Amazon Amazon Category:  Sports/Recreation Publisher: Independent ISBN-10:  8677979514 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 150 Copyright: September 23, 2020 ISBN-13: 9798677979514 This guide is about hiking and generally exploring desert areas, specifically southwest Utah and adjacent areas (southern Nevada and northern Arizona). This guide is about hiking and generally exploring desert areas, specifically southwest Utah and adjacent areas (southern Nevada and northern Arizona). Included in the 150-page book are more than 25 color maps and more than 50 color photos taken during the hikes. Twenty-five hikes are featured, each one includes: a general description of the hike; trailhead access; average hiking time; hiking distance; fees and permits; elevations; best season for the hike; trail rating (difficulty); type of hike; United States Geological Survey map(s) used for the hike; online resources about each hike; a sense of humor/playfulness for each hike; and a full description of finding the trailhead and the hike. Additional chapters cover “How to Use This Guide,” “Desert Hiking Tips,” “Quick Hiking Guide,” “Trailhead Locator Maps,’ and five pages of “Information Sources.”   Excerpt As we entered the first narrows (at 1.2 miles) our world vastly constricted—we were small humanoids in a convoluted stone labyrinth. The first section is enclosed with 100 foot tall sculpted and scooped orange-grey walls. We soon encountered an eight foot drop, studied it for a while, and made our way down. It helps to have four people assisting from above and, after the first one down (me), below. (If you cannot negotiate the drop, backtrack to the opening of the narrows and follow a prominent rock arrow up and over the south side of the first slot.) In spots, evidence of the power of past flash floods loomed above us, a tree trunk jammed between the two to three feet space between the walls.

Review of hiking book
Tom does a great job of describing each trail in detail and that helps me as I try to find visual markers to make sure I’m on the right track. “Finding the Trailhead” sections are particularly helpful since sometimes that is the most challenging part of hiking a new area.

Ted Carapezza, Washington, Utah. Ted is a petroglyph site steward for the Bureau of Land Management and a volunteer for the Raptor Inventory Nesting Survey.


Review of hiking book
Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned southern Utah resident, a recent arrival, or just passing through, you need this book. It includes 25 hikes, covering a range of skill levels and the necessary information to get you to the trailhead and safely back. I have been on many of the hikes in this book and been delighted with every one. Tom’s research and hiking experience is extensive and his descriptions impeccable. My new goal is to find a hike he hasn’t done.

Kim Borgmeyer, Washington, Utah. Kim is hiking through retirement, enjoying the red rocks and blue sky in Utah.