Four editions of Best Easy Day Hikes Yosemite are now in print. That's a fairly impressive publication history for a book in this series, where one edition is the norm. But it's to be expected, for two reasons. First, Yosemite is the single most popular park in California. It is a great hiking location and for most people with families, it is almost impossible to see even a significant part of the park in the typical 2-3 day vacation one has in Yosemite. But using this little book, you can quickly find a half dozen trails that are readily accessible to hikers of all ages and abilities. So, while you may not see the whole park, you can get on several popular trails leading to popular destinations. Visiting any or all of these will enhance your vacation, and I can say that because I have hiked all the trails in this guidebook.
Do you need to get the new edition if you already have an older one? The short answer is no. For the most part, as the title of my review suggests, this is a reissue more than an entirely new edition. The same classic hikes are in here, along with sketch maps, driving directions, and GPS coordinates for trailheads. I noticed a few minor changes having to do with mileage: Glacier Point is listed as 1/2 mile, not 0.7. And for the trail, that's probably correct. But I'd stick with the 0.7 of older editions given that the parking lot is a ways removed from the trail head. So, if you have the opportunity to pick up an older edition at a discount, do so.
But if you don't have an older edition, by all means consider getting this book to help plan your first, or next, trip to Yosemite. It's not like these hikes are a secret, and there are certainly more comprehensive guides out there, but having the book in advance will save you the time of finding these hikes for yourself in park literature and at ranger stations. And taking the book along on your hike will enhance your appreciation of Yosemite's natural history. Finally, buying the book in advance of your trip gives you a good overview of all the regions in the park and will allow travelers on a time budget to get the most they can out of Yosemite. For all these reasons, I continue to recommend the fourth edition of this book, just as I did the first, second, and third.
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Reviews with images
Great lil' handy informative book!
What a perfect little pocket book (fits easily right in a purse or backback). Simple, detailed, & handy information about day hikes with maps, legends, distance info, difficulty levels, best time to go plus more. I love it! I love this purchase & would recommend it to others.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018
What a perfect little pocket book (fits easily right in a purse or backback). Simple, detailed, & handy information about day hikes with maps, legends, distance info, difficulty levels, best time to go plus more. I love it! I love this purchase & would recommend it to others.
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