trips in there, I am very familiar with most of the places mentioned there, the Palisades, Wawayanda, Jockey Hollow, etc. as I've hiked or biked there before I got this book. The book is an excellent day trip for the beginner to intermediate day tripper, fits nicely even in small camelback type devices. My only wish is they included the trail blaze color in the maps they provide, makes for faster quick reference when hiking.

   Jay




2. I love the way this book is organized. Rather than describe a series of hiking opportunities in New Jersey, the authors carefully culled through hundreds of trails and picked out the most exciting hikes in the state. They even patched together multiple trails in within most parks so you would get the best bang out of the time invested. The descriptions are accurate and fun to read. I tried three of them so far and look forward to doing the other 47.



3. my husband liked this book a lot as well. It's been helpful for us to locate places to hike in north western NJ. We loved the wawayanda state park trails a lot.

3 comments about Waterfalls of the Mid-Atlantic States: 200 Falls in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

1. THis book is a must have for any outdoor enthusiasts, bikers who enjoy daytrips, photographers, families, and everyone in between!

   This book not only SHOWS you these wonderful Natural Wonders, but also gives you the ability to travel to them and see them for yourself, the directions are fabulous!

   Mr. Letcher goes a step further by providing history to the falls that will allow you to understand the nature of the falls as well as tell your children or friends each fall you visit.

   THIS BOOK IS A MUST HAVE, YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED! i have already purchased several for gifts. THIS IS A GREAT GIFT BOOK~!




2. The first, detailed, comprehensive, and thoroughly "user friendly" guidebook to some 200 of region's waterfalls, Gary Letcher's Waterfalls Of The Mid-Atlantic States provides directions to each beautiful site enabling the reader to use it as a guide book to experiencing these natural, beautiful wonders in person. Some of these sites are in or near major cities, others are tucked away in remote wilderness areas. The flowing falls are, for the most part, on national, state, and municipal parkland, forests, and game lands in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Each waterfall is rated on a scale of 1 to 5. The location information includes GPS coordinates; trail access and difficulty; waterfall type and source; geological factors; historical and culture features; and even the best times of the year to visit them. Enhanced with tips on waterfall photography and the author's "Seven Ways to Find the Height of a Waterfall", Waterfalls Of The Mid-Atlantic States is confidently recommended reading for tri-state area backpackers, hikers, canoeists, and anyone else with an appreciation for the natural beauty and spectacular wonder of falling water.



3. As a hiker, nature enthusiast, and amateur photographer always in pursuit of new areas to explore, I found Letcher's book to be especially helpful. He describes not only the well-known waterfalls of the region but also many hidden gems, including a few in my area (Pocono Mountains, in northeast PA) that I had never heard of.
   
   Letcher breaks down the falls by geographic region. His descriptions are short but informative; he provides enough detail to entice the explorer, and in most cases he provides black-and-white photos of the falls. Also, he includes relevant geologic and historical information. I like his candidness in describing the trails, if any, leading to the falls, including any difficulties (bushwhacking, steep cliffs, and so on) that one will encounter. Driving directions are accurate, at least for the falls that I've discovered through the book (mostly in northeast PA and northwest NJ).
   
   The book contains some typos, but it is otherwise excellent. Handy and informative--a must-have for all waterfall enthusiasts living in the region.

4 comments about 50 Hikes in Western Pennsylvania: Walks and Day Hikes from the Laurel Highlands to Lake Erie (Third Edition) (50 Hikes).

1. This book is by far the best trail guide I've ever used. (a) The directions to the trailhead are accurate to the tenth of a mile; (b) the directions on the trail are also very accurate; (c) each trail description has its own topo map; (d) the trails feature what the book says they'll feature; (e) the trails are fun!

   The trail lengths in the book vary between 1-hour hikes to all-day affairs, with plenty of all types; also, the directions usually suggest other places to go or variations to shorter or lengthen the hike.

