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Your Guide to the National Parks: The Complete Guide to all 58 National Parks Paperback – July 1, 2012
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Editorial Reviews
Review
ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Award Winner
2013 National Outdoor Book Award Winner
2013 Ben Franklin Award Winner.
"Your Guide to the National Parks: The complete Guide to All 58 National Parks is quite frankly, amazing." ─ On Wisconsin Magazine
"In short, this is a great, almost encyclopedic, guide to help you prepare for your park visits." ─ Kurt Repanshek (nationalparkstraveler.com)
"Each entry includes location info, what to expect from nature, how to find the park, open seasons, notable attractions, and plenty of full color photography to back the details up. "Your Guide to the National Parks" is a must for nature and vacation collections." ─ Midwest Book Review
"This gem of a travel guide is one of the most comprehensive and well-crafted books of its genre on the market." ─ ForeWord Reviews
"Given the increased interest in national parks since Ken Burns's related PBS series and the upcoming National Park Service centennial in 2016, this is a timely and useful reference. Its bulk, and even its print size, make it a book to use at home or in the library to plan a vacation..." ─ Library Journal
2013 National Outdoor Book Award Winner
2013 Ben Franklin Award Winner.
"Your Guide to the National Parks: The complete Guide to All 58 National Parks is quite frankly, amazing." ─ On Wisconsin Magazine
"In short, this is a great, almost encyclopedic, guide to help you prepare for your park visits." ─ Kurt Repanshek (nationalparkstraveler.com)
"Each entry includes location info, what to expect from nature, how to find the park, open seasons, notable attractions, and plenty of full color photography to back the details up. "Your Guide to the National Parks" is a must for nature and vacation collections." ─ Midwest Book Review
"This gem of a travel guide is one of the most comprehensive and well-crafted books of its genre on the market." ─ ForeWord Reviews
"Given the increased interest in national parks since Ken Burns's related PBS series and the upcoming National Park Service centennial in 2016, this is a timely and useful reference. Its bulk, and even its print size, make it a book to use at home or in the library to plan a vacation..." ─ Library Journal
About the Author
Michael Joseph Oswald is an award-winning American travel writer. In 2003 he graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison with degrees in electrical engineering and chemistry. After four years working in a corporate environment, he escaped to a more adventurous lifestyle traveling and pursuing his passion for kayaking, biking, and hiking across America's National Parks. The fruit of these endeavors is Michael s debut title: Your Guide to the National Parks.
When Michael is not sleeping in his tent or converted bus, he lives and writes at his parents hobby farm in northeastern Wisconsin with their dog Scout, cat Magpie, and goat Nellie.
More About the Author
Michael Joseph Oswald (born June 18, 1980) is an award-winning American travel writer. In 2003 he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in electrical engineering and chemistry. After four years working in a corporate environment, he escaped to a more adventurous lifestyle only to be mugged in Colombia, South America. Injuries sustained required surgery, and failure to follow doctor's orders blessed him with a permanently prostrate pinkie. This unfortunate event resulted in prompt return home and pursuit of safer travel: kayaking, biking, and hiking across America's National Parks. The fruit of these endeavors is Michael's debut title: Your Guide to the National Parks.
When Michael isn't sleeping in his tent or converted bus, he lives and writes (typing with all nine functional fingers) at his parents' hobby farm in northeastern Wisconsin with their dog Scout (everyone loves To Kill a Mockingbird), cat Magpie, and goat Nellie.
When Michael isn't sleeping in his tent or converted bus, he lives and writes (typing with all nine functional fingers) at his parents' hobby farm in northeastern Wisconsin with their dog Scout (everyone loves To Kill a Mockingbird), cat Magpie, and goat Nellie.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 73 people found the following review helpful
By
R. Gawlitta
on November 20, 2012
Format: Paperback
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10 Comments
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It makes sense that author Michael Joseph Oswald is a UW alumnus (as am I). He really left no stone unturned with his in-depth examination of America's greatest gift, our National Parks. Til now, the best available book was National Geographic Society's wonderful edition, but Mr. Oswald takes it so many steps farther.
I've made my own effort to visit the 58 designated National Parks; I'm at 53, only 5 to go. (I may never make it to American Samoa). I'm 63 years old, and started late. After seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time in '95, I became obsessed with the idea. Nat'l Geo was my guide, to this point. It's quite good, but Oswald's book gives so very much more depth in the realms of camping, hiking, lodging and accessibility, as well as the companies that may be available to guide you into the interiors of these natural wonders.
There's no end of maps and beautiful photographs, and Oswald's insight and comprehensive study provides easy to read details lacking in the other editions.
I can't say enough about the achievement, and can't believe he put it all together at such a young age. My National Park trips have been the highlights of my life; words can't express the excitement of a river rafting trip down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. I wish I had Mr. Oswald's guide with me during other trips.
Even going online to the NPS website doesn't give you as much insight as Mr. Oswald's book. Highly recommended...MOST highly.
