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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Exactly what we wanted Sep 02, 2009
We purchased this book based on the great reviews and it didn't disappoint. The details are accuate and helpful, often moreso than the signage on the trails. One of the more memorable hints was to take a short side trip up a hillside on the Fairy Falls trail to view the Grand Prismatic Spring. We certainly had a much better view than those standing right on top of it on the boardwalks, especially with the sun shining. Bravo Andrew!
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
A Review of the 2cd Edition Aug 10, 2009
Wilderness Press made its name in outdoor publishing by focusing on the High Sierra of California and later the rest of the Golden State. Their "Top Trails" series similarly is focused almost entirely on California. But if any wilderness area is deserving of coverage in the Top Trails series, the greater Yellowstone ecosystem has to be included. Now in its second edition and with a single author, this book gives you a quick overview of some of the best hikes in both Yellowstone and neighboring Grand Teton National Parks.
The Top Trails series does not aim to be comprehensive. Rather, this book is designed to list the best trails from short "family friendly" day hikes to longer overnight excursions. In the category of the former, almost all of the really popular hikes in the park are included here: Mammoth Hot Springs, Observation Point view of Old Faithful, Artist Paint Pots, Tower Falls and the fossil forest all get full write ups. If you hike any of these trails, you will also share them with hundreds of others on any given summer afternoon. This is not necessarily a bad thing: these places are popular for a reason. Slightly longer treks up Washburn peak, and hikes to various waterfalls also appear in this book and several very long day hikes (or overnight backpack trips) are featured. In all, it is a good selection. Distances, natural features, and wildlife viewing are all equally balanced.
My only complaints about the book are that several of the hikes are one way affairs requiring a shuttle. Shuttle hikes are fine, but if you are traveling any great distance to Yellowstone you will not be bringing two cars and hitch hiking is not all that easy. Also, the hike selection discusses fishing a lot. I'm good with that. Indeed, during my three summers in Yellowstone, I went fishing every chance I could. But I would have included the hike to Cascade and Grebe lake in this volume because of the opportunity to catch (and release) a unique Grayling found only in these lakes in the park. Still, this is a fine book. Reading it, I found myself remembering adventures from years ago and wondering when I would be able to schedule another visit.
National Outdoor Book Award winner: link to Amazon reviews of 1st edition from author Jul 16, 2009
August 16, 2009 update: Good news. Amazon has restored all reviews of the first edition here, to the 2nd edition listing, so that you can see for yourself what others think of the book.
Please contact me via either the comments or electronic mail message with any feedback, comments, questions or critiques whatsoever. yellowstonehiker at gmail dot com
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Hi, while we await Amazon to port over the 17 reader reviews (average 4.5 stars: 12 5-star, four 4-star, one 2-star) from the 1st edition of my National Outdoor Book Award-winning guidebook , here's a link to the reviews of the original edition: Top Trails Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone.
I spent two years and several months on the ground researching this revised and expanded edition, plus several more months researching, revising and writing it all up. If you have any questions about planning a trip to Greater Yellowstone -- Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and environs -- feel free to contact me via email or leaving a note here in the discussion boards.
In sustainable adventure,
~ Andrew D. Nystrom (author)
0 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 A good book but not so helpful Sep 05, 2008
This book is good but with other map books and gps map details it was not needed.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Fanastic, easy to get away from the crowds with this info Aug 23, 2008
We took a one week trip to Yellowstone at the end of July. This book was invaluable. The hikes are ranked from 1 (easiest) to 5 (hardest) making it simple for us to figure out what the four kids could handle. By taking trails rated over "2" we saw almost nobody else on the trails for most hikes. It seems that a vast majority of visitors to Yellowstone do not actually want to hike and having this book made it easy for us to have an uncrowded, pleasant experience. Very detailed, easy to find trail heads from the descriptions. Highly recommend this book, it made our experience fantastic. We also bought "Yellowstone Treasures: The Traveler's Companion to the National Park" which offers more info on the actual park. Together these books covered everything we needed to know.
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