   If you live in Pittsburgh or the area, buy this book.




2. This book describes 50 hikes in western Pennsylvania, which for this author means west of US 219. The hikes range in difficulty from a 1.8 mile stroll through a sculpture park in Johnstown to a 12.8 mile trek around Lake Wilhelm. Since 32 of the 50 hikes are drawn from the Laurel Highlands and the Allegheny National Forest, western Pennsylvania's premier hiking destinations, this book presents the best hiking western Pennsylvania has to offer. Several hikes are also drawn from greater Pittsburgh, so Thwaites does a good job of diversifying (geographically and in terms of difficulty) his hike selection.
   
   Each hike contains an excellent trail map copied from a USGS topo map. The trail descriptions themselves are some of the best I have ever read. In addition to being thorough and frank, Thwaites frequently finds clever and humorous ways to communicate information about the trails, a quality you won't find in most hiking guides. I found myself saying several times, "I can't believe the editors actually let him write that!" The trails described here are excellent as well. In the trail summary at the front of this and most good hiking guides, I have a habit of drawing a star beside trails I really liked and might want to hike someday. Usually I have 5 or 6 stars after I am through reading, but for this guide I had 16: the hikes are just that good.
   
   Despite all of these great features, this guide has one significant flaw: the driving directions to the trailhead. Most authors separate the driving directions from the trail descriptions so you can follow them easily as you drive: not here. The driving directions in this guide are presented as part of the trail descriptions, usually taking up a paragraph in the middle of the main text. This could present a real problem for someone who is relying on these directions to get to the trailhead. Because the driving directions blend in with the rest of the writing, you will either want to highlight the directions and/or have a really good idea where you are going before you leave home. Thus, having a good road map is essential to using this trail guide. Since many of these trailheads are located in rural, mountainous areas, you will need a detailed map showing the backroads: a Rand McNally USA road atlas or even a free Mapquest or other internet map simply won't do. The best backcountry map on the market is the Pennsylvania Atlas and Gazetteer published by De Lorme, and I highly recommend you buy that guide if you choose to purchase this one.
   
   In summary, I had to think long and hard about how to rank this guide. While the contents themselves are easily worth five stars, a five star guide, in my opinion, should be excellent in every significant respect. Due to the issue with the driving directions, this one falls short of that mark. Having said that, there is a lot of good information in this guide, and this guide is fun to read. So if you are interested in Pennsylvania hiking, this guide probably belongs in your library.



3. I agree with the above reviews. I've only hiked 5 trails listed in this book so far. I was not pleased with the directions for Raccoon Creek State Park. The Wetland Trail dead-ended into a cattail marsh. I resorted to bushwhacking uphill to reconnect to the Wetland Trail. Now I'll admit it was silly of me to not bring a park map along just in case the directions from the book were a bit off, but having rather good luck with previous hikes listed in the book, I figured I'd live dangerously. I ended up near the Pioneer campgrounds and declared myself lost. I called the park office and a handsome park ranger came to aide. Maybe I should get lost more often. :o)
   Other than this isolated incident, this book is excellent! I suggest the Beechwood Nature Reserve and Raccoon Creek's Wildflower Reserve.



4. The book edition is getting a little dated so some of the items mentioned by the author have changed a bit but overall the descriptions and maps are pretty decent. There was one hike in particular that i had trouble following but again, it was because the terrain had changed slightly due to some construction in the area as well as the trail overgrowing.
   
   Overall i would suggest this book to anyone interested in some pretty decent hiking loops in Western PA. Most of the hikes in the book are loops and do not require a car shuttle. This i really liked. The author did his homework on some of the trails as well.

3 comments about Mapping New Jersey: An Evolving Landscape.

1. This is a wonderfully informative book, the kind you can browse through many, many times and always find some new fact of interest. Also, the price is amazingly low for the quality of the book.