May I add that I'm going back to Alaska in July for Kobuk Valley and Gates of the Arctic (only accessible by plane). After that, I can do "old people" cruises to Glacier Bay and US Virgin Islands...
I've made my own effort to visit the 58 designated National Parks; I'm at 53, only 5 to go. (I may never make it to American Samoa). I'm 63 years old, and started late. After seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time in '95, I became obsessed with the idea. Nat'l Geo was my guide, to this point. It's quite good, but Oswald's book gives so very much more depth in the realms of camping, hiking, lodging and accessibility, as well as the companies that may be available to guide you into the interiors of these natural wonders.
There's no end of maps and beautiful photographs, and Oswald's insight and comprehensive study provides easy to read details lacking in the other editions.
I can't say enough about the achievement, and can't believe he put it all together at such a young age. My National Park trips have been the highlights of my life; words can't express the excitement of a river rafting trip down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. I wish I had Mr. Oswald's guide with me during other trips.
Even going online to the NPS website doesn't give you as much insight as Mr. Oswald's book. Highly recommended...MOST highly.
May I add that I'm going back to Alaska in July for Kobuk Valley and Gates of the Arctic (only accessible by plane). After that, I can do "old people" cruises to Glacier Bay and US Virgin Islands...
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By
parkman
on July 16, 2012
Format: Paperback
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We are taking our 11-year-old grandson to Grand Teton and Yellowstone, so this guide was timely. Our grandson is planning the trip using the guide, and it is perfect. I wanted to know the length and difficulty of the hiking trails, and they are all in there. The "Don't miss" tab on the simple maps are helpful to someone who has limited knowledge of the parks and limited time. The "thumbs up" on certain of the hiking trails saves us a lot of time. The book is simple to follow, easy to refer to while traveling, and thorough. Congratulations to the author!!!
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By
C Marquardt
on June 12, 2012
Format: Paperback
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I have been to a few of our National Parks and early this summer I was planning another trip to Mammoth Cave NP. I decided to purchase this book to help me plan my trip. I thought I had everything all worked out, but thanks to this book I read about the Wild Cave tour and quickly booked it. The tour was amazing (and rugged) and it would not have happened without the recommendation of this book. I am so glad we didn't miss out on the experience. I am looking forward to more trips and seeing what other recommendations this book can bring me, because the first one was unforgettable!
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By
SPJ
on June 13, 2012
Format: Paperback
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My wife and I travel quite a bit to different National Parks and it's so useful to have one complete guide that includes all of them. I wish we had this book when we traveled to Glacier and Smokey Mountains NP. Practical breakdown of the parks by geographical location make it easy to pick a destination and tons of extra information and tips help us plan so we don't miss out on any of the activities and sights we're interested in. Overall a great resource!
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By
ctreader
on July 7, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition
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I found this book almost by accident, but it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. It's got some interesting history and background for each park, many great photos, and maps galore. Those are all great and add to the book, but what I found most useful was the insight and practical advice from the author who was been to all of these National Parks in the last few years. He shares his first-hand knowledge of what is a good use of your time/money and what is not which is incredibly valuable. You truly get a first-hand account on how to navigate the park, the surrounding towns (if applicable) and how to make the most of your time there -- whether you have a day or a week or somewhere in between. The $20 for the book (or even less to download the Kindle version of each park individually) is the best money you will spend on your entire trip.
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25 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By
a Midwest reviewer
on September 14, 2013
Format: Paperback
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This book is a mile wide but an inch deep. It's a highly ambitious project that seems thrown together too hurriedly with not enough attention to crucial details. IMO, poor information is sometimes worse than no information at all and attention to accuracy, details and good maps are critical in a travel guide, far more so than entertaining reading and beautiful layouts. Credit is certainly due. It's quite a task to cover all 58 National Parks. You can imagine the amount of time and effort it would take to actually visit a quarter of all the places mentioned in the book and I feel bad even criticizing the book after all the work it must have taken. But the bottom line is I'm re-selling the book, because I don't trust the recommendations. I find many of the comments and "don't miss" recommendations to be random and superficial. You might assume what the book highlights are the best. But in fact they may be totally random and even mediocre compared with the other options on places to check out. That or they are the most crowded popular places that everyone hears about. Don't expect to find "hidden gems" away from the crowds with this book. I don't get the feeling the author stuck around long enough or asked locals enough questions to find them.
First the good. The book is a feast for the eyes. It is very colorful with beautiful layouts. The text is very compelling and exciting, and is just the thing to get family or friends excited about visiting these places. There's lots of information here, it's well-organized and some is quite good. Because each park section is laid out in a similar format and there are colored keys to quickly find each park, it's a good way to compare parks by flipping pages much more quickly than you could look all this up online.Read more ›
First the good. The book is a feast for the eyes. It is very colorful with beautiful layouts. The text is very compelling and exciting, and is just the thing to get family or friends excited about visiting these places. There's lots of information here, it's well-organized and some is quite good. Because each park section is laid out in a similar format and there are colored keys to quickly find each park, it's a good way to compare parks by flipping pages much more quickly than you could look all this up online.Read more ›
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