2. I really thought I'd get to see real maps but the most interesting maps are reproductions of large maps and are very hard to read...What good is a picture of a map?
   There are a lot of statistics about parts of the State but they seem random. I like perusing an Atlas so perhaps I was expecting too much.



3. Finding the book, the price (on the low-side), the speed with which it was delivered (fast), the condition (like new). Everything was perfect.

5 comments about ITALIAN a language map®.

1. The "language map" approach seems to me a perfect alternative to those little phrase books and dictionaries with tight bindings and too many pages that can be hard to use in actual conversation. Most the primary traveling vocabulary you'll need plus some basic phrases. The laminated fold-out "map" format is very convenient and it won't be ruined by rain or spilled cappucino. Probably not the only language aide you'll need (I also purchased "Italian in 10 Minutes a Day," which is also by Kershul), but a very good reference and reminder to carry around while traveling.



2. I really enjoyed having this with us on vacation! It was convenient enough to carry around without bulk and simple enough to pull out for quick research. All the basics are here especially for your beginning trips to Italy. It is also a wonderful gift for repeat Italian travelers.



3. This is truly the best thing you could take with you when travelling to Italy for a short vacation or business trip. I can't say enough good things about this little language guide. It is set up in a three fold menu style and laminated. It has a ton of great stuff for the traveller like food, social conversation, numbers, pronunciation, and even how to conjugate verbs which can be difficult, but made easy in this guide. Everything is explained very clearly. It is a lot easier to carry than any book because it just slides easily into any bag or purse. I like this guide a lot and I hope Kershul publishes an additional one like a volume two.



4. doesn't have much else to recommend it, unless you're going to be in Italy, know no Italian at all, and have no access to any other source on "Where is the bathroom?"--level Italian. The information contained in this oversized folder is extremely limited. Inexplicably and inexcusably, the pronunciation guides tell you nothing about where the accents are to be placed in words. Also, the folder is too large to fit into a purse of reasonable size, though it will with only mild discomfort fit into the interior pockets of at least some suit coats. It's too big to use inconspicuously. Much more useful would be a decent pocket-sized phrasebook.



5. It packs a lot of information into a small, compact folding card. We give one to our students to supplement their classroom learning during travel and when they go to restaurants or stores.

4 comments about The Best in Tent Camping: New Jersey (Best in Tent Camping - Menasha Ridge).

1. The Best in Tent Camping New Jersey is a thorough guide to non-RV camping in the Garden State. Like the other guides in the publishers Tent Camping series, it describes and rates 50 campgrounds, giving you both a handy summary of key information for each and an interesting narrative of background information.
   
   Those of us who don't think of New Jersey as a nature-lovers destination will be pleasantly surprised to learn that the state has mountain wilderness, piney recreation areas, and even some quiet beaches. I was surprised to read that there is a bear overpopulation in New Jersey, and the book contains warnings for the campgrounds where this might be a problem.
   
   Author Marie Javins writes with an appreciation of the environment and the state's history while at the same time recognizing that families might sometimes want urban touring or resort-style recreation. She explains which campgrounds offer a wilderness experience and which offer more hectic activities (or are convenient to theme parks). She also tells you where your dog is accepted - they are not allowed in state parks.
   
   The book is easy to read and even has some enjoyable humor.
   Although billed as a guide for "car campers" this book is also for people camping by canoe or bicycle. Hikers and RV campers might also find it helpful since few outdoor guidebooks for New Jersey are as comprehensive as this one.



2. The Best in Tent Camping: New Jersey is a really well-written and well-laid-out guide for lovers of the outdoors. It not only lists and describes the various campgrounds around the state (including maps of the campsites themselves), but it also includes checklists and tips that are very useful for the camping neophyte.
   
   The only criticisms I have of the book is that it lacks photographs of the sites discussed (maps only), and, perhaps more importantly, has a rather cumbersome to use state campsites map. The map shows all the sites discussed in the book and has them indicated by number. To find out what the sites are, you have to flip back a page to find out the name. Unfortunately, page numbers are not provided on that page; instead, you have to then go to the index and look up the site by name and then flip to the section of the book where the site is discussed. It would be much more useful to provide page numbers on the map key and to provide the map number on the title page for each site discussed.
   
   Minor points, I suppose, but no reason for things to be laid out that way. Still, I give it a strong recommendation.



3. This book points out all the good and bad that goes along with numerous campsites in NJ. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to get away from it all whether it means parking your car right next to your campsite, or hiking about if you are in need of more seclusion.



4. What I like the most about this book (and the others in the series) is that it is accurate without too much BS.
   
   If you want the inside track on where to camp, exact sites etc, this book is it, well worth the money.

3 comments about 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: New York City: Including northern New Jersey, southwestern Connecticut, and western Long Island.

1. You would think that a hike in New York City would take you from say Central Park to Battery Park along the sidewalks. To my surprise, the Brooks have found all of these hikes within a reasonable distance from the city. As a for instance, the Pelham Bay Park is 2,766 acres in size with 13 miles of shoreline. It's also reachable by public transport. (Take the #6 train followed by the Bx29 bus.) The hiking there is flat, shoreline and all that. Or there's Norvin Green where you'll need sturdy hiking shoes, and find multiple deep-water streams to cross in a 9.3 mile up and down trail. Other hikes include wildlife refuges, state forests, national recreation areas, swamps, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, ocean shores. You can get away from the concrete.
   
   As a book, the layout makes it easy to find things. The overall maps lead you to the general area you may find interesting. The descriptions of each of the 60 hikes includes a description, a detailed map of each, elevation profile, and directions - usually by automobile and public transport. As the back cover says, If you live near NYC, get it.



2. Christopher Brooks surely did his homework in writing 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: New York City: with northern New Jersey, southwestern Connecticut, and western Long Island. The details on the many hikes in the Tri State area are very helpful. One can easily trace around the suggested trails that Brooks provides. Also Brooks adds a little history to many of the recommended trails.
   
   He gives equal emphasis to New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island, and the Hudson Region. Also a comprehensive index is provided so the reader can easily distinguish flat hikes from vigorous climbs to ones to bring the children on. Every base is covered as this book is a fantastic guide for anyone looking to explore new hiking trails in the New York area.



3. It was a great book, has some wonderful hikes, great directions and good descriptions of the hiking areas.

5 comments about Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Hikes in the Mid-Atlantic States - Maryland Pennsylvania New Jersey New York.

1. There are many books about the AT, but this one is superb for it's detail and attention to partial sections for hiking. Can be used for thru hiking as well. Gives day and overnight parking details, profile of terrain, degree of difficulty, recommended direction, water and shelter locations, topo maps, mileage etc. Everything that a hiker needs!! Excellent.



2. It is clear that these authors were not kidding when they stated that they have a love affair with the Appalachian Trail. The descriptions not only cover all you need to know to be prepared to hike a certain section, but there's lots of history and local color as well.

   I've used this book successfully to plan hikes for a youth group. I must admit I disregarded the advice that a certain section (Knife's Edge) was not for those suffering from vertigo and sure enough, the group of kids I took on this section included one who suffered severely from fear of heights. But the kids worked together to get through that section and all was very well in the end.

   This book is by no means dry. Sprinkled here and there are humorous passages, like the classification of vampire rocks versus jumping rocks. A pollution-damaged section is described as "shaved clean."

   An experienced hiker who has decided to hike section-hike or day-hike the trail between Harper's Ferry and the New York / Connecticut state line needs no other guide. I also recommend this book for the library of every youth group, particularly scouts, in this geographic area that would (or should) plan hiking outings as part of their yearly plans.




3. PLEASE NOTE: THERE are NOT 170 hikes in the book. The whole series must contain that many.
   
   I own 3 books in this series. The Southern Appalachian, the Virginias, and the Mid-Atlantic States guide. I have found these books to be a great aid in planning hikes, especially 2-3 day backpacking trips. Since most of these hikes are either one-way or round trip (as opposed to circuit hikes) you either need to have two cars or plan on seeing the same sites twice. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but other books have better circuit hikes.
   
   This series IS very informative, not only with regards to the actually hike, but also the history both natural and otherwise of the area you are hiking in.
   
   I have only done a few of the hikes in the Mid-Atlantic Guide, all of which have been out and back day hikes, and this book has been very informative during these hikes. The maps could be a little better, as they are topographocal maps with a green line for the trail.. They are adequate, but I've seen better.
   
   All 41 hikes come with a description, a map, an elevation profile, and an itinerary, as well as various other information.
   
   When planning for a hike I do tend to use this book in conjunction with other books, but I usually take this book (or copies of the pages) on the actual hike itself. The fact that the pages are so small allows for easier handling and storage of the laminated pages during the trip.
   
   So if you enjoy hiking and are near the AT while in PA, you may want to take a look at this book. It is well worth the money.



4. I have 2 books in this series, and have frequently used photocopied pages from them on my AT section hikes. I never needed to buy the AMC versions of the maps since comprehensive maps are provided within this book, along with mileage charts for road crossings, springs, campsites, landmarks, etc. for every section of the Trail.
   
   Although this book is obviously geared for the day-hiker or overnighter, it has also come in handy on my longer hikes. And the writers have narrowed down every section into either 1- or 2-day hikes, along with directions to the trailheads (even in the remote 100-Mile Wilderness section in Maine!), proving that the AT can be enjoyed by casual hikers as well as hardcore mile-crunchers.
   
   Cons: This book, and the others in the series, is seriously due for an updated edition. Lots has changed along the trail even in 8 years. (carrying up-to-date pages from the ALDHA Thru-Hikers' Companion is necessary to have the full info). Also, the maps are two-color, making certain features hard to read, i.e. roads are the same color as elevation markings.



5. This was a good buy has excellent material for hiking any of the areas along the AT. in Mid Atlantic.

5 comments about New Jersey Atlas & Gazetteer (New Jersey Atlas and Gazetteer).

1. I bought this book for someone who just received a kayak. After the commotion of birthday present opening subsided, he spent about a hour just looking over all the wonderfully detailed maps with his father-in-law. That's how I knew this atlas was the best present I could give. Everything the other reviewers wrote is true.



2. I bought this book for a very specific purpose, locating local lakes and waterways and determining their source and where they led. This book has served its purpose well.
   The pages are designed so that enough detail of surrounding areas can be examined without having to change pages (a big problem with folding maps that when unfolded become unwieldy and difficult to manage). Significant detail is included for each page, including smaller streams and back roads.
   A great feature included in the first pages of the book is a listing of many campgrounds, fishing spots, scenic places, and hunting locations. Each with a table denoting what each location has available, such as whether a specific fishing location has a boat ramp.
   Once again, this book has served the purpose I intended for it. It could serve as your "I'm lost" or "Road Closed" map in your car (although too big for my glove box) or it could be your resource to a multitude of outdoor activities throughout the state.



3. We drive a lot so these maps are great for moving someplace new and learning the area plus it helps to give or get directions from other people. For the most part we have found them to be correct for 99% of the time. A lot better then the folded maps and so much more detail ie. drive ways and dirt roads in the country We have 4 other Delorme state Atlas & Gazetteer maps that are used a lot. We even had to buy a second of one state because it was used so much. It would be nice to laminate the pages that are used the most.



4. The almanac series are an indispensable guide for all travellers - we use them for the state in which we live (NJ) and love to have them when we go on short jaunts to nearby states (PA, NY, DE etc). Can't tell you how many times we have been rescued from standing in a traffic jam on the highway because of the almanac.



5. Great series of map books. When I really need to know the details, I go to this